Arijit Singh's last conversation with Pritam before stepping away from playback singing: 'I don’t even want to sing anymore'

Singer Arijit Singh’s announcement about distancing himself from playback singing earlier this year left fans across the country emotional and surprised. Now, music composer Pritam has opened up about a private conversation they shared just a day before the singer made the big decision public.The composer recently spoke about Arijit’s state of mind, the pressure of constant work, and why the word “retirement” may not fully explain the singer’s decision.Pritam, who has collaborated with Arijit Singh on several chartbusters from films like ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, ‘Barfi!’, ‘Dangal’, ‘Brahmastra’, and ‘Love Aaj Kal’, revealed that he himself had often spoken about taking a break from work. The composer shared that he has been thinking about slowing down for months, especially because he wants to spend more time with his children before they move to the US for higher studies.Speaking to SCREEN, Pritam recalled his conversations with Arijit and said, “I've told Arijit a few times about retirement. Everyone has been to his hometown, Jiaganj, except me. He'd laugh and tell me, ‘You wouldn't come.’ I told him, ‘No, I'm retiring. Once I make the announcement, I'll come to you and we'll go to Tarapith together.’”Pritam further revealed that Arijit had been listening to these “retirement” discussions for nearly a year. Then came a surprising moment that the composer did not expect. “One night, he told me, ‘The day you retire, I'll also retire.’ The next day, he announced his retirement from playback singing. After doing that, he called me and said, ‘Aapse nahi hoga (You won't do it),’” Pritam shared.The revelation quickly grabbed attention online, especially among fans who have closely followed the duo’s musical journey over the years. While discussing the topic further, Pritam clarified that creative people rarely retire completely. According to him, artists often simply need time away from constant work pressure.“No artist retires. I think you should treat it as just a break rather than retirement. Actually, I've been talking about my retirement for eight months. I've been wanting to retire ever since then. I've told everyone, but they just laugh at me. Ultimately, it's not retirement, but just a break,” he explained."Artists don’t retire. They take a break and redirect to something that is interesting them more. Let him move at his own pace. There’s so much he wants to explore," said Pritam, highlighting Arijit's new focus. He added, "To start with, he is directing a film with an extremely beautiful and meaningful script. Also, it’s his life, his voice, so it should be his decision when to sing and when not to sing, what to sing and what not to sing."Pritam also addressed the pressure Arijit Singh had been facing due to his hectic workload in the music industry. “He was singing so many songs, maybe he doesn’t want to sing for now. Sometimes, directors also pressure all of us. I also find it hard to say no,” the composer said.He further added that Arijit now wants to focus on filmmaking and deserves space to make decisions on his own terms.“Give him time, he’ll be all okay. People are thinking too much into his retirement. Why are you giving him so much pressure? Let him do what he wants. He’ll sing when he wants to. Somebody said if he’s retired, why are his songs still coming out? Arey, but why are you bothered? Why are you after him? He has a life. Every artist wants a break. A lot of things trigger us,” Pritam added.On January 27, Arijit Singh informed fans through his social media handles that he would no longer accept new playback singing assignments. The announcement sparked widespread discussions online, with many fans hoping the singer’s break from playback music would only be temporary.