Throwback: Arijit Singh once banned his own songs at home; criticized Bollywood’s pay structure as 'unfair'

Arijit Singh announced his retirement from playback singing on January 27, 2026. Amidst the buzz around the singer, a 2023 interview of the singer has been doing rounds around the internet. At that time he had opened up about the time when he didn't allow his songs to be played at his own house. The singer had also called out Bollywood's pay system. Let's learn more about it.Back in 2023, in an interview with The Music Podcast, Arijit Singh shared that at a certain point in his career he couldn't associate with his own name. He said, "There would be a crowd calling out my name. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but eventually I realized that my name is not me anymore. It’s a perception people have created about me." In the same interaction, Arijit Singh expressed that the feeling became so strong that he didn't allow his own songs at home. He shared, "Earlier, I was very strict about not hearing my songs. The situation was such that nobody would play a song when I was at home. Then I became a little easy around it."During the interaction, the singer expressed his concerns about Bollywood's treatment towards musicians. He had said, "They are fair in their own game. This entire business is conducted on the back of artists. An artist is not as practical as a businessman. But since the business depends on the artist’s work, if everyone feels it’s not fair, then something is wrong. People should think about it."The singer shared that the music labels should be clear about the pay scale. He stated that either they should pay them fairly or not approach them for work at all. He pointed out how the things that are said and what is on the papers are totally different.He said, "Because it’s mostly a verbal discussion. One thing is discussed, the work becomes something else, and the payment turns into something entirely different."Arijit Singh posted on Instagram and wrote, "Hello, happy new year to all. I want to thank you all for the love you’ve given me throughout these years as listeners. I am happy to share that I will no longer be taking on new playback singing assignments. I am calling it off. It has been a wonderful journey."