There are always individuals who become bigger than the game they play. They become the face of their profession, whether they want it or not, and the identities of both are intertwined. Now, almost since the beginning of cinema in India, there has been music to accompany it. We have come a long way since Alam Ara (1931), and playback singing has given this country some of its most beloved heroes. Singer Arijit Singh is one such name, and it’s surprisingly comforting to see that he doesn’t want to be.
If you haven’t been living under a rock the size of West Bengal, you may have heard that Arijit has decided to stop singing on playback. Naturally, the Internet lost its temper upon hearing this news, and millions of her fans implored her to return. I say, why should I? Indian music has long been associated with film music; It’s a unique little quirk we have that puts our films in a different category. But the quirk has morphed into a cage, a cage controlled by puppeteers, aka Bollywood industry moguls, who want to determine the identity of this country’s music for themselves.
Independent music has always existed. For the most part, it lay like an old dragon that had been waiting for its chance to fly again. Social media removed the proverbial stone from the dragon and allowed it to fly with its wings. There are now talented, unique and successful Indian artists in almost every genre, with millions of people waiting. The nature of the industry has changed and the public is finally leaning towards albums and projects that have a single idea or story behind them.
This is the perfect time for Arijit to enter this space and give himself time to evolve. So, he doesn’t leave music; he wouldn’t do it. I mean, look at any clip or photo of Arijit singing on stage; he loves this… And the fact that he has decided to take a step back from playback singing is proof that he wants his songs to be remembered only as Arijit Singh songs.
The decision also came at a time when the Hindi film music industry has a reputation for being uncreative and exploitative. While Arijit, one of the highest-paid singers of his generation, may be protected to some extent, I had previously raised a question mark over how it works. “This whole business is carried out at the expense of the artists. An artist is not as practical as a businessman. But since the business depends on the work of the artist, if everyone feels that it is not fair, then something is wrong. They must be clear about certain things. Either pay fairly for the work that is done or not assign any work. There are many people who are not paid in proportion to the work they do. Everything is negotiated at the end of the day,” he had said on the Music Podcast a few years ago. pointing out that all agreements are verbal and few of them are fulfilled.
“It’s mostly a verbal argument. One thing is discussed, the job becomes another, and the pay becomes something completely different.”
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There is nothing more important for a 21st century musician than releasing your own music, on your own terms, and owning the rights to your work. You can never do that while singing for movies, and if you could, we wouldn’t have 10 billion Salim-Sulaiman concerts every year. Singers and composers have already given up making money solely through cinema. Arijit simply took another step.
To be fair, Arijit has built himself a space unlike any other, and I don’t mean that in a poetic sense. Just take a look at the numbers.and they will tell you the story of a man who has transcended the scope of cinema. He is the most followed artist on Spotify, with 171 million followers and 58 million monthly listeners. That’s almost 21 million more than Taylor. Fast, which, if anyone knows their fans well, is absolutely crazy. For 7 consecutive years, Arijit has been the most streamed artist in the country.
If Arijit finally decides to release a single or an album of his own, it will be an extremely crucial moment for Indian music. That an artist of his stature decides to take the reins into his own hands is a terrifying image for any type of mediocrity that was enjoying his time in the independent spotlight. Dhruvank Vaidya, head of music and podcasts at Spotify India, previously told SCREEN that “India used to be primarily a film music-first industry, and for a long time that was the genre that dominated. But over the last 5 years we’ve seen artist-centered music grow a lot.. “Recently, an EY report suggested that 5 years ago almost 80% of music consumed came from movies, and now that figure has dropped to 60%, with the rest being artist first.”
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With numbers like that, it’s no wonder Arijit wants to go out on his own. No one could have guessed five years ago that a film like Dhurandhar, which has grossed over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide, would have an Indian rapper on its theme song. These are not just signs that change is coming; This is a brutal slap to the industry, a slap that has forced them to wake up and realize the type of talent this country possesses.
Arijit’s first project has the potential to change the way Indian music is perceived (no pressure). To much of the outside world, it will be just an album. But for every fan who knows Arijit’s discography, it will translate as a man taking charge of his success and telling the world that the streaming singing crown is simply not enough; he wants more.