Indie versus playback: Singers on Arijit Singh's retirement
Since the 2013 hit ballad Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 left everyone misty-eyed and catapulted him to superstardom, Arijit Singh’s voice has made us believe in love and broken our hearts many times over. Capturing the elation of chasing dreams in Illahi, the longing of separation in Agar Tum Saath Ho and the bittersweetness of goodbyes in Channa Mereya — if there’s one voice that left its trace across the last decade’s Bollywood music, it’s Arijit’s. Though his venture into the Kollywood is significantly low, he managed to encapsulate even the Tamil audience. So when he announced his retirement from playback singing a few weeks back, the film industry was devastated. The independent music scene, however, is greeting this move with optimism for what it means to have the playback singer venturing in their direction.
“Any Bollywood music listener in the country would have had the same reaction, it was shock,” says Sublahshini, an indie artiste and playback singer. “In the last decade and more, I don’t think there have been many films where he wasn’t a part of, and the hit ratio speaks for itself. So it was definitely very, very surprising.” She believes his move toward independent and classical music could empower those spaces. “He will take his fans wherever he goes...indie music and classical music are overlooked even now, and they are always looked at as if they are just ways to get to Bollywood music or the film music. This decision might make people rethink that.”
At an industry level, some hope this brings more film music fans into indie music and much-needed investment, even as indie music has grown in popularity among young audiences and nurtured big acts like Hanumankind, Lifafa and Peter Cat Recording Co in recent years. “When big names come in, it could open up new avenues for big labels and anyone with the capital. This can boost the music economy where the financial burden still falls on the artiste,” says Joel Sakkari, aka ‘Sakre’.
For many artistes, the shift also signals a change in listening patterns. Aditya Kamakshinadha, an independent artiste, sees the move as potentially transformative. “His move towards indie music is definitely going to shift the listener’s ears towards more original compositions. I feel this is a positive change for the independent music scene in India, as more people will start listening to non-film music and begin to realise that songs or albums do not need big budget movies to penetrate and relate to the masses.”
Aditya also points to how the music consumption landscape has evolved. “Earlier, it used to be TV or FM. Now everyone has their own curated playlists with film songs, band albums and indie tracks. The reception is better than it used to be.”
Bruce Lee Mani, a musician, points to a potential downside. “If more people who already have massive success within the film industry decide to follow suit, where will there be space for indie musicians who have comparatively less success, now competing with superstars for the same pie?”