Salim Merchant Says Arijit Singh’s Playback Retirement Reflects Shift in Music Industry
MUMBAI — Composer Salim Merchant said he was not surprised by singer Arijit Singh’s decision to retire from playback singing, noting that many artists in the music industry are increasingly shifting their focus away from film music.
Speaking in an interview, Merchant said the change reflects a broader trend among composers and singers who are exploring independent music instead of relying on movie soundtracks.
“I am not surprised at all. This had to happen, and this will happen to everyone. I have also stopped making film music almost 6 years ago. If you ask me about my last movie, I would say it was ‘102 Not Out’, which starred Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. It was the last film I did music for,” Merchant said.
The composer said he himself stepped away from film music around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic after realizing that working on movie soundtracks was no longer fulfilling for him.
According to Merchant, several composers and singers have quietly moved away from film music, although few have made a public announcement about it like Singh.
Despite Singh’s decision to step back from playback singing, Merchant said he expects the singer to continue producing music in other forms.
“Music is a very big field, of which playback is a very small part, so I don’t think there is anything wrong with this. Arijit, I am sure, will still make a lot of music, maybe not for a movie, but he will surely do independent music,” he said.
Merchant also pointed out that while film music remains influential, fewer movies centered on music are being produced at present, which may also be contributing to the shift toward independent projects. (Source: IANS)
