Arijit Singh Returns to the Stage for Surprise Performance with Anoushka Shankar

Things changed the moment Shankar presented the singer of the song Channa Mereya to the entire crowd in the stadium. Singh, with a reputation of being reserved and living a low profile life in his home town Jiaganj, walked to the stage to a deafening applause. Although he is one of the most successful Indian vocalists, even his size seemed to have been overwhelmed by the applause, as he looked like he was crying and told the audience, “I am very nervous. Thank you for having me.”

A Rare Musical Collaboration

The evening was a big divergence on a traditional performance of pop. Instead, it was an elaborate fusion of the modern day vocals and the Indian classical tradition. Singh came onto stage with Shankar and the popular percussionist Bickram Ghosh. The three performed a soulful version of Maya Bhora Raati, a Bengali song that was first performed by Lakshmi Shankar, the music is the work of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar.

The cooperation went beyond traditional covers. Another duet performance of the song by Singh and Shankar was of the song titled Traces of You, a song that Shankar had recorded together with her sister, Norah Jones. It was a performance that revealed another aspect of the art of Arijit Singh — one that is also experimental and globally oriented soundscapes, which Shankar is well known in.

Subsequently, Anoushka Shankar posted on social media that she was excited about the collaboration experience, as it was amazing to hear Singh render a rarely played song by her father to life. She also hinted at some deeper creative collaboration, as she said the two used to spend some time together in her London home writing new music.

The Context of Retirement

The unexpected latest Bollywood news bears a lot of weight considering that Singh had announced on January 27 that he would not be taking any new playback assignments. Having worked in the music industry more than ten years and having produced hundreds of successful hits to his name, the 38 year old singer declared that he was putting the call off to seek renewed inspiration and to venture into other musical directions.

In later social-media communications, Singh said that he had not had to rush out and make the choice but had been creatively restless. He said that he would like to be disassociated with mass production of commercial film music and pursue self-directed projects, original works and revert to his childhood life in Indian classical music. He also expressed a desire to create space in the industry to newer voices saying that he found himself in need of doing some other music to live.

In spite of being formally retired out of films, Singh has confirmed to the fans that he will still keep his current professional engagements. A number of songs that he had recorded before his announcement are likely to be released during the year.

Fans React to the ‘New’ Arijit

The concert was a sort of coming home and a glimpse into the future of the concert to the Kolkata audience. The performance was soon videoed on social media, and many fans remarked that the singer seemed more relaxed in this more classically-oriented collaborative environment than she would have been in a normal Bollywood promotion.

There are also the critics and peers of the industry who have contributed their own portion toward the transition. Some people were sad that an end of an era of film soundtracks is coming, others, including an elderly singer Shaan, urged people to respect the choice of Arijit Singh and wait until his time comes when he will reveal more.

The Kolkata performance indicates that albeit Arijit Singh might be dropping out of the recording studios of Mumbai, his performance on the live stage is by no means done. He seems to be taking a new direction by aligning himself with such artists like Anoushka Shankar and Bickram Ghosh, with one characterized by artistic interest and not market imperatives. To a singer who has dedicated decades to telling the stories of people this following chapter appears to be devoted to the search of his own.

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