Indian playback singer Shan has revealed that he once considered walking away from singing, drawing a parallel with Arijit Singh’s decision to step back from playback work.
The comments have brought renewed attention to the personal and professional pressures that can influence established singers, particularly those who have spent years at the centre of India’s film music industry. Arijit’s reported decision to reduce his involvement in playback singing had sparked considerable discussion among listeners and on social media. Shan, whose career has also been closely associated with popular Hindi film music, says he understands that kind of uncertainty from personal experience.
Shan, whose real name is Shantanu Mukherjee, has been one of the familiar voices in Indian popular music since the 1990s. He became particularly known for his soft, melodic singing style and his ability to move comfortably between romantic tracks, film songs and other forms of popular music. Among his best-known songs are ‘Chaand Sifarish’, ‘Hey Shona’, ‘Jab Se Tere Naina’ and ‘Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh’.
Speaking in a recent interview, Shan said Arijit’s decision reminded him of a similar phase in his own career. He stressed, however, that Arijit had not necessarily brought his singing career to an absolute end.
“It is not that he has completely stopped singing. He is still singing and I think he will do a lot more playback work in the future. The situation is not that extreme,” Shan said.
There has been speculation about why Arijit chose to step back from playback singing, but Shan said the singer himself would be the right person to explain the reasons behind the decision. He also pointed out that a significant number of songs already recorded by Arijit have yet to be released.
According to Shan, listeners are likely to hear many more songs featuring Arijit in the coming years because of the music that has already been recorded. He also suggested that the singer’s present decision should not necessarily be regarded as permanent.
“Who knows, perhaps he may change his decision,” Shan said, arguing that such a choice is not something permanently fixed and can change with circumstances.
The discussion prompted Shan to revisit a turning point in his own life. He recalled that when he was around 33 or 34, he went through a remarkably similar period of questioning his career and future.
By then, Shan said, he had already explored many different kinds of songs and had received two or three major awards. From an outside perspective, his career appeared to be progressing successfully. Yet professional achievement did not completely settle his own doubts about what he wanted to do next.
At that stage, Shan had also developed a desire to become involved in social service. He felt that after reaching a certain point in his life and career, he should devote some of his time and experience to contributing to society.
The difficulty was finding that time.
His professional commitments kept him occupied, leaving little room for the social work he wanted to pursue. The constant demands of the music industry made him feel that he was repeatedly moving through the same cycle of work. That frustration eventually led him to consider whether continuing along the same path was what he really wanted.
Shan ultimately remained in music, building on the career that had already established him as one of India’s recognisable playback and popular singers. His recollection offers a personal perspective on the kind of crossroads that can emerge even after an artist has achieved considerable success.
His comments also suggest that stepping back from a profession does not always mean abandoning it altogether. For singers such as Shan and Arijit, decisions about playback work can be shaped by changing priorities, personal aspirations and the demands of a career that often leaves little room for anything outside music.
