Music careers aren’t stable anymore. Singers become ‘social media sensations’, dominate playlists for all of one season, then fade into the background. Viral hits become forgotten reel audios as the algorithm evolves. But even in this fast-changing music economy, Arijit Singh has managed to stay relevant.
My generation witnessed the rise of indie-pop and internet-born musicians such as Anuv Jain, Ritviz, and now Talwiinder. We saw lo-fi music get overused and eventually lose its charm. Rap became mainstream. Mixing old tracks with new phrases became acceptable. This kind of music rarely resonates with Generation X.
My parents would often listen to trending songs and say, “Why do they all sound the same?” or “Why does everyone sound like they’re crying?” For them, music had clear benchmarks of emotion and vocal mastery: Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar.
Between these two worlds—one driven by trends and the other by tradition—there was a huge gap. Singh came to occupy this space. His voice had the emotional depth and melody that the older generation wanted. But he also carried the vulnerability and softness that the young people could connect with. He became the bridge between generations.
One of Singh’s biggest strengths is the ability to serve a song. He understands the lyricist’s intent completely and moulds his voice into the perfect medium for the emotions to travel to his listener. Some say that he records a song eight or nine times if he isn’t satisfied with the result.
Many singers are blessed with strong husky voices, but not everyone knows when to break, when to hold back, when to stretch the pitch, and when to simply hum.
Another important aspect of Singh’s music is that you don’t have to really understand the words to feel it. Some of my cousins don’t understand even basic Hindi, but they have been listening to his songs for years now. They feel the emotion in their bones.
That kind of communication is possible because Singh’s voice never comes across as performative. It feels personal, almost like he’s discovering the emotion at the same time as his listener.
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Arijit Singh’s lasting contribution
In an era where singers are often brands first and musicians second, Singh chooses invisibility. He keeps a rather low profile. Never attends flashy parties and avoids award shows, podcasts, and guest appearances. He stays away from advertisements, too.
Singh has always put his music at the centre. He let his songs speak. To some extent, that decision helped him transcend age groups.
The Gen X, who were sceptical of “new music” found comfort in his voice because it was familiar. Early Gen Z, on the other hand, never had a consistent musical hero until Singh came along. And both generations liked him for his music alone, unlike artists whose hype precedes their sound. Singh wasn’t someone to be followed as a personality or decoded as a brand. He was being talked about just because of his music.
While production styles, genres, and industry trends shifted around him, Singh didn’t chase what was fashionable. He focused on soulful compositions. His voice adapted to different soundscapes, but the core musical sensibility remained unchanged.
Singh’s significance isn’t just in the number of songs he sang or composed, or the number of awards he won. It lies in his rare ability to be universally appropriate. His music could play in a college dorm room and a family’s living room without feeling out of place, making him a shared emotional vocabulary for generations poles apart.
And in a scattered musical landscape, that might be Singh’s most important contribution.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)