Arijit Singh shares stage with Anoushka Shankar in Kolkata in first performance after he quit playback singing

Arijit Singh appeared on stage in Kolkata on February 8, in what was his first public performance since stepping away from playback singing. The appearance came during a concert led by sitar player Anoushka Shankar at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Anoushka later shared a clip from the evening on Instagram, describing the moment as special and noting that Arijit brought her father’s lesser-heard Bengali composition to life before they presented new material together.

The first piece performed was ‘Maya Bhora Raati’, a Bengali song associated with Lakshmi Shankar and composed by Ravi Shankar. Arijit was joined by Anoushka and percussionist Bickram Ghosh. The arrangement stayed close to classical roots, with minimal staging.

Arijit told the audience he felt nervous. “I am very nervous. Thank you for having me,” he said briefly.

They later performed “Traces of You,” a track Anoushka created with Norah Jones. The duet kept the tone subdued, with sitar leading and vocals layered lightly.

Arijit also mentioned he recently visited Anoushka at her home, where they spent time working on music.

Arijit Singh’s decision to retire from playback singing

The appearance comes days after Arijit posted that he would not take on new playback singing assignments. In his note, he thanked listeners and called the journey “wonderful.” In a separate message on X, he clarified he is not leaving music entirely but plans to explore different forms.

Last week, actor Aamir Khan was seen visiting Arijit’s residence in Jiaganj, Murshidabad. Videos of the visit circulated online, though no official reason was stated.

Arijit Singh and his decades long career in Bollywood

For over a decade, Arijit has been among the most recorded voices in Hindi film music.

Songs such as Tum Hi Ho, Raabta, Laal Ishq, Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse, and Aaj Phir remain widely streamed.

The Kolkata concert did not include film tracks. The focus stayed on classical and collaborative material. For now, it stands as his first stage outing since the playback announcement, without any change to that decision.