Like Arijit Singh, Shaan too contemplated quitting playback singing; reveals Sonu Nigam and KK warned him, “Don’t sing all kinds of songs. Keep your standard, bro”

Arijit Singh’s decision to step away from film playback singing has been one of the biggest developments of 2026. In a conversation with Komal Nahta, Shaan opened up about Arijit’s decision and revealed that he, too, had once contemplated quitting playback singing.

When asked about the decision of Arijit Singh, Shaan said, “It's not like he's hung his boots. He's singing and I think he's doing a lot of playback (singing). Aisi baat nahin hai.”

Why did he quit singing then? Shaan thought for a few seconds and then replied, “Only he can answer that question (laughs). However, he has recorded many songs that are yet to be released. So, in the next two years, you'll get to hear a lot of Arijit Singh.”

He also added, “You never know, he can change his mind. Pathar ki lakeer pe thodi kisi ne likh diya hai.”

Shaan then confessed that even he went through a similar dilemma, “I was about 33-34. It was a time when I had sung all kinds of songs. I had also won 2-3 big awards. Also, I am quite inclined towards social work. Ab aaye hai toh society ke liye kuch karna chahiye. However, because of my work, I didn't have time for it. And I used to feel that you are just rolling from one thing to another.”

Shaan continued, “Arijit at least did selective work. He reached the peak quickly and then he would work only for the top songs. As for me, I used to leave my house in the morning and I used to sing for all kinds of films – A-grade, B-grade and C-grade! My contemporaries like K K and Sonu Nigam used to tell me, 'Don't sing all kinds of songs. Keep your standard, bro'. But my point was that koi pyaar se bulata tha toh main naa kaise karoon? Moreover, my father (Manas Mukherjee) was also from this industry. So, his colleagues and the children of those colleagues used to request me to do playback singing. Turning them down was difficult. So, I would do those songs. I got a lot of blessings from them.”

He then stated, “When I used to return home, my wife would ask, 'Sunao aaj kya gaaya?'. I would say, 'Yaad nahin aa raha hai'. Usko shaque hone lagta tha! So that was the time when I would wonder what I was doing.”

Also Read: Shaan reveals wife Radhika told him to NEVER act again: "Give it to me in writing; you're a very bad actor… dal roti ke vaande ho jaayenge"