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Singer Arijit Singh sent shockwaves across the Indian music industry on Tuesday after announcing that he is stepping away from playback singing, prompting an emotional outpouring from fans and fellow artistes alike.

Kohli’s throwback posts go viral

Soon after the announcement, old social media posts by cricketer Virat Kohli resurfaced online, highlighting his long-standing admiration for Arijit. A tweet dated January 26, 2016, shared by Kohli began circulating widely, in which he wrote: “I am probably one of the biggest fans of Arijit Singh. Mesmerized by his talent and soulful voice. I am short of words actually.”

Another throwback photo of Kohli posing with Arijit also went viral. In that post, the former India captain had called meeting the singer a “pure fanboy moment”, adding that no voice had captivated him like Arijit’s.

Fans draw parallels with Kohli’s retirement

Fans were quick to draw comparisons between Arijit’s unexpected move and Kohli’s own surprise retirement from Test cricket last year. “Arijit is the Virat Kohli of music,” one user wrote, while another observed that both icons chose to step away while still at the top of their game. Some reactions also took a lighter tone, with jokes about long-running TV shows outlasting celebrity retirements.

‘Not quitting music, only playback’

In his social media statement, Arijit clarified that he is not quitting music altogether. He said his decision applies only to playback singing and that he now wants to return to Indian classical music and focus on his own compositions.

“I will make my own music… I wanna go back to Indian Classical Music. I wanna start again,” he wrote. Responding to fans on X, Arijit revealed the decision had been in the making for a long time and stemmed from creative restlessness.

“I get bored pretty quick… I got bored. I need to do some other music to live,” he said, adding that he is also excited to see new voices emerge in the industry.