“I am calling it off, it was a wonderful journey,” said Arijit Singh on Tuesday, announcing that he will not be taking up any new assignments as a playback singer, a decision that sent shockwaves across the industry and his fan base alike.

In a message shared on his social media pages, Singh said he has decided to step away from playback singing, a move that comes at the peak of his career as one of the most popular and indemand voices in Hindi cinema. “Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote.

The 38-year-old, however, clarified that he would continue to make music independently and complete existing commitments. “God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and do more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again for all your support. I still must finish some pending commitments, will finish them. So you might get some releases this year. Just to be clear that I won't stop making music,” he added.

The announcement was met with disbelief. “Too soon sir, can't be real,” wrote one user. Another said, “This cannot be true.”

Singh's rise in the Indian music industry has been nothing short of meteoric. He started out as a contestant on reality show “Fame Gurukul” in 2005 and made his playback debut in 2011 with “Phir Mohabbat” from the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Murder 2.

He broke into the big league with the soulful hit “Tum Hi Ho” from “Aashiqui 2” in 2013. The success of the song made him a household name. After that, Singh quickly became the voice of many moods, be it love, heartbreak or happiness. He went on to deliver a string of chartbusters such as “Channa Mereya”, “Agar Tum Saath Ho”, “Raabta”, “Kesariya”, “Gerua”, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” and “Chaleya”. Over the years, he has lent his voice to nearly all of Hindi cinema's leading stars – from superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan to actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.

Singh recorded songs in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi, and collaborated with leading composers and filmmakers. His work earned him numerous Filmfare Awards, including multiple Best Male Playback Singer honours. In July, Singh edged past global pop stars Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to emerge the most followed artist on music streaming platform Spotify with 151 million followers.