After over a seven-year hiatus, singer-politician Babul Supriyo, currently serving as a Cabinet Minister in the West Bengal state government, has returned to Hindi music with the track Ankhiyaan, a collaboration with singer Shaan.

“Luckily, I got a chance to split my time between Mumbai and Kolkata. Shaan has been a great composer for a very long time. I keep hearing his work,” he says.

Revealing that earlier he was not allowed to sing due to his political career, he calls his return as “Babul 2.0”.

“Music is my passion and my better half. I resigned once in 2017 as I was not permitted to perform. Even my American tour was cancelled. But then, if given a choice, I would leave politics. I enjoy it, but it is very vitriolic, so I am trying to bring some music into politics,” he adds.

The 55-year-old entered politics in 2014 with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) before joining the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021.

Reflecting on his break from music, Babul says it wasn’t voluntary, adding that even at serious platforms, he was repeatedly pushed to perform. “No matter the speech, what made it to TV were the songs they made me sing, turning every appearance into an ‘entertainment quotient’,” he shares.

The singer-politician adds, “Our Prime Minister did not want me to continue singing because he felt it would dilute my position as a Union Minister, so I had to abide.”

However, the artiste credits West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allowing his return to music. “My CM promotes music. She has given me full liberty to do anything," he ends.