Arijit Singh (; born 25 April 1987) is an Indian singer, music producer, and former playback singer. A leading figure in Hindi and Bengali music, he is the recipient of several accolades including two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. He was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2025.
Singh began his career when he participated in the reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005. He made his Hindi cinema debut in 2011 with the song "Phir Mohabbat" for the film Murder 2. He received wider recognition with the release of "Tum Hi Ho" from Aashiqui 2 in 2013, which earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer twice for the songs "Binte Dil" from Padmaavat (2018) and "Kesariya" from ' (2022).
Spotify declared Singh the most-streamed Indian artist for seven consecutive years (2019âÂÂ2025). As of February 2026, he is the most-followed artist globally on Spotify, with over 174.9 million followers.
Arijit Singh was born on 25 April 1987 in Jiaganj, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India to Surinder Kakkar Singh, a Punjabi Sikh father and Aditi Singh, a Bengali Hindu mother. His paternal family came from Lahore during the Partition. He began his music training at a very young age at home. His maternal aunt trained in Indian classical music, and his maternal grandmother used to sing. His maternal uncle played the tabla, and his mother also sang and played the tabla. He studied at Raja Bijay Singh High School and later at the Sripat Singh College, a University of Kalyani affiliate. According to him he "was a decent student, but cared more about music" and his parents decided to train him professionally. He was taught Indian classical music by Rajendra Prasad Hazari and trained in tabla by Dhirendra Prasad Hazari. Birendra Prasad Hazari taught him Rabindra Sangeet (songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore) and pop music. At the age of three, he started training under the Hazari brothers, and at the age of nine, he got a scholarship from the government for training in vocals in Indian classical music.
Growing up, he listened to Mozart, Beethoven and Modern Bengali music. He idolised musicians like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan, Zakir Hussain and Anand Chatterjee, and enjoyed listening to Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar, and Manna Dey.
Singh's musical career began when his guru Rajendra Prasad Hazari encouraged him to leave his hometown and participate in the reality show Fame Gurukul (2005) at the age of 18.
During the show, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali invited Singh to sing "Yun Shabnami", a song intended for his film Saawariya. The recording was later removed following changes in the film's script and was never released.
After Fame Gurukul, Kumar Taurani of Tips signed Singh for a music album that was ultimately shelved.
Singh later moved to Mumbai in 2006 to work as a freelancer, initially living in a rented accommodation in the Lokhandwala area. He invested his early earnings in setting up a personal recording studio and worked as a music programmer and producer for advertisements, radio stations, and television channels.
He subsequently worked as a music programmer and producer with composers including ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy, VishalâÂÂShekhar, Mithoon, Monty Sharma and Pritam.
In 2010, Singh collaborated with Pritam on films such as Golmaal 3, Crook and Action Replayy. He sang "Neeve Na Neeve Na" for the Telugu film Kedi and made his Hindi film playback debut with "Phir Mohabbat" from Murder 2. He gained wider recognition after singing "Raabta" from Agent Vinod and went on to contribute to soundtracks of films including Players, Cocktail and Barfi!.
Singh's breakthrough came with the film Aashiqui 2 (2013), particularly the song "Tum Hi Ho", which earned him several accolades including the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
He subsequently recorded songs for films such as Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Jackpot and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.
Singh continued to collaborate with Pritam and other composers through the mid-2010s. He sang "Khairiyat" from the film Chhichhore, composed by Pritam and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The song was released in September 2019 and received widespread popularity.
In the same year, Singh sang "Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage" for the film Kabir Singh.
Later in 2019, he collaborated with Shilpa Rao on the song "Ghungroo" from the film War, composed by VishalâÂÂShekhar with lyrics by Kumaar.
In 2020, Singh recorded songs for several Hindi films, including Love Aaj Kal, Chhapaak, Street Dancer 3D, and Malang. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also lent his voice to the Amazon Prime Video series The Forgotten Army â Azaadi Ke Liye.
In July 2020, Singh announced the launch of his independent music label, Oriyon Music, marking a shift toward releasing non-film music and exercising greater creative control over his work. Later that year, he released the non-film single âÂÂDil Ko Maine Di KasamâÂÂ, composed by Amaal Mallik. In October 2020, Singh released âÂÂRihaaâÂÂ, his first independent single under Oriyon Music, serving as singer, composer, and producer. A Bengali version titled âÂÂMukto Kore Daoâ was also released.
In 2021, Singh continued to record film music across Hindi and regional cinema. Among his releases that year was âÂÂO Saaiyaanâ from the film The Power.
In 2023, Singh sang "Kesariya" from '. The song received widespread acclaim and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer at the 68th Filmfare Awards, marking his seventh win in this category.
In 2025, he won his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Sajni" from Laapataa Ladies, equalling Kishore Kumar's record for most wins in this category.
Singh has remained one of the most-streamed Indian artists on digital platforms throughout the 2020s, with his catalogue continuing to feature prominently on Spotify India year-end charts.
In January 2026, Singh announced his retirement from playback singing, while also stating that he will continue making independent music.
Singh is known for his "natural" and "nasal" voice, praised for its texture, depth, and emotive quality. He is a soulful baritone, described as "raw and grainy" yet versatile across genres.
Though best known for romantic songs, Singh performs across styles, including club tracks Raat Bhar, electronic Blame The Night, Punjabi folk Samjhawan, Sufi/qawwali Mast Magan, and ghazals Gulon Mein Rang Bhare. He enjoys classical and folk music, avoids heavy metal, and credits lyricists such as Irshad Kamil, Sayeed Quadri, and Amitabh Bhattacharya for shaping his interpretations.
Singh views singing as an art of expression, emphasizing understanding lyrics and rhythm over rigid technique, and credits his guru Rajendra Prasad Hazari for encouraging a balance of classical and modern training.
Arijit has shared his fondness for singer Kishore Kumar, while citing Mohit Chauhan and Atif Aslam as inspirations with whom he is often compared. Though he has been inspired by many artists, Singh named KK as his favourite singer along with Ayushmann Khurrana. He named Pritam Chakraborty, VishalâÂÂShekhar, ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy, Amit Trivedi, Mithoon and A. R. Rahman as his favourite music directors. Singh has idolised Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hassan.
In an interview with Filmbeat in April 2013, he declared that he is the biggest fan of singer Krishnakumar Kunnath (KK). His desire to sing for Aamir Khan came to reality in 2016 with the song "Naina" from Dangal. In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh stated that he loves the work of Shalmali Kholgade, Shefali Alvares, and Irfan. He also mentioned that his "current favourite" singer is Chinmayi.
In 2016 he appeared on the popular chat and comedy show The Kapil Sharma Show aired on Sony TV India. The show's host Kapil Sharma explained the difficulties he had bringing Singh on the show due to his shy nature.
Singh has often been portrayed by the Indian media as a "small-town boy who made it big". He had also been trolled on social media to which he replied "I use my social media sparingly for things that are close to my heart. I don't read the comments. My team filters out the comments for me, and I don't involve myself a lot in paying attention to criticism on social media. I speak what I want to speak, and my team lets me know the needful."
Arijit enjoys listening to retro songs by singers Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle and the classical and ghazal songs along with the music of Coldplay. He expressed his desire to work with artist Norah Jones someday as he loves her music.
He says he is uncomfortable with all the attention that fame has brought. In a 2023 interview on The Music Podcast, Singh reflected on his relationship with fame, stating that he had become detached from the public perception of his name, describing it as âÂÂa perception people have created about me.â He also said that he previously felt uncomfortable hearing his own songs at home and avoided them for a period, noting âÂÂnobody would play a song when I was at home.âÂÂ, but later grew more indifferent toward the attention.
In an interview music director and composer, Pritam said: "Arijit is a good singer, a smart musician, and an intelligent musician as well." Vishal Dadlani of the music director duo VishalâÂÂShekhar said Singh is a phenomenal singer. In another interview, he said "Arijit has the ability and the openness needed to make every recording a genuine collaboration. He's also a really nice guy, with no ego. That helps." Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali in an Interview with The Hindu said, "Arijit Singh is very special".
Shreya Ghoshal remarked that he "is versatile and has a soulful voice". Shankar Mahadevan said "I knew him before he became Arijit Singh. He is an educated musician, he understands his Sargam, and he has got depth." Suresh Wadkar praised him as one of the "great singers of this generation". Sonu Nigam rated Arijit higher than himself, at 7 on 10.
In 2014, Singh married Koel Roy, a childhood friend and a neighbour of his, shortly after both divorced their former partners. Singh has a step daughter from Koel's first marriage and 2 sons from Koel's marriage with him. Singh divides his time between Mumbai and his hometown of Jiaganj which has become his main base in recent years.
Singh says apart from being a singer, he is a badminton player, a writer, a movie freak and a documentary maker. He also likes cricket and cites Sachin Tendulkar, Lance Klusener, Sourav Ganguly, and Jonty Rhodes as his favourite sportsmen. He is an ardent football fan, and a Manchester United fan. He also expressed a wish to sing the anthem for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In badminton, he likes Saina Nehwal.
Singh's mother, Aditi Singh, died from a cerebral stroke on 20 May 2021. She was 52 years old.
Singh performed live with Harshdeep Kaur at the Dubai Music Week Bollywood Night concert in September 2013, including hits like âÂÂKabiraâÂÂ. Later that year, on 10 November 2013, he performed "Kabira" at the event organized by Xavier Institute.
By 2014, Arijit Singh had established himself as a prominent playback singer, leading to the organization of his first major concert tours. These early tours were primarily domestic, focusing on major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore. Singh's performances were noted for their emotional depth and versatility, blending romantic ballads, folk, ghazals, and pop-infused tracks. His ability to perform for hours without a break, often accompanied by a talented ensemble of musicians, became a defining feature of his shows. He performed at events like the Mirchi Music Awards, the Satej Youth Fest, and also had a live concert in Thane. Additionally, he performed at the Indian Idol Junior finale with contestant Debanjana Karmakar. Singh also performed at 6th Mirchi Music Awards in 2014.
On 27 January 2015, Arijit Singh performed at the Spring Fest, the annual cultural festival of IIT Kharagpur, one of India's premier technical institutes. This concert was a significant draw for students and local fans, featuring a setlist of his early Bollywood hits like "Tum Hi Ho" (Aashiqui 2), "Kabira" (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani), and "Raabta" (Agent Vinod).
The performance, held at Jnan Ghosh Stadium , drew thousands of attendees and was noted for its emotional intensity and audience engagement. His performance was noted for its emotional delivery and ability to engage a young audience. This concert was one of Singh's major Mumbai performances in 2015, organized at the spacious MMRDA Grounds, a popular venue for large-scale events. In April 2015, he performed at the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi, a prestigious venue known for hosting cultural events. This concert was notable for its intimate setting compared to outdoor stadium shows, allowing Singh to connect closely with the audience. After this Singh performance at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata was a homecoming event, drawing a massive crowd of local fans. On 15 January 2015, Singh made his debut performance in Dubai with the 50-piece Grand Symphony Orchestra from London. The concert was presented by Raging Tigers and supported by Emax and Splash as sponsors.
On 5 February 2016, Arijit Singh performed at the Dubai World Trade Centre, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. The concert was organized by Raging Tiger Events in association with Audi. In March 2016, he performed at the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur as part of the Rajasthan Day celebrations. That same year, Singh held his first concert in Chandigarh at the Sector 17 Parade Ground. On 30 April 2016, he performed at Labh Ganga Garden in Indore with a grand symphony orchestra. Later, on 17 July 2016, Singh performed at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His final concert of the year took place in December at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Navrangpura, Ahmedabad.
In 2017, Arijit Singh toured the United States, performing in several cities including Dallas, Austin, Houston, Newark, San Jose, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. The tour was contracted and managed by Rose Productions. The shows were well-attended, with over 100,000 people in total with grand Symphony orchestra.
The MTV India tour featuring Arijit Singh was a concert series spanning multiple cities and months. It kicked off in Kolkata on 24 December and continued through March 2018, hitting major cities like Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Indore, Pune, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. The tour was a collaboration between MTV and Wizcraft International.
During 2019, Arijit Singh embarked on his first North American tour and performed in the Middle East and India. His 2020 concerts were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming with limited shows in late 2021. On 6 June 2021, Arijit Singh hosted a Facebook Live concert with the primary aim of raising funds to help rural India in the fight against COVID-19. This initiative was a partnership between Arijit Singh, Facebook, and GiveIndia, a non-governmental organization. The concert served as a fundraising effort to gather donations for this cause.
In 2022, Arijit Singh embarked on an international tour titled as "UK and Europe tour", "North America tour" and "Australia tour". Singh also embarked on a multy-city tour titled as "One Night Only" India tour starts from November 2022 to March 2023. Singh also paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar on the Star Plus show "Naam Reh Jayegaa" in an episode that aired on 5 June at 7 p.m.. The show featured various singers, including Singh, paying homage to the legendary singer. He sang some of Lata Mangeshkar's most popular songs in various Indian languages for the special episode.
Singh did perform at the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He was one of the main performers, along with Tamannaah Bhatia and Rashmika Mandanna. The ceremony took place in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium. During the ceremony, he sang several popular songs, including "Kesariya" and "Jhoome Jo Pathaan". Singh's performance was well-received, with fans particularly reacting to his rendition of "Deva Deva". He also performed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, before the highly anticipated match between India and Pakistan on 14 October 2023. The performance was part of a pre-match show organized after the BCCI and ICC decided not to hold an official opening ceremony for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Singh also perfomed India's national song "Vande Mataram" alongside fellow musicians Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh and Shankar Mahadevan as part of the show. In March 2024, Singh performed at the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, held in Jamnagar.
At the start of his career, Singh received the Upcoming Male Vocalist of the Year award at the 2013 Mirchi Music Awards for "Duaa". He was awarded the Wizcraft Honour for Best Live Performer, and featured among the top 10 artists at The SSE Arena, Wembley in the SSE Live Awards 2016. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2025 by the Government of India.
Singh has won multiple Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards, Zee Cine Awards, Screen Awards, and Stardust Awards. Notably, he won Filmfare awards for five consecutive years from 2016 to 2020 and received nine awards from ten nominations for "Tum Hi Ho" (Aashiqui 2, 2013). He also won the IIFA Best Male Singer award for the same song in 2014.He received the Youth Icon â Music Award from The National Indian Students Union UK in 2014 and was named the most popular artist of 2014 by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.
Singh won the Best Male Vocalist award at the 7th Mirchi Music Awards for "Samjhawan" and the Best Male Playback Singer Filmfare award for "Sooraj Dooba Hain" in 2016. He was also awarded the GiMA for songs "Soch Na Sake", "Gerua", and "Sanam Re".
He won the Stardust Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Channa Mereya" (2016) and multiple awards for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" in 2017, including the 62nd Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer and Male Vocalist of the Year at the Mirchi Music Awards. He won Best Male Playback Singer at the 63rd Filmfare Awards for "Roke Na Ruke Naina" (Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya) and the 66th National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Binte Dil" (Padmaavat).
He won Filmfare awards for "Kalank" (2022) and "Kesariya" (BrahmÃÂstra: Part One â Shiva, 2023), bringing his total Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer wins to seven. In 2025, he won his eighth Filmfare award for "Sajni" (Laapataa Ladies), equalling the record of Kishore Kumar for most wins in the category.