After Arijit Singh Retires, Abhijeet Sawant Reveals Industry`s Dirty Truth
Updated on: 05 February, 2026 12:39 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Abhijeet Sawant says Bollywood singers are forced to sing for free
Fans are still recovering from the shock of Arijit Singh announcing his retirement from playback singing. While the industry seem to have different opinions on his decision, Abhijeet Sawant has joined the debate of singers not receiving their fair dues.
Many related Arijit`s decision to the systematic exploitation of Bollywood playback singers. Sawant drew a sharp comparison between music composers, who earn a hefty amount as royalties, and singers, who are denied long-term rights.
In a recent interview, the Indian Idol 1 fame opened up about if Bollywood singers get the right remuneration or not. He also revealed some `dirty truths` about the industry.
Abhijeet Sawant on Bollywood singers` remuneration
Speaking on Pentarise Studios’ YouTube channel, Sawant was asked about the payment structure of film music. Hesitant at first, the singer did not hold back to reveal what seems to be the truth.
Also Read: Palash Sen Says He Knows The Real Reason Why Arijit Singh Quit Playback Singing
“People don’t want the singers to become bigger than the film itself. That’s why they are paid a certain amount. Musicians still don’t receive royalties for film music. So Biddu, who worked on Lafzon Mein, also did a couple of songs in the West, and he gets so much royalty payment from those two songs that he can survive his whole life on that money. We don’t even get enough money to sustain our livelihood,” Abhijeet shared.
He further added, “They have created a system like that. Singers are themselves greedy for opportunities, and they know that ‘if this song gets released in my voice, with some big star lip-syncing. Then I can use this song for my entire life. ’"
"Singers themselves don’t want money, because they just want to sing the song or work with a certain producer. We accept whatever amount we get, because if we don’t do it, someone else will. We get exploited a lot,” he concluded.
This controversy follows Arijit Singh`s decision to quit playback singing and only focus on composing music for films.
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