On October 5, Arijit Singh announced a nine-city India tour running from January 9 to May 15, 2027, marking 20 years in music. The tour will be his first major India run since he announced he would no longer accept new playback assignments earlier this year.
Over two decades, Singh has gone from a teenage reality-show contestant to one of India’s most recognisable voices, while increasingly building his musical life away from Mumbai, in his home studio in Jiaganj. Before he returns to the stage, we look back at 20 moments from a career that gave Bollywood some of its biggest hits, and made Singh a global voice.
01. From Fame Gurukul to 10 Ke 10 Le Gaye Dil
In 2005, 18-year-old Arijit Singh finished sixth on reality TV singing show Fame Gurukul, while Qazi Touqeer and Ruprekha Banerjee won the competition. Singh returned to television soon after for 10 Ke 10 Le Gaye Dil, which brought together contestants from Fame Gurukul and Indian Idol.
He won the show on November 18, taking home ₹10 lakh, which he used to build a recording setup.
02. Sanjay Leela Bhansali records him for Saawariya
In 2006, Bhansali noticed Singh on Fame Gurukul and asked him to record “Yun Shabnami” for his feature film Saawariya. His version was ultimately not used in the film.
03. Working behind the scenes before playback
Singh kept working in recording rooms as a programmer and music producer from 2006 up until his playback debut. He worked alongside composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Mithoon and Pritam.
04. “Phir Mohabbat” becomes his Hindi playback debut
“Phir Mohabbat,” composed by Mithoon for Murder 2, became Singh’s first Hindi film playback release on May 30, 2011. He had recorded the song in 2009.
05. “Raabta,” “Duaa” and “Phir Le Aaya Dil”
In 2012, Singh’s profile widened through “Raabta” from Agent Vinod, “Duaa” from Shanghai and “Phir Le Aaya Dil” from Barfi!. At the 2013 Mirchi Music Awards, “Duaa” won Singh his first major award, for Best Upcoming Male Playback Singer.
06. “Tum Hi Ho” changes everything
Aashiqui 2 turned Singh into a national star in 2013. “Tum Hi Ho” became the defining song of the soundtrack and, in 2014, won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer (Male).
07. The Salman Khan fall-out — and reunion
The rift between actor Salman Khan and Singh began at the 2014 Star Guild Awards. Khan presented him with his award for “Tum Hi Ho”, noting that he looked groggy and inquiring if he had fallen asleep backstage. Singh remarked, “Aap logon ne sula diya.” What appeared to be on-stage banter turned into a prolonged fallout. In 2016, Singh publicly apologised after his version of “Jag Ghoomeya” was dropped from Sultan and replaced by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s. Singh’s version was never released. The two eventually reconciled and collaborated on Tiger 3 in 2023, with Singh singing “Ruaan” and “Leke Prabhu Ka Naam.”
08. Four songs, four sides of Arijit Singh in one album
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil gave Arijit Singh four songs across very different moods: the aching title track and “Channa Mereya,” the playful “The Breakup Song” with Badshah, Jonita Gandhi and Nakash Aziz, and “Alizeh” with Ash King and Shashwat Singh. Released across the film’s 2016 soundtrack, the songs moved him from unrequited love and heartbreak to dance-pop and a breezier, conversational sound.
09. Five consecutive Filmfare wins
From 2016 to 2020, Singh won Best Playback Singer (Male) at five consecutive Filmfare Awards: for “Sooraj Dooba Hain,” “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” “Roke Na Ruke Naina,” “Aye Watan” and “Kalank.”
10. His first India tour
Singh’s first India tour opened in Kolkata on December 24, 2017 and travelled across 10 cities, ending in Hyderabad on March 17, 2018. The MTV India Tour also stopped in Guwahati, Pune, Indore, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
11. “Somebody f**king fix this mic”
At a concert in January 2018, a faulty microphone disrupted Singh’s performance. He was seen in a video shouting out the words “Somebody f**king fix this mic.” He then walked around the stage strumming his guitar while the problem was sorted. The video quickly went viral – this was the first time people saw the fiery side of Singh’s guarded persona.
11. “Binte Dil” wins him his first National Film Award
On August 9, 2019, Singh won Best Male Playback Singer at the 66th National Film Awards for “Binte Dil” from Padmaavat.
12. Jiaganj, Oriyon Music and Pagglait
In 2020, Singh moved back to Jiaganj in Murshidabad, West Bengal, where he set up a home studio and began working increasingly outside Mumbai’s music industry. He launched Oriyon Music that year and released “Rihaa,” which he composed and produced. In 2021, Oriyon produced the soundtrack to Pagglait, Singh’s feature-film debut as a composer. He has continued to record from Jiaganj, with other musicians and producers making the trip to work with him.
13. “Kesariya” and a second National Film Award
“Kesariya,” from Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, was released in 2022. At the 70th National Film Awards, announced in 2024, Singh won Best Male Playback Singer for the song, giving him his second National Film Award.
14. Takes a stand against AI use of his voice
On July 26, 2024, the Bombay High Court granted Singh interim protection against unauthorised commercial use of his name, voice, image and other personality traits, including AI-generated reproductions of his voice.
16. Spotify’s most-followed artist
On September 10, 2025, Guinness World Records recorded Singh as Spotify’s most-followed artist globally, with 158,133,893 followers at the time of measurement.
17. The Padma Shri
Singh was awarded the Padma Shri – India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, on January 25, 2025. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the honour on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 28.
18. A Filmfare record rivalling Kishore Kumar’s
At the 70th Filmfare Awards in 2025, Singh won Best Playback Singer (Male) for “Sajni” from Laapataa Ladies. It was his eighth win in the category, a joint highest record he still shares with Kishore Kumar.
19. He steps away from new playback assignments
On January 27, 2026, Singh announced that he would no longer take on new assignments as a playback vocalist. “I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote, while making clear that he was not stepping away from music altogether. Weeks later, on February 27, he released “Raina,” an independent track with Sheykhar Ravjiani and lyricist Priya Saraiya.
20. The 20th-anniversary India tour is announced
On October 5, 2026, Singh announced a nine-city India tour running from January 9 to May 15, 2027. The schedule includes Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune, Indore and Hyderabad, with the tour billed as a celebration of 20 years in music.
Two decades after Fame Gurukul, Arijit Singh returns to the stage with a catalogue that has travelled far beyond the reality-show competition where he first entered the public eye.
