Respect his space: Adnan Sami on Arijit Singh's decision to retire from playback singing

Singer-composer Adnan Sami has weighed in on Arijit Singh stepping away from playback singing, saying his decision should be "respected" and not speculated upon.Earlier this year, Singh shocked both the film and music industry, along with his fans, when he announced his retirement from playback singing through a social media post."He's made a conscious decision to retire from playback singing. Whatever his decision is, one should allow him the space to respect that decision. He's not come up with that decision out of any kind of impulse; it must be a very well thought out decision," Sami told PTI in an interview.Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of his new single, 'Lipstick Laga Ke, Nazar Utar Le', under Zee Music Company, Sami added that Singh is under no obligation to publicly explain the reasons behind his decision."It must be for a very good reason, which he knows. It is not necessary for him to disclose that or maybe in due course, the world will find out why. It's his life and when he feels that he is ready to share the reason, he'll say it if at all he feels like it but that space should be given to him," he explained.Sami's remarks come at a time when Singh's decision to step away from playback singing at the height of his career has triggered widespread discussion about mental health, emotional exhaustion, and the pressures associated with the music industry.The 54-year-old singer-composer described it as "unfair" to generalise or speculate about the reasons behind Singh's decision."Taking a break from work is subjective and you can't generalize it for one particular reason. Everybody can have various reasons behind it," he said.Addressing the query around industry pressures, Sami said that while different music labels and companies operate with their own frameworks, artistes ultimately are free to choose what works best for them."They are just hoping that the people, who are going to collaborate with them, will follow that particular policy. It will suit some people, it will not suit others, and some companies are very rigid about what direction they want their releases to take, subject-wise."Some are very open to giving more freedom, while others are not. If you don’t feel like following it, nobody is putting you at gun point. The problem is that when artist thinks that he or she will be in trouble if they don’t follow it. So, you’re taking pressure on your own," Sami added.