National Award-winning singer Abhay Jodhpurkar has opened up about being asked to emulate Arijit Singh‘s voice, revealing that he has even been shown digitally generated material in Singh’s voice as a reference for a song. The singer questioned the industry’s tendency to look for replacements for established voices and called for greater individuality and originality in playback singing.
Abhay Jodhpurkar says he has been asked to sing like Arijit Singh
Speaking to Variety India about his experiences in playback singing, Jodhpurkar revealed that he has encountered situations where he was expected to reproduce the sound associated with Arijit Singh.“Sometimes, I’m told, ‘You should sing like Arijit Singh.’ It’s like a template they want to follow because they think it’s cooler and sounds better, just because they like it personally. In playback singing, that’s not how it should be, right? It should depend on what the song demands.”The singer explained that he is capable of emulating another artist’s style, but believes that doing so should not come at the expense of his own interpretation of a song.
Singer was shown digitally generated material in Arijit Singh’s voice
Jodhpurkar also spoke about being shown material generated in Arijit Singh’s voice as an example of the sound that was expected from him.“People have played me stuff in Arijit’s voice and said, ‘This is what we were looking at. Can you emulate that sound?’ And I tell them, ‘I can definitely emulate it, but let me please render it my way so that I can do it justice my way.’”
Abhay Jodhpurkar asks why the industry needs another Arijit Singh
The singer also questioned the constant discussion around who could potentially become the “next Arijit Singh”. According to Jodhpurkar, the industry does not need another version of an artist who has already established a distinctive identity.“Why copy another artiste who is already so good? You don’t need another Shreya Ghoshal or Sunidhi Chauhan. Let’s have people and artists who are very individualistic. They shouldn’t be pitted against each other. There’s room for everyone.”Jodhpurkar believes the industry’s tendency to place certain voices at the top can make it difficult for newer artists to establish themselves on their own terms.“I feel like now is the time to make room for others, instead of following the pyramid structure. We should break that,” Jodhpurkar says.
Abhay Jodhpurkar says originality should drive the next big change
According to the singer, breaking away from established formulas requires artists to create compelling work while simultaneously challenging the expectations placed on them.“You can break it only by making another body of work that feels good and, at the same time, challenges that barrier, challenges that thing that is sitting on top,” he says.He further stressed the importance of staying authentic rather than attempting to reproduce the success or sound of an established artist.“I feel like the next big change should be originality and being true to ourselves instead of copying other artists that are already interesting.”Jodhpurkar’s comments come amid an ongoing conversation around individuality in playback singing, particularly at a time when digital technology can make it increasingly easy to reproduce or simulate familiar vocal characteristics.
Abhay Jodhpurkar’s National Award win
Abhay Jodhpurkar has established himself as a playback singer across Hindi and South Indian cinema, with a National Award for the song “Navsachi Gauri Majhi” from ‘Gharat Ganpati’.
