Shashwat Singh on singing Zamaana Lage with Arijit Singh: It was a market call

India Today

09-07-2025

Fans are not only gushing over 'Metro... In Dino's' storytelling, but also the romantic songs that Pritam has offered in this Anurag Basu-directorial. Among them, 'Zamaana Lage' has continued to be a chart-topper ever since its release. While Arijit Singh's melodious voice tugs at heartstrings, Shashwat Singh adds his own charm to the track with emotional and deep vocals. In an exclusive chat with India Today, the young singer opened up about collaborating with Pritam, co-singing with Arijit, and why he believes romantic songs will never go out of demand.advertisementSpeaking about working with the ace musician, Shashwat said he regularly jams with him in his studio. For 'Zamaana Lage', it was just another song he was meant to sing, and Pritam didn't provide him with any further details. They recorded multiple versions of the track before the final one emerged. 'I absolutely loved the song, but when I finally heard it on a music platform, I was blown away. It felt so surreal, and when you know you've worked so hard on it, the feeling is absolutely different," he explained.When asked about singing alongside Arijit, the singer said they had collaborated earlier too. Calling it a marketing decision, he said, 'Arijit is a senior singer who has such a huge fan base, and we all love his voice. So I think that factor, of course, plays a big role. I wouldn't know for sure, but I'm sure the makers must have made the decision after taking every aspect into consideration. This is my fifth song with him, and I was really happy about it. Like any singer, I would have liked to have an independent song too, but there are many projects that require multiple voices. These things are beyond our control.'
When asked if Arijit's smooth voice and popularity could pose a threat to singers across generations, especially when it comes to romantic numbers, he said,'I don't think that's the right word,' adding, 'I think we can all learn a few things from him, and form our own identities. Once you get noticed, you will have your own songs. But as I mentioned earlier, these things are not in our hands.'Shashwat Singh went on to speak about how Bollywood is currently missing true-blue romantic songs, especially ballads. While acknowledging that the number of such tracks may have declined, he believes there are still enough love songs out there. 'Something like 'Metro... In Dino' may not have happened for a while, but there are so many romantic songs. I agree that there was a lull period in Bollywood, but now the genre is making a comeback," he added. We also quizzed him about the challenges of catering to a young audience that is growing up on trending and viral music, with access to global sounds. 'If you ask a 15-year-old from a cosmopolitan city whether they're listening to Bollywood music, they would say no. But in smaller cities, people still love cheesy romantic songs and enjoy Bollywood too. People keep saying our films and songs are no longer relevant, but that's far from the truth,' he shared.advertisementOn a final note, he addressed the subject of royalties - a debatable topic that's often only discussed in whispers. 'There's a lot of improvement in the current state of royalty distribution. We have bodies and boards for support, especially for singers. It's a positive and encouraging change, as people have been fighting for this for years. Of course, how it should be done and how much it should be - that's another discussion. Singers create the audio but are then told, 'You just sang what we asked you to', so it's definitely a big debate we'll have another day,' Singh added.'Metro...In Dino' released in theatres on July 4.- Ends