Singer Abhijeet Sawant has returned to the Indian Idol stage after 22 years. He is currently seen as a participant on Indian Idol: Legends Return. Abhijeet, who won the first season of Indian Idol back in 2004, shared that the show changed his life completely. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Abhijeet spoke about joining the latest season of Indian Idol, participating in other reality shows, and his take on playback singing.Talking about returning to the same stage after 22 years, Abhijeet Sawant said, “It feels very nostalgic. My journey started from this platform. So I was very excited to come back and remember that whole aura of the old days. It was something different to experience. Many people will think this is kind of a competition. But I’m beyond this situation right now. For me, it’s about collecting old memories and creating new ones. So this is kind of a fun roller-coaster ride for me.”Also Read: ‘Left with Rs 1’: Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant recalls teenage struggle in Mumbai View this post on Instagram A post shared by sonytvofficial (@sonytvofficial) He even shared his thoughts on sharing the stage with a new generation of singers. Abhijeet added, “For me, it’s a completely different experience because today’s generation is different. They behave differently. They work differently. I have become more mature as a person, dealing with this new generation, a new lot of singers. It’s a completely different experience. Honestly, I’m learning this whole process. I am learning how to cope with the new generation. Back in 2004, it was completely different; when we started, everybody was new to the show. Not only us, but the musicians, the producers, directors, everybody was new in that format. So those days, everybody was trying their luck and trying to figure out their place. They were very honest. Our first season was completely pure.”Abhijeet Sawant on life after winning Indian IdolSharing how winning Indian Idol 1 changed his life, Abhijeet recalled, “My life changed completely after winning the first Indian Idol. Earlier I was just a normal boy, learning music, trying to get a chance to perform on stage. And after that, in six months, we all became the heartthrobs of the Indian audience. My world changed completely. Even today, many people ask me, did you have all your dreams fulfilled after Indian Idol. I had very limited dreams before the show, it was only later I created bigger dreams. So Indian Idol actually gave me a chance to dream big, think beyond my limitations, and work on that.”Abhijeet also shared his take on Independent music versus playback singing, he said, “The good thing about today’s music is that an individual artist can work on his own craft and he doesn’t need any other support. When we started, playback music was the only music for singers. Everybody used to say that if you get one playback song, everything will be fine. But I think now, you don’t need that one song or a hit song. You just have to work on your craft and release your own songs, work with social media presence, and create your own style of music.”Also Read | ‘I was more popular than Arijit Singh after our reality shows,’ says Abhijeet Sawant View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sony LIV (@sonylivindia) He added, “In 2007, after my first album, my second album was almost at a time when non-film music was dying. And in those days, it was MP3s time, piracy of music. So only film music was left; pop music, non-film music was over. Now, after many years, Honey Singh and Badshah started getting their original music or indie music again back in the system because of YouTube. I love doing playback singing. It is the biggest platform for any singer in India, so it will always be important. But now I’m at that age, experience, and situation where I don’t have to call someone and keep asking for work. I’m an established singer now. People know me, they see me, they listen to me. If anyone remembers me, they will definitely call me for playback singing.”Abhijeet Sawant on Bigg Boss Marathi and Celebrity MasterChefAfter winning Indian Idol, Abhijeet Sawant also explored the reality show space. He participated in Bigg Boss Marathi and also Celebrity MasterChef. Sharing why he chose to explore reality shows beyond singing, Abhijeet Sawant said, “I’m a television baby; I was born on television as a singer and as a performer. So for me, staying away from television is a little difficult. I deliberately tried to stay away from television, but that was a wrong decision. I felt I should come back, and then I started doing all the other shows because I realized people like me on television.”“People don’t only see me as a reality show singer. Abhijit Sawant is always seen as a popular face on television. So that is a big advantage for me and for my career also. I took a break from television, and I wanted to get into only playback. But then I realized that television is where I started, and I should work on it,” Abhijeet Sawant added.