From the late 1980s, Begum started giving occasional interviews. In one of her interviews to Filmfare magazine in 2012 Begum dislosed "The more hits I gave, the less work I got. When I helped new composers I never told them to give me all their songs to sing. I believed only God could give, not them." Her final interview was in 2012. In 2009, she was conferred with the prestigious O. P. Nayyar Award for her contribution to Hindi film music. She was also conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009. Later her daughter Usha said in an interview ""Because of the politics in the industry, she didn't want to work any more. This is one of the reasons why she didn't let me be a singer. I told her, let me sing for my self-satisfaction, but she said if you will learn to sing, you will directly enter the industry. So, she didn't let me do so."