After his 2018-album Cold/Mess, which was received very well by his fans across the globe and even made it to former president of US Barack Obama’s 2019 playlist, Prateek Kuhad dropped another EP last month. Titled Shehron Ke Raaz (secrets of the city), the Hindi EP features four songs — Khone Do, Tere Hi Hum, Shehron Ke Raaz and an acoustic version of 2020’s hit single Kasoor.
“Big cities have countless stories of lovers lost in their own little worlds, and while their particular corner of the city may be small in the grand scheme of things, their emotional universe is large and all encompassing,” shares 31-year-old Prateek Kuhad, adding that the EP explores, “Shehron Ke Raaz from a romantic perspective — love stories that can be secretive and hidden within cities.”
Unlike Cold/Mess, which was about heartbreak, the underlying theme of Shehron Ke Raaz seems to represent hope with the songs diving into the unbounded territory of commitment, desire and infatuation.
Borrowing from one’s own life
In the past, Kuhad has admitted to borrowing emotions from his personal life, including for the album Cold/Mess. So, when asked how much does this EP draw from his own emotions, he admits not knowing it himself.
“Songs are usually a mix of my own life experiences and a little bit of fiction to put them all together,” avers Prateek, adding that the EP does not have any particular inspiration because the songs were written at different points in time. “Tere Hi Hum was written most recently, in early 2020. Both Khone Do and Kasoor are about four/five years old and Shehron Ke Raaz was written a few years ago as well.”
Although a part of this EP, Kasoor has reached his listeners in various forms over the years, the latest being the official video, which features his fans as they took a ride along with him revisiting various emotions attached to love and were seen teary-eyed. “The official video has definitely spoken to my fans a lot. It did really well,” admits Prateek.
The EP released last month has already registered 10 million cumulative streams worldwide, with Tere Hi Hum making it to Spotify’s Fresh Folk Playlist and Spotify Top 50 charts. “It’s been really good, so far. Everyone’s been listening to it, and the first music video for Shehron Ke Raaz just came out last week and everyone seems to love it,” shares Kuhad who has already started working on his next. “I’m in the US for a few months working on my next record. Can’t reveal too much yet, but stay tuned,” he concludes.
The EP is now available to stream on all major audio platforms.
heena@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @heenakhandlwal