Great hopes, greater expectations with Prateek Kuhad

The thing Prateek Kuhad finds challenging and exciting about live tours is the unpredictability. With over 8,00,000 followers on Instagram, he is one of India’s leading singer-songwriters, who caught former US President Barack Obama’s attention with his single cold/mess which the former president included in his playlist. Kuhad is currently on tour in cities across India as part of the Silhouettes World Tour.

“Touring can be a little taxing because one is constantly travelling from one place to another and has to be really adaptable since anything can happen in a single day—from technical snags to finding a quiet hotel to stay overnight, or just the anxiety about the show going well. The moment you start looking at it with a ‘let’s see what happens’ kind of attitude, it might turn out to be an adventure!” he shares a musical outlier’s philosophy.

Born and raised in Jaipur, Kuhad is comfortable singing in both Hindi and English. He shot to global attention when he released his debut album In Tokens & Charms in 2015 and got the Best India Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2016. In 2018, EP cold/mess debuted at number one in India.

His concerts are sold out, where thousands of fans sing along with his soulful tracks that often speak of love, loss and life like his idol Elliot Smith, though Smith’s arcane music has a dark streak that has spawned a legion of fans. “I see people just looking up and smiling at me or crying because they are moved. I don’t know how I got here, but it feels really special to be able to do that,” the 34-year-old confesses.

The tour, presented by Johnnie Walker Non-Alcoholic Refreshing Mixer, started from North America in April and travelled to Australia, the UK, Europe, and West Asia, and will finally culminate in India at the end of this year. It is Kuhad’s solo tour after a long time. “It’s a different vibe when it is all up to me. I can play around with the set and don’t have to think about the arrangements,” he shares. A highlight was performing at the prestigious Beacon Theatre in New York where many moons ago, he watched one of his favourite musicians, Regina Spektor, live. “I’d thought how cool it would be to play here,” he recalls.

Kuhad divides his time between Delhi, Mumbai and New York. Playing on home turf is always special for him. “The shows are much bigger here. That’s the biggest difference between performing in India and in other countries,” he says. However, the singer believes fans are the same no matter where he goes. “They know my songs and connect to them on a personal level,” he adds.

Expectations from fans have also grown tremendously. But Kuhad believes it has not affected his songwriting or performances, which still come from a natural space. “I don’t know any other way to make music,” he states. While writing songs or making records take time, he doesn’t have to step out of his comfort zone. “Yes, it can be excruciating sometimes to be constantly chipping away at a song and still not getting where you want to be.

Still it doesn’t feel like I’m doing something I’m not meant to. It feels right every step of the way,” he shares. What’s important, he believes, is to zone out other people’s opinions. “When you start listening to too many people, things get challenging because then you’re not connected to yourself and to what you really want. Then stuff gets confusing and hard,” he adds.

While his latest single, I’m Someone New dropped a couple of months ago, Kuhad is readying himself for the release of his new album, which he says, is different in terms of process. “Usually, I write all the songs myself. Once I have most of the arrangements in mind, I go to a producer and refine them. This time, I have completely stepped away from the production aspect,” he points out.

He has written most of the songs in the album collaboration with other song writers. “They still have a lot of me in them because I creatively lead in every situation. But the process has definitely led to a kind of departure in sound for many songs. I’m pretty excited about that,” he says.

A self-confessed studio musician at heart, Kuhad loves live concerts. He believes recorded music has a lot more impact. “Once you’ve put out a song, it’s out there forever. There’s a lot of attention and hard work that goes into it. The whole reason I’m on stage is because I spend too much time in the studio,” he says.

“When I feel cold

I’ll keep you close

And if I could hold you

And take you home...” are the opening lines of cold/mess. It sings of love. loss and longing. And the yearning for home, which perhaps is himself and his muse that is as mysterious as his inspiration.

Story by Deepali Dhingra