Award winning singer-writer-composer on fighting against the odds and making a global name for himself
“I feel the reason why people really like my music is because I’ve been really honest. When songs are personal, they are more authentic,†says Prateek Kuhad, singer, songwriter and composer. Image: Vansh Virmani
Prateek Kuhad’s love affair with music began at 16, when he started learning how to play the guitar. By 18, he had already started writing and composing his own songs. Kuhad had no plans to pursue music professionally, till the video of a song he wrote, composed and sang—Raat Raazi, which was shot on a phone—went viral on YouTube. Soon, he started getting gigs and decided to give music a shot. “I decided to give it a year. If things work out great, if they don’t, I’ll go back to doing what I was supposed to,†he says. Turns out, he never had to fall back on his backup plans.
Kuhad's debut album In Tokens and Charms was an instant hit, earning the artiste an MTV Europe Music Award, Indie Album of the Year honours from iTunes, and the title of Best Pop Artist at the Radio City Freedom Awards. The album’s opening track, ‘Oh Love’, captured first place in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition.
Recently, Kuhad announced he’s been signed on by the New York-based Elektra Records, making history as the first solo Indian act to join the storied label. A part of the Warner Music Group globally, Elektra has names like Christina Perri, Sam Ryder, White Reaper, and Brandi Carlile on its roster. With it, the 31-year-old has paved the way for indie artists in India to aspire to global labels. Kuhad, of course, had attracted global headlines earlier after former US President Barack Obama featured one of his songs ‘cold/mess’ on his 2019 Songs of the Year playlist.
In July, Kuhad released his new EP ‘Shehron Ke Raaz’ featuring title track ‘Shehron Ke Raaz’, ‘Khone Do’, ‘Tere Hi Hum’ and the acoustic version of 2020’s hit single ‘Kasoor’. The singer, songwriter and composer, who is currently in the US working on his next record, speaks to Forbes India about what inspires his music, dealing with failure and a lot more. Edited excerpts:
Q. When did you know that you wanted to take up music as a full-time career?