If It Makes You Happy...
Success is not the end goal for singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad, one of India’s first indie musicians to go global. Balance is what he’s after
You switch on the radio. A song comes on. You don’t recall the title or even if you’ve ever heard the song before. But you know who the musician is. Today, when a Prateek Kuhad song makes its way to your playlist, you know it’s him. The 32-year-old Jaipur boy has a distinct signature sound, something that was noted even as far back as nine years ago when he debuted in the indie scene before he went on to feature in multiple Bollywood films and tour the world. And his success has started a whole revolution of indie singers-songwriters. So much so that the world no longer believes that Indian music is only restricted to classical or ‘Bollywood’.
The ‘90s club
“I don’t think my sound is all that unique. I focus on writing good songs and going with my instinct when it comes to how I want my music to be. I don’t like pigeonholing or putting a definition or a box around my sound,” states Prateek, revealing that his signature sound is based on music he heard in his childhood, including Lucky Ali, Silk Route and Euphoria.
What’s it like being India’s first international musician? “I still have a way to go before I become truly international. But I am definitely on that path. I’m not there yet,” he smiles.
Prioritise right
Perhaps Prateek’s success comes from dreaming big and having his priorities in place—he’s been clear about his goals since day one. “One of my missions since I started playing music professionally was not to make my music a different category, but to have people across the world not pigeonhole Indian music. If you go to the US and talk about Indian music, people either think it’s Ravi Shankar or SRK. That’s it. So, everything you attribute to Indian culture is either sitars and people wearing kurtas and marigold flowers, or really loud and flashy with Bollywood. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I want people to have a realistic picture of India. And there is this whole chunk of independent artistes in not only music but film, design, fashion etc, which is so rich, unique and so Indian, that people are unaware of,” he says.
Balance is key
Prateek is a musician who has found the balance between commercial and non-commercial gigs and that’s where his careermapping skills come into place.
“I want to make money because it’s important. It gives you the freedom to make choices for yourself and it gives you autonomy, which are crucial. But, at the same time, if I just started doing everything for money, and paid no heed to my own happiness, I wouldn’t be a happy person. Which is
also stupid,” he shrugs.
So, he does a bit of both and pushes himself to the degree that works for him, while being clear about his boundaries.
“I was always open to everything. When I say no to certain things, it’s from the perspective of my career. I do very few wedding gigs and private shows because, in India, that means playing covers. And I don’t play covers as a rule. If I do, it will be my decision and a song that I love, a song that truly means something to me. I don’t let anybody dictate my set list. We are very strict about that,” says Prateek, who’s equally particular about how the stage is set up. “I want to make sure that the stuff I am putting out is quality. I do that not because I am trying to be difficult but because I don’t want to hurt my own future. If I start doing stuff that I don’t represent, my fans are not going to respect me. And I’m not going to respect myself,” Prateek points out.
Commercial care
His near-clinical precision pays off because when Prateek plays at a wedding, it’s exclusively for people who are super-fans.
“I’ve never done a wedding or private show I haven’t enjoyed because it’s a small group of people who are fans, singing along,” he says. “I’ve heard hate stories of artistes playing wedding shows. But you have to be firm and because of that, you will lose shows. So, you need to be patient.”
The cold/mess hit-maker is equally specific about his composition process. His rules are simple: First and foremost, he only make music he likes. Writing something he likes gets him excited enough to produce a demo immediately. It’s then built upon during production in the studio. But, in the beginning, the song is just a minimal step in the direction he wants so that it has context right from the get go.
Does he still consider himself a songwriter first, and then a musician? “I am definitely feeling more and more like an artiste. And that’s everything. My first love is still songwriting, but, over the years, I have started to appreciate everything I get to do. Playing on stage to a bunch of fans is a privilege. The fact that I have put out music that people truly feel impacted by and feel something through... I appreciate all of it.” Prateek smiles.
Evolution of sound
There’s been a lot of talk about Prateek moving away from his “signature sound” in his upcoming 11-track album, titled The Way That Lovers Do, a single from which, Just A Word, released late last month.
“I do everything with an intent except when I try to be creative. I try to keep that as free-flowing as possible. When I was
One of my missions since I started playing music professionally was not to make my music a different category, but to have people across the world not pigeonhole Indian music PRATEEK KUHAD, Singer-songwriter
younger, I was a lot more rigid about things. As I have grown as an artiste, I am open to new ideas. And so, the sound has evolved,” he says.
With his new songs, Prateek wants people to think about something he’s been ruminating on lately—the idea of love, and not just the romantic type.
“What does love do to your mindset and attitude when you think of the world from the eyes of a lover? I think it makes you more passionate, kinder and emphatic,” he says.
With his new work, has he given up the title of ‘King of Heartbreak’ in favour of ‘King of Love’? “I don’t want to be the king of anything! But if I have to, then the King of Love is definitely an upgrade. It’s a little less pigeonholing than before!” he laughs.