PRATEEK KUHAD

It is hard not to fall in love with Prateek Kuhad. His music has become a stand-in for human vulnerability, warmth, and confession outside the Bollywood mold. The uncomplicated frankness of his lyrics, attached to instrumental compositions that are almost immediately enchanting, have made Kuhad’s work instantly recognizable and lovable. His last album cold/mess established him as someone who understands the mess of human emotions and is unnaturally good at talking about it. Kuhad himself calls it a “quintessential heartbreak album”, but it goes beyond rehashing tired tropes of failed romance. As is his signature, he focuses on the somewhat inherent irrationality (and beauty) of human feeling and does so in a way that reassures the listener that everything will be, eventually, okay. His songwriting carries the gift of closeness. He conveys stories that feel like home, and the universality of his work was proved when former US president Barrack Obama included “cold/mess” in the list of his favorite music in 2019. With sold-out shows at every turn, Kuhad is one of the most listened to individuals among the lonesome, the pensive and those seeking to make peace with their own longing. He took a moment with Score to answer questions about how he makes music, how it feels to be known, and how it hasn’t changed who he is.

When you write a song, how do you decide if it goes on an album? Or does every song you write make the cut for release?

I write on a regular basis, whatever the situation may be. Some days, you'll write a song that works, some days you just write. There's no static process to it. In fact, a majority of the songs I write usually just get trashed. The way I have been doing it so far, I write a lot and then usually most of the songs end of being pretty bad. Maybe every 10th song I write – on average – ends up being worth releasing.

How would you describe yourself outside the persona of being a musician?

I consider myself a regular human being. I live a normal, regular life, similar to a lot of other people. I tend to let my music do the talking and keep my persona outside of being a musician only for close family and friends.

How do you choose which song goes best on which instrument? For example, how did you decide to put the piano at the center of ‘cold/mess’?

It’s not a very deliberate process, I take a call based on what feels right and then it’s a lot of trial and error. The arp in cold/mess, which I presume you're referring to, was added during the production process. It was originally written with just guitars, drums, bass, and vocals.

Other than President Obama’s shout-out to ‘cold/ mess’, what have been the highlights of your 2019?

Touring through almost half the world was definitely a key highlight, of which selling out my Delhi and Bombay shows which were respectively around 6,500 and 9,000 capacity shows topped them all. Selling out ticketed shows at that scale was quite a landmark for me personally.

If you could control your artistic progression, what would it be like? Would you prefer to write better melodies with each album? Or would you rather focus on the ideas you sing and write about?

Ideally, I would like every single aspect of my songwriting process to progress evenly. I think every aspect of the process is important and no aspect is less important than another. So everything from the words to the melodies and the harmonic layers beneath, the production and technical aspects like mixing, etc. - it is all very important. A record should be treated with a lot of seriousness and fastidiousness.

How do you know something is worth writing a song about?

I tend to write about anything that I’m feeling. It could be personal, or situational, depending on my feelings. I try to just write and not overthink or judge myself or the song in the moment. Usually when it’s finished or close to finishing is when I get any perspective on the song.

Who or what has been your best and worst musical influence?

I have had many positive influences - movies like Before Sunrise, Pyaasa, books like The Fountainhead, Norwegian Wood, and artists like Elliott Smith, Led Zeppelin and John Mayer. I don’t think I have had any “negative” influences - is that even possible? If I foresee something as influencing me badly I will just avoid it.

What drew you to the music of Elliott Smith?

I think he wrote some of the best songs ever written. His songs have a lot of emotional depth and also show his mastery of the songwriter’s craft and his excellent musicianship. On several levels, Elliott Smith was a genius.

What is the prime difference between composing for someone else’s story (like your work with Bollywood or Netflix) and composing for your own? Which do you prefer?

The approach to both scenarios is a bit different. While the basic principles behind making a song apply to both situations, when writing for myself I have a lot of freedom – I can write about whatever, whoever and in whatever way I want. There is no time crunch and there are no boundaries. That can sometimes be liberating and other times cause a lot of confusion – it’s kinda like when you have too many choices it’s harder to make a decision.

Whereas when writing for film/TV, all these boundaries come into place – who are you writing for, what emotions you need to fit into the song, what exactly you are writing about, etc. So in some sense, it’s easier cause you

have a clear direction, but in other ways, it’s a lot more challenging because you have to intentionally stay away from certain words, imagery, moods, etc – which can feel a little restrictive. I enjoy both the processes a lot for different reasons.

You are known as a man of few words. Is that because you prefer to express yourself with music? Or do you just not like all that talking?

I guess this has come from the fact that I don’t like talking much on stage. I prefer to let my music do the talking there. In life and otherwise, I think I am fairly talkative actually.

When did you first realize that your music was touching people’s lives?

At my Mumbai show last December, which was one of the biggest shows of my life till that date. There’s an Instagram post about my experience on that day, I think that will give you a lot of perspective. Apart from that, seeing people have ‘cold/ mess’ tattoos on their arms and necks definitely has deepened the process, even though I personally am petrified of the idea of a tattoo.

Who do you listen to?

All kinds of artists. Lately been listening to the new Mac Miller record a lot.

Since you tend to write rather expertly about basic human experiences, what do you think people want more than anything else in their lives?

I have never made such a claim. I don’t think I am qualified to answer what people want from their lives. It’s quite an existential thought and I might have not answered that question even for myself. It, however, is endearing to see so many people find a connection in their lives with my music.

The fact that you are celebrated now; has that made a real difference in your life?

No, as of now my life continues to remain pretty much the same. Yes, occasionally now at airports and coffee shops random people come up to me saying they love my music. But beyond that, so far, I've been able to live a normal life.

What have you been reading these days?

I started this book called The Checklist Manifesto sometime ago but then kinda stopped. It’s been super busy with lots of touring and traveling so I’m planning to get back to that in the next few days.

Has a book ever given birth to one of your songs?

No. Not yet.

What is more difficult - finding the initial idea for a song or polishing it into the song that listeners eventually receive?

Polishing the song is definitely more challenging. I think people glorify the concept of an ‘idea’ way too much. Ideas are great but they’re meaningless if not executed properly.

Is there a real difference between writing in English and Hindi? Do you think the same people are listening to both in the same numbers?

For me, not really. When it comes to writing a song, general rules of songwriting apply across the board regardless of the language being employed. Secondly – I would assume so, but I don’t know for sure. You can check the numbers and see for yourself.

Who would your ideal musical collaboration be with?

I don’t know. You only know a collaboration is working when you’re in it.

Is there anything that bothers you about the burgeoning indie scene in India? In fact, is it still burgeoning or do you think it has reached maturity?

I think it is still burgeoning and there are many amazing musicians in India that I've met over the course of my life. I think it’s exciting times and with the power of the internet, I am hopeful artists will be able to break new ground at faster paces.

Have you ever released a song and then wished you could change it?

Yes, it happens with literally every song I have ever released. There is always something you can change and make better in a song. However, once it's out in the universe, you have to trust your gut and move on :)

Have you ever curated a playlist of your own songs for someone? If you had to, which track would you put on it?

No, I’ve never done that. If I had to do it, I would definitely put the entire cold/mess album on it.

Outside of music, is there another form of art that you enjoy? If not now, have you imagined yourself picking up something else later in life?

I like dabbling in photography even though I’m quite mediocre at it.

Your music is largely centered around romantic love (or so most listeners would assume). Why is this so? Or, is this some kind of misconception?

I think that perception is out there because of cold/mess being my most successful record till date. It is indeed a quintessential heartbreak album. That being said, I have many songs that are not centered around romantic love like ‘Artist’, ‘Kadam’, ‘Saansein’, ‘Dil Beparwah’ among others.

Does that NYU degree in economics come in handy at all?

Not really. The degree doesn’t come in handy but my experiences of living in that city for 5 years is definitely a big part of my identity today.

You’ve mentioned that your ideal scenario would be to do one long tour and then disappear into writing for a while. Do you see this as possible at all, given that live shows are where you can both make money and connect with your fans? Do you think doing it would be a risk?

Not at all. Everything has a risk associated with it but you have to look at the pros and cons and make an educated decision. That’s what you can do and then hope for the best.

That being said, I think this scenario is very possible and has been done by several musicians around the world. The ideal case would be to do a concentrated amount of touring in a given time period and then take time off - which is much needed to be at peak creativity when making a record. I’m still working towards it but I think I have already progressed to this scenario to quite a degree. Compared to say 3 years ago when I was playing shows throughout the year, at this point, I end up taking around 4-6 months in the middle of the year almost completely off touring.

Can you write in any state of mind - happy, sad, frustrated, bewildered, etc.? Or do you need to be in a certain place to be able to compose?

It’s hard to write if I’m too exhausted or annoyed/frustrated by something. It’s ideal to be relaxed. Being too happy or too sad is not ideal either. There’s a more evened out, stable emotional state which is ideal when writing songs.

What, in your opinion, should be a musician’s main concern in both life and music?

I’m still trying to figure that out, so I don’t know.