Strings find a fan in Prateek Kuhad

When former US President Barack Obama unveiled his Summer playlist for the year 2019, one of the mentions that grabbed eyeballs was Indian-born artist Prateek Kuhad's chartbuster cold/mess. Before even making it to Obama's coveted list, Kuhad had a rather decent fan following. As of late, the singer has been making headlines after he was signed by an American label. But he feels his heart is still in 'old Indian music.' 

Speaking to The Indian Express, the Kasoor crooner opened up about inspirations, his upcoming songs and why never opted to sign with an Indian label. 

"I have been influenced by old music," Kuhad shared. "Honestly, my music influences are quiet all over the place. Some of the impactful stuff that I have heard is older, especially with my Hindi songwriting. The romanticism in it comes from the film Pyaasa. The film had a deep impact on me. It is the creative and greatest film of this century for me. I have a lot of romanticism (in my songs), which is not all that common today. Maybe that’s why some of my music feels old."

The singer has recently released few singles. But asserted that he makes music at his own pace, instead of built-up pressure. "I don’t care about that [pressure of fans to make music], and I have been this way since the beginning. I care about me liking them," he said. "I’m very hard on myself. I am the biggest critic of myself. Sometimes the songs that people end up loving, I don’t like them. I’m never going to write songs for people."

But he never really liked the songs he made at the beginning of his career. "Probably my first 30 songs were really bad. They were horrible. And that’s why I never really put most of them out. I did put some of those 30 songs out," he commented, adding, "I believe that only after 20 or 30 songs, I started writing songs that were acceptable to me. But most of them, I would hear a year later and think to myself, ‘Oh my god, what was I thinking!’ So that happens a lot."

Speaking about how he solely wants to grow and focus on himself, Kuhad remarked, "I want to grow as a writer and as a person because all of that reflects in your music and your art eventually. I’m just trying to grow and become a better person and a better musician, which I think is very hard."

Kuhad's craft has managed to outshine the quintessential music scene in India as the artist has made waves to the international audience. He's ecstatic about it. "I’m glad but it is not just me. There are a few others who are doing really good work in the independent scene and doing work outside of the framework of Bollywood, which I think is important." He believed that focusing outside Bollywood is an important step. "It is also a good change because it makes it possible for the music industry to be its own thing and not just an industry that is attached to Bollywood as almost like a sidekick."

The singer shared how he was inspired by pop bands, outside Bollywood. "Growing up, a lot of my favorite songs were from films and that was because it was the only music we had to consume, especially when it comes to Hindi music," he replied, adding how he was a fan of Pakistani band Strings alongside Indian artists Lucky Ali and band Euphoria. "Outside Bollywood, we had Lucky Ali, Euphoria, Strings and others. Then even they started churning out Bollywood music. So, there was a phase, which started to die down. My problem is not with the music. My problem is how Bollywood is still a benchmark."

When asked why he decided to sign with an international label and not an Indian one, Kuhad responded, "I don’t know a good Indian label, to be honest. Most of the labels are associated with big film production houses. I didn’t even like really reach out to anybody because I don’t think even a single label is doing a good job with its musicians in India."

He added, "And even if there is an opportunity, it is specific for Bollywood. Ultimately, it’s not about the label. It’s about the people on the label who are working with you. At Elecktra, people are good and have experience. They inspire a lot of confidence. So I’m excited about that. But I didn’t have the same experience in India."

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