My work drives me, says Prateek Kuhad

Singer and songwriter Prateek Kuhad is a man of few words and great talents. Best known for his album In Tokens and Charms, this Delhi-based artiste has been able to carve a niche for himself in the independent music scene with his own unique renditions — which are now a favourite of many.

Recently, the 27-year-old released his latest single Tum Jab Paas, in collaboration with Saavn music app, as part of their ‘Artists Originals’ project. Tum Jab Pass, which was written by Prateek last year, is a peppy song with a romantic touch to it,  .  

In a candid chat, Prateek opens about his love for writing, his self-critical attitude towards life and how he denies being complacent to his achievements.

Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us a little about yourself and your love for songwriting.
Writing songs is something very personal to me. That’s why, a little bit of my persona just ends up coming in my songs… like my personal experiences, emotions and feelings. Song writing for me started as a way of expressing myself and dealing with life issues. I was 19, when I wrote my first song… Most of my songs are a mix of fact and fiction.  

The themes of my music include existential issues, heartbreak and things that one gets sad about.

I was studying in New York University (NYU) and came back to India in 2013, and decided to give music a shot. It has been four years since I’m in this profession full-time.

How did you put your first foot forward?
After coming back from NYU, I decided to give an year to music and see how things go. In that one year, I worked on my first EP Raat Raazi — which is a collection of five Hindi songs. This was out in August 2013. At that point, I didn’t think beyond that and just wanted to see what happens next. I just wanted to give music a shot and didn’t want to regret for the rest of my life that I never did it. To my surprise, my EP garnered attention, people liked it and I got some shows around it. The response was encouraging and I decided to take it forward.

How has your journey been?
Well, I have a very blurred memory of it. Things have happened really gradually. I like staying in the present.

What can you term as your biggest achievement so far?
There’s nothing that has stuck to me. I get over things very quickly. But I do remember how after Raat Raazi, I got booked for all four (NH7) Weekenders that year. That was quite special but I got over that soon. I feel more inspired and driven by the kind of work I do. For instance, my song Flames really makes me feel proud of myself. Everything else that happens in my life is always full of self-doubt.  

Does that mean you are extremely critical of yourself?
Maybe. I can’t judge my work. I think I’m not even close to any achievement right now.

What are your views about the way audience responds to indie artistes?
I don’t think that it’s the audience’s responsibility to like what artistes deliver. It doesn’t matter if you come from the indie space or the mainstream industry. It’s the artistes’ responsibility to make people come and listen to their music

Do you enjoy performing gigs in clubs — in front of a talking and eating audience?
There are pros and cons to it. Sometimes cafes can be really nice and personal, and sometimes they can be chaotic and disastrous. It depends on the organisers, the line-up of artistes and the kind of people that come to attend it. The experience is a combination of all of the above. A space which is not entirely dedicated to music will have people coming to eat, drink, unwind, and have a good time. One cannot expect from them to leave all that and pay attention to the artiste. One example that comes to my mind is The Humming Tree in Bengaluru. They have built a culture where people know that they are going there for the show, and not to get drunk, eat or have a good time. Artiste is the primary focus there.

So, have you become more selective in terms of performing in music festivals and clubs?
Now I have, because I can afford it. Initially, I did a lot of such shows, which I wouldn’t do now, if offered. I just wanted to put myself out there back then, and of course, I had financial concerns. For instance, I did some shows in New York, which had zero audience. The only people in the audience were my girlfriend and the bartender. There have also been shows where not even a single person in the audience was paying attention. Those were some bad experiences.

Have such things let you down?
My first year in music was completely filled with self-doubt. I still feel that I’m not delivering good enough and that I need to work on my music. I just feel that all artistes should be very self-critical and that’s how they get better.

What do you think is lacking in the independent music scene in India?
I think that writing songs as a culture is not given much emphasis here. Also, we are way behind when it comes to infrastructure and professionalism. The contracts that are given to us are very immature and nobody knows what they are doing. The industry definitely needs to develop and advance a lot more.

What’s next?
This summer, I’m travelling to the USA… have a couple of shows lined up there. I also hope to release new music this year.