A Star is Born: Prateek Kuhad, Focused & Free
Indie-folk musician, Prateek Kuhad, has in the past few years, become the face of India’s music scene; internationally, too. And, following his recent partnership with the famous American record label, Elektra Records, the general feeling is that he’s about skyrocket to superstardom. The Delhi-Jaipur native is on his way to an unpredictable and possibly unprecedented rise to global fame. But, how did he get here?
Kuhad’s Early Discography
Prateek Kuhad, 30, rose to fame with his various features in mainstream Indian media. From ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ from the film, “Baar Baar Dekho”, ‘Dil Beparwah’, and more, the indie musician has delivered back-to-back hits, finding mass popularity amid Indians. But, counterintuitively, the singer-songwriter is unpredictable in a way not many would expect.
Taking off from his style of song and writing, Kuhad may strike a non-fan as the artist of a tech-savvy, Kodaline loving bunch of millennials. But, his art reaches the corners of Indian audiences you wouldn’t expect – a listenership spanning young teens and families country wide.
The Journey Begins
Prateek Kuhad, who grew up in Jaipur, ended up moving to the US to pursue further studies. And, looking back, it makes sense that the artist in him blossomed around the same time, seeing as how his move landed him in the epicentre of art and discovery in America – New York. After moving back to India, the star began work on what would become his breakthrough project. Subsequently, in 2015, Kuhad released his debut album, titled “In Tokens and Charms”.
The album featured 10 songs that threw him into the humble spotlight of an up and coming star. Marking his first full-fledged catalogue of original writing and music, “In Tokens and Charms” went on to become a vibrant and important feather in his cap.
What Drives an Indie Superstar?
Following the release of the album, Kuhad’s work went on to be recognised on multiple international music platforms. From an MTV Europe Music Award to Indie Album of the Year honours from iTunes, and finally, Best Pop Artist at the Radio City Freedom Awards, Prateek notched many impressive records with the album. And, while it’s easy for artists to be motivated by recognition, what keeps Prateek on his toes, is the simple yet essential drive to put out good music. In an early 2020 interview with Rolling Stone India, he confessed, “I want to write really good music, okay? It’s very important to me that my records are actually good.”
And, while his rise to fame, at least in its current state, may seem quick and sudden, Prateek Kuhad is actually defined by consistency. The singer-songwriter began playing the guitar at the age of 16. And, soon after, began pursuing songwriting – something that he has stated motivates him more than anything else, to keep going. And, though he may have been at the epicentre of art in the US, his course actually took him through the world of Finance and Economics. So, the drive to stay focussed on the music and pursue it full time, naturally, came from within.
Back to the Basics
Interestingly, Kuhad is all about the basics. Speaking to Rolling Stone India in the same interview, he said, “We’ve done nothing out of the ordinary in terms of a marketing thing. It’s very stick-to-the-basics but do it really well. The basics are so simple that people just sort of run through them and moves on to the next step.” And, the basics have proven to be ground work for Kuhad’s sustaining and ever-growing career.
Following his success with the 2015 studio album, the star began his rollout of work that took him to some of the biggest stages across India and notable venues internationally. And, it didn’t stop there. Prateek Kuhad made sure that the eyes that fell on him in 2017, stayed on him in 2018. And, the efforts paid off, because the 2018 release, “cold/mess” made a massive splash on the indie music scene world over, and appeared to be taking over the commercial music market in India, too.
And, through it all, in some sort of fever dream, Prateek Kuhad found himself on ex-President of the United States, Barack Obama’s, annual year-end round up of music. So, if you thought the songwriter was on his way to big things then, this catapulted him into the spotlight without warning.
Cut to 2020, and Kuhad has signed to Elektra Records – one of the States’ biggest alternative music labels. Elektra is home to Bjork, AC/DC, Brandi Carlile, and more. Further, with the current partnership, they plan to re-launch ‘cold/mess’ in the US. And, it doesn’t take an industry expert to predict a steady rise in Kuhad’s incoming profile. What the future holds, we don’t know. But, it won’t be anything less than unprecedented.
By: Ahalya Narayanan
