Words by Pankhuri Bhutani.
Photography // Vansh Virmani
Emerging as a forefront of a resurgence of talent, Prateek Kuhad’s distinctive murmurous voice helped him transform into one of India’s biggest rising artists. From selling out auditorium and amphitheatre dates across India, Kuhad had no trouble landing arena support slots with the likes of music sensations Alt-J and Mike Posner.
Prateek recently debuted his new EP- ‘Shehron Ke Raaz’. The four-track collection which includes an acoustic version of Kuhad’s 2020 breakout hit “Kasoor” turned out to be an instant success. ‘Shehron Ke Raaz’ is currently available now on all streaming platforms via Elektra Records.
The artist returns his Indian roots on the project, recording in Bombay and singing in Hindi as he explores the intimate, often hidden worlds that lovers create for themselves. There’s a sweetness to his delivery that transcends language and culture, resulting in a dreamy and profoundly moving body of work that speaks to the kind of fundamentally human desires that bind us all.
We recently caught up with the talented singer-songwriter in order to discuss the creative process behind his recent project as well as discuss some significant insights into his phenomenal music journey.
Hi there Prateek. Thank you for joining us on Peachy! Lovely to have you. How are you doing amidst everything going on currently?
Fine so far! I am lucky to be holed up in a studio in Seattle working on my next release.
I would like to start by talking about your recent EP “Shehron Ke Raaz”. Huge congratulations on the project! How has the response been like on the EP so far?
It’s been good! We just put out a music video for the title track as well and everyone seems to be loving it 🙂
Kindly walk us through the creative process. What was the inspiration behind the project and did you face any sort of challenge during the production stage of the EP?
The idea of the EP started with “Tere Hi Hum,” then I started looking for songs that would go with it and that would form a good set of songs that work together well as a unit. And then “Kasoor (Acoustic)” is something I’d been meaning to put out in the world for quite some time now and the EP seemed like a great place for it, sound wise and even otherwise.
On recording the EP, I worked with my long-time drummer Nikhil Vasudevan and Rohan Rajadhakshya took on keyboard and piano duties. They also helped in producing the album with me and it was a really smooth process! I guess I’ve been working with these guys for so long things were really easy.
When it comes to writing music, do you need a specific setting to work in or do you consider yourself to be easily flexible?
A bit of both I guess. I’m mostly flexible but I do like to have some instrument that I can play with me and quiet surroundings. And most importantly especially in the initial part of writing I like to be alone.
What’s the one thing that your fans should definitely know about you as a person which they might not get to know about you by listening solely to your music?
Hard for me to answer! But I guess just like everyone else I have many aspects to my personality — guess you’ll have to actually know me to find out 🙂
You have gained such a massive fanbase over the past few years. Do you think that having such an enormous support adds a sort of pressure to your tracks, or is it something that you perceive as a personal motivation?
Maybe pressure is a strong word but it does definitely play on my mind sometimes. I try and not think about it too much though! I really just love the process of writing songs and making records. That’s enough motivation for me.
Who are the top three artists on your music playlist right now? Is there anyone on your radar who you would love to collaborate with in the future?
I discovered Brandi Carlile recently and she’s amazing. I listened to the new Dodie album a lot and would love to work with her. Lizzy Mc’Alpine and Eloise are also two great song writers I’ve been listening to a lot lately and would love to work with!
What’s next for you, Prateek? Have you set yourself any goals for 2021? Is there anything on your bucket list that you really want to achieve by the end of this year?
I don’t like setting hard goals to be honest but I do really want to finish my album this year!
(Thank you for your time!) Lastly, is there anything that you wish to convey to your fans reading this interview right now?
Go and stream the hell out of the Shehron Ke Raaz EP!
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