Prateek Kuhad is an Indian singer-songwriter and musician who makes independent music in Hindi and English.[1][2][3] He is best known for his track "cold/mess".
Prateek Kuhad | |
|---|---|
 Kuhad in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 3 March 1990 Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Origin | Jaipur, India |
| Genres | Indie folk |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
| Website | prateekkuhad |
Early life
editKuhad was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and has two sisters. He learnt to play the guitar at age 16 and started songwriting in his late teens. He graduated high school at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, in Jaipur. Later, he studied Maths and Economics at New York University before moving to Delhi to pursue a full-time career in music.[4]
Career
editAfter graduating from New York University, Kuhad returned to India and released his first EP, the self titled Prateek Kuhad, and Raat Raazi in 2013.[5] His debut album, In Tokens & Charms, was released in 2015.[6][7] He also signed a publishing deal with Los Angeles–based company Cutcraft Music.[8] Kuhad became the first Indian artist to be signed by the American record label Elektra Records in 2020.[9]
Kuhad released his third album, The Way That Lovers Do, on May 20, 2022.[10]
Musical style and influences
editDuring his time in NYU, Kuhad discovered Elliott Smith's music, which had a great influence on him. He then discovered other singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie along with newer artists like Laura Marling and Fleet Foxes.[11] These artists inspired him to get better at guitar and start writing his own songs. These went on to become his major influences.
Kuhad was comfortable with communicating in both English and Hindi from the start and has been writing in both the languages. In his childhood, as there was no internet service, he predominantly listened to Indian pop and Bollywood music and only occasionally to Western music. He is also said to be inspired from a kid of the same name as his whose vocals were outstanding, sometime during his visit to UP. He was also inspired by Lucky Ali.[12]
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The acoustic guitar is Kuhad's primary instrument, but he also plays piano and electric guitar. His music leans towards Americana and folk genres with acoustic sounds and unconventional song structures for the most part. His music has been praised as being "beautifully haunting" by Us Weekly and his vocals as being "angelic" by BrooklynVegan.[11][12]
He mostly writes about love, relationships and his experiences, with vague lyrics that are open to interpretation.[13]
Awards and recognition
edit- Indian Indie Album of the Year 2019 by iTunes and Spotify: Top Indian Indie Hits
- The Best India Act at the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards
- Best Pop Artist Award at the Radio City Freedom Awards 2018[6]
Kuhad's 2018 song "cold/mess" was featured on former US president Barack Obama's "Favorite Music of 2019" list.[14][15][16]
Discography
editAlbums & EPs
edit| Year | Album / EP | Track |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Prateek Kuhad | Something Wrong |
| Rubber Bits | ||
| A Shot of Alcohol | ||
| 2013 | Raat Raazi | Ab Hoga Kya |
| Raat Raazi | ||
| Chahe Ya Na Chahe | ||
| Voh | ||
| Yeh Pal | ||
| 2015 | In Tokens & Charms | Oh Love |
| Holding On | ||
| Flames | ||
| Into the Night | ||
| Go | ||
| Fire | ||
| Held You Tight | ||
| Be At Ease | ||
| Cold Shoulders | ||
| Artist | ||
| 2017 | In Token & Charms(Deluxe Version) | Oh Love |
| Holding On | ||
| Flames | ||
| Into The Night | ||
| Go | ||
| Fire | ||
| Held You Tight | ||
| Be At Ease | ||
| Cold Shoulders | ||
| Artist | ||
| Tonight | ||
| Big Surprise | ||
| Just To Be With You | ||
| Flames - Piano Version | ||
| 2019 | cold/mess | with you/for you |
| did you/fall apart | ||
| cold/mess | ||
| for your time | ||
| fighter | ||
| 100 words | ||
| cold/mess - edit | ||
| 2021 | Shehron Ke Raaz | Shehron Ke Raaz |
| Khone Do | ||
| Tere Hi Hum | ||
| Kasoor - Acoustic | ||
| 2022 | The Way That Lovers Do | All I Need |
| Hollow | ||
| Favorite Peeps | ||
| Co2 | ||
| Face | ||
| Just A Word | ||
| Drown | ||
| The Last Time | ||
| Heartbroken | ||
| Bloom | ||
| Full Time Lover | ||
| 2023 | The Way That Lovers Do (Deluxe Version) | All I Need |
| Hollow | ||
| Favorite Peeps | ||
| Co2 | ||
| Face | ||
| Just A Word | ||
| Drown | ||
| Heartbroken | ||
| Bloom | ||
| Full Time Lover | ||
| Hopelessly | ||
| I Never Knew | ||
| Bloom(feat. Raveena) | ||
| All I Need - acoustic | ||
| Hollow - acoustic | ||
| Just A Word - acoustic | ||
| The Last Time - acoustic | ||
| Heartbroken - acoustic | ||
| Mulaqat | Mulaqat | |
| O Piya | ||
| Kuch Din | ||
| Hum Dono | ||
| Janeman |
Singles & collaborations
edit| Year | Track | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kho Gaye Hum Kahan | Released as part of the soundtrack of the movie "Baar Baar Dekho" |
| Tune Kaha | ||
| Dil Beparwah | Collaboration between Ankur Tewari & Prateek Kuhad
Released as part of The Dewarists - Season 5, Episode 3 | |
| 2017 | Tum Jab Paas | |
| 2018 | Saansein | Released as part of the soundtrack of the movie "Karwaan" |
| Kadam | ||
| 2020 | Pause | |
| Kasoor | ||
| Kahaan Ho Tum | Released as part of the soundtrack of the Netflix show "Mismatched" | |
| The Biggest Lie (Elliott Smith remake) | ||
| 2021 | cold/mess (on piano) | |
| 2023 | Hopelessly | |
| Kaisi Jadugari | ||
| Mere Sang feat.Lisa Mishra | Collaboration between Lisa Mishra & Prateek Kuhad | |
| Co2 – Acoustic | ||
| Kho Gaye Hum Kahan(Lofi Mix) | Lofi Mix of the soundtrack Kho Gaye Hum Kahan from the movie "Baar Baar Dekho" | |
| Mulaqat | Released as a single but part of the episode "Mulaqat" | |
| O Piya | Released as a single but part of the episode "Mulaqat" | |
| 2024 | No Complaints |
Film/Series songs
edit| Year | Film | Song | Composer(s) | Singer(s) | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Baar Baar Dekho | Kho Gaye Hum Kahan | Jasleen Royal | Jasleen Royal, Prateek Kuhad | Prateek Kuhad |
| 2018 | Karwaan | Saansein | Prateek Kuhad | ||
| Kadam | |||||
| Lust Stories | Tu Kaha | ||||
| 2020 | Mismatched | Kaahan Ho Tum | |||
| 2021 | Ajeeb Daastaans | Kuch Na Kaho | |||
| Dhamaka | Kasoor – Acoustic | ||||
References
edit- ^ Gurbaxani, Amit (23 November 2017). "On the bus with Prateek Kuhad". mint. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Majumdar, Meghna (1 December 2020). "When Prateek Kuhad met Singapore's DJ Myrne". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Prateek Kuhad on Bollywood music, writing songs, & picking his genre #HTLS2020". Hindustan Times. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "You've Gotta Know Prateek Kuhad - LBB". Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Prateek Kuhad: Heartbreak Party". Open The Magazine. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Radio City Freedom Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List -". 29 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Prateek Kuhad to make UAE debut at The Rotunda". gulfnews.com. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ Suhasini, Lalitha (20 October 2019). "The rise and rise of Prateek Kuhad". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad signs to American label Elektra Records". BW Businessworld. ANI. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ ANI (21 March 2022). "Prateek Kuhad announces new album 'The Way That Lovers Do'". ThePrint. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ a b "About Prateek Kuhad". prateekkuhad.com. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Prateek Kuhad on Finding Success and Larger Audience". First Post. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Prateek Kuhad On Love Life Learnings, Songwritng Process and Success Mantras The Ranveer Show 66". YouTube. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "How Prateek Kuhad reached Obama's playlist". The Week. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ Obama, Barack (30 December 2019). "From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year. If you're looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there's a track or two in here that does the trick.pic.twitter.com/mQ2VssyDwt". @BarackObama. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Barack Obama names Cold Mess in his Favourite Music 2019 list. Prateek Kuhad is flipping out". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
External links
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