Prateek Kuhad: I've become more curious about every part of making music

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Indian singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad has come a long way since he released In Tokens & Charms, his first album more than 10 years ago. In that time, he has had many popular English and Hindi music hits in films, multiple EPs including ‘Kasoor’, a balm for many people during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

With ‘The Way That Lovers Do’ in 2022 a lot more changed, and Kuhad’s sound has evolved even further since then and that can be seen with his latest album ‘Full Moon Chamber’, which was released on July 10. Recorded over several years with multiple producers, the album has been co-produced Nick Ruth (Carly Rae Jepsen, Zara Larsson), who has helped unify the album’s sound.

Making of ‘Full Moon Chamber’

Written over the years, Kuhad speaking to mid-day says his third studio album wasn’t written in a single phase. The songs came together across New York and Los Angeles, and what started as individual songs slowly revealed a larger story to him along the way. He shares, “Looking back, many of them were exploring similar ideas around love, identity, belonging and the different ways relationships shape us. The title comes from the idea of a chamber being a space inside the mind. During certain periods of life, thoughts and emotions can feel very consuming, and a lot of these songs were written from within that space. What’s interesting is that while the earlier songs sit with those questions, the later songs seem to arrive at a different place altogether. The album ended up becoming a record of that journey.”

It is also why the singer, who is also known for the likes of ‘Co2’ and ‘Bloom’, along with ‘cold/mess’, apart from ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ and ‘Tum Jab Paas’, is extremely excited for the latest album. He expresses, “There’s a mix of excitement and relief, honestly. An album stays with you for so long that by the time it’s ready to come out, you’re just eager for people to finally hear it.”

Evolution of music

Even as he has released so much music over time, Kuhad believes this album is different from all his other works in more than one way. “Even though the songs were written at different times, they all seem to belong to the same world. There’s a very natural arc to the record. Songs like ‘Blush’ and ‘If I Cannot Be Yours’ capture feelings of infatuation, longing and the questions that come with being deeply connected to someone. As the album progresses, those emotions begin to settle and make way for something calmer and more grounded. I’m especially excited for people to hear ‘You Make It Easy’. It’s a simple song, but at its heart, it’s about how the right relationship can make it easier to be your truest self,” he adds. 

Interestingly, none of this would have been possible without the last few years that have been extremely fulfilling reveals the singer-songwriter, who has not only toured India but also North America. He explains, “There has been a lot of writing, a lot of travelling, a lot of performing, and all of those experiences eventually found their way into the album. One thing that became clear while putting ‘Full Moon Chamber’ together was that songs often reveal their meaning over time. A lyric written years ago can suddenly mean something completely different when you revisit it later. That’s probably what I enjoyed most about making this record. Rather than forcing everything into place, the songs were allowed to grow and find their own connections. By the end, the album felt less like a collection of separate tracks and more like one complete story.”

Indian music has evolved a lot since Kuhad first started out, and he has immersed in every bit of the evolution, as it has also helped him grow as an artist. 

He shares, “The biggest change has probably been becoming more curious about every part of making music. Earlier, the focus was mainly on writing songs. Over time, production, arrangements, visuals and storytelling have become just as important to me.”

Performing on stage amid India’s growing live music scene

Kuhad has not only evolved personally but also seen the Indian live music scene grow and that is something that he is extremely excited about. He shares, “It’s been incredible to watch the Indian music scene grow. There are so many artists making great music across genres today, and audiences are far more open to discovering new sounds than ever before. It has created a really exciting environment for musicians. At the end of the day, though, the most rewarding part is still the same as when I started — searching for a line or a tune that captures a feeling in a way you’ve never heard before.”

At the same time, large-scale live music performances have also seen rapid growth more than ever before. Having been a part of a scene that is not particularly Bollywood-centric can be challenging but Kuhad can be credited as being one of the early Hindi and English independent music artists of the 2010s who pulled large crowds to music festivals, apart from his standalone tours. Talking about performing live, he expresses, “Live music has a way of turning something personal into something shared. Most songs begin in a very private space, but once they’re performed live, they take on a completely different life. One of my favourite things about playing shows is hearing people sing back the words and realising they’ve connected with a song in their own way. Sometimes their interpretation is completely different from what inspired the song in the first place, and that’s always fascinating. At its best, a concert feels less like a performance and more like a room full of people experiencing the same thing together. That’s what keeps live music special.”

With the album out, Kuhad is very excited for people to listen to all the 14 songs, but is also simultaneously planning his tour, which he says is still in the works and will let us know soon.

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