“The best way to get over a heartbreak is to cry a lot and then, cry some more. Then go out on dates!” says Prateek Kuhad

Prateek Kuhad fumbles exactly as much as it takes to make you feel comfortable speaking to him. That aside, the indie songwriter and singer, whose song Cold/Mess found itself in Obama’s list of 10 favourite songs of last year, is as real as you or me. His idea of romance is not about grand gestures, but lies in the real things; if his girlfriend is away and hasn’t eaten, he’ll order food for her. “Loving deeply and considering human emotions is important to me, rather than other things that society considers practical and important,” he says.