Prateek Kuhad: Way less shy and conscious now

When he started his career as a singer-songwriter, Prateek Kuhad was not necessarily looking for fame, or the cliché of becoming a rockstar. “I used to be a paranoid person, not just about my music but in general in life. I used to think only the worst,’’ he says. Slowly but surely, Prateek has “gotten used” to all the fame that has come his way.

“ I have become more relaxed and more positive now. I don’t know if it’s because I am in a better place in life right now or what. But I now have realised that things will go wrong, and there are ways of dealing with them. I have gotten used to the way I am. Now I am way less shy and way less conscious about things,” says Prateek known for songs such as Tune Kaha (2016) and Cold/Mess (2018).

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The change in outlook means that Prateek, who previously preferred doing small live shows in auditoriums, now loves concerts, so much so that he is currently doing a massive 30-city tour which includes gigs in both India and US. “Planning a 30-city tour was a bit complicated because nothing was under control. The US part of the tour was locked in May, I think. Then we came on to decide about tour dates in India. We wanted to do a tour last year, but for some reasons we couldn’t,’’ he says, adding, “We wanted to start off with a few auditorium shows in India, and later outdoor shows in winter, because of the good weather. Didn’t want to do an outdoor shoot now, because of the rains. Last year I remember, we had to do a show in Bengaluru, but had to cancel it because of the rain,’ he adds.

Another thing that fame has helped Prateek in, is that he no longer has to book his own tickets. The Jaipur- based musician jokes that he has a “big team now” which takes care of all the “admin” stuff for him, which gives him time to concentrate on his music, and “all the geeky things” related to music.

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“I now to get to focus on music more. I focus on touring and rehearsing with the band. Making sure the gear is correct,” he says. But will this fame affect the way he writes his music? Prateek is quick to rule that out. “I have tried to shield myself away from such things. Of course I do think about how people will react and those questions come in your head. [But] I just keep a flow and write. Otherwise it ends up becoming a little fake,” he signs off.

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