MUMBAI: One year after the release of his hugely successful EP Raat Raazi, multi-lingual singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad announces his debut full-length album, In Tokens & Charms, written entirely in English and set to be released in January 2015. The album was recorded in New York, the city where Prateek Kuhad’s musical career truly began, and its announcement is accompanied by the release of Flames, a fantastic first single.
A multi-lingual musician in the truest sense of the phrase, writing and performing in English and Hindi comes naturally to Prateek Kuhad. Having grown up speaking, reading and writing both languages, his songwriting reflects this comfort and ease. Says Prateek “I really enjoy writing in both languages. All my songwriting is very instinctive, so, sometimes the words come through in English, and sometimes in Hindi – it just depends on what I’m feeling at the time. We’ve all grown up speaking and thinking, watching films and listening to music in both languages – it’s who we are. When I released Raat Raazi, I just had a bunch of good Hindi songs that I’d written and wanted to release together, but even at the time, I always knew I was going to release an English album as well, because I had a bunch of good English songs that I’d written too.”
Flames, his first offering from this much-awaited album, is nostalgic, but melodious, and speaks of an old, intense love that’s fighting to survive. In his adept vocals there’s a tone of desperation, but it appears to be interlaced with a sense of hope. Says Prateek, “I wrote Flames one day while I was sitting and playing the guitar in Jaipur, and recorded a demo almost instantly. Flames is primarily about a love that’s fighting to survive, but finds life getting in the way. I think that parts of my life have found their way into the song, but it isn’t something I did consciously.”
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In the past year, following the release of his critically acclaimed Hindi EP Raat Raazi, Prateek Kuhad has established himself as one of the most promising artists in the Indian independent music circuit. He has played gigs across the country, including sets at all four editions of Bacardi NH7 Weekender in 2013, as well as Escape Festival of Arts and Music, also last year, and Ziro Festival of Music earlier this year. He has also performed at venues across the world, including in New York, Prague and New Orleans.
Born in Jaipur, Prateek Kuhad grew up playing the guitar and training vocally in Indian classical music. He began gigging while in college at NYU, and eventually, after exploring various genres, found a sense of direction after attending a jazz workshop in Prague. His influences are eclectic and range from Nick Drake and Elliot Smith to Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix. With his unique blend of minimal, folk arrangements and pop rock melodies, Prateek Kuhad effortlessly captures life’s complexities in his songs. Live, he perfectly recreates the warmth and vulnerability that is a signature on his recordings, using his folk-pop sensibilities to forge an infrangible connection with the audience.
