I have no stagecraft: Prateek

Singer Prateek Kuhad is all set to go on his first international tour

Prateek Kuhad doesn’t really need an introduction anymore. In the last couple of years, he has made a space for himself on social media with his soulful songs. Even with an ever-increasing number of new artistes coming out, he still doesn’t find other musicians a competition as he believes that social media has helped him build his fanbase.

As he gears up for his international tour; he is heading to the US for a month-long tour; he spoke about his plans for the year.

You’re going on tour next month...

Yes, it’s going to be my first official international tour. I have played abroad but not like this. I’ll be performing at New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston. It’s also the first time that I will be travelling with my band members, Dhruv Bhola (bassist) and Nikhil Vasudevan (drummer).

Which city are you most excited about?

I’m quite excited to play in New York. A few places have already been sold out so that builds the excitement factor too.

You’ve been making music for a few years but your fanbase grew a lot recently. Does this make you nervous to go on stage?

(Laughs) I’m honestly not a great performer. I have no stagecraft. A lot of artistes talk a lot, make the audience feel like at home. I’m quite awkward when it comes to that so it is challenging. Having said that, it’s come to a point where I have single shows now and clearly the people who attend are my fans. That’s less pressure as I know they won’t tune out as the
others.

Unlike many artistes, your music is quite different. What’s your music making process like?

It’s a combination of listening to a lot of music over the years. It’s also a mix of experiences, movies, books and so on.

So does writing lyrics come to naturally now?

Yes, it does. I don’t take too long to write a song either, which I’m started to think is a double-edged sword. I feel like because I know the craft of it, I have become lazy. All of them feel like it’s not good enough anymore.

What are your expectations from this year?

I’m quite confused actually. As I said earlier, songwriting has been easy but challenging as I am not too satisfied with them. I’m trying to figure that out. I’m also trying to shift focus and nail the performances. I want to take things to the next level, from sound to production.

Will we hear your songs in more movies now?

I need to read the script and understand it to write the songs. However, I feel that the film industry is unprofessional, from the legal contract to everything else. It turns me off. ‘Karwaan’ was a good team to work with; it’s hard to find someone like that.