Prateek Kuhad was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He is an Indian singer-songwriter who writes and performs in English and Hindi. He studied mathematics and economics at New York University, where he began performing his own songs, and he is one of the best-known independent artists in India.
His debut album, In Tokens & Charms, was released in 2015 and drew attention for its simple acoustic style. He gained a wider following with the song “cold/mess” (2018), which gave its name to an EP.
In December 2019, former US President Barack Obama included “cold/mess” in his list of favourite music of the year, a post made on 30 December 2019, which drew international attention to Kuhad. He also wrote “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan” for the Hindi film Baar Baar Dekho (2016); it was composed by Jasleen Royal, who sang it with him. “Kasoor” is another of his best-known songs.
Kuhad’s popularity is often cited as proof that independent Indian artists can build a national and international audience through streaming.
Featured image: Prateek Kuhad (cropped). Photo by NabihaT, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Leave a Reply