Singer songwriter Prateek Kuhad has rolled out his new EP cold/mess. This time, he first sent the songs to the fans on his mailing list and let them announce the release. Whether or not keeping things fan-centric has worked out is subjective and irrelevant to him. Here, he talks about cold/mess and music industry at large.
A RELEASE OUT OF THE BLUE
Prateek says that the sudden release of cold/mess started with the idea of making it more fan-centric as a special gesture to them. “After that, it just made sense to keep it a surprise; otherwise, it wouldn’t be special for them,” he states. In August, he plans to promote the EP through intimate house gigs instead of playing venues. About all the six tracks being in English, though he is also renowned for his Hindi songs like Raat Raazi, he says that writing in the former might be a little easier for him. “But, I also think I create more trash in the language — meaning, I reject and shelve a lot more songs. In Hindi, when I do write a song, it usually ends up getting released,” he says.
INTENSE WORK
Unlike his last video, the breezy Tum Jab Paas, the EP is intense. What’s the story behind it? Prateek says that the single was written last year while the tracks in cold/mess have been written over the past two-three years. “And a lot has happened to me over that time. It’s a personal record for me, and it sums up a longer and a more intense time in my life,” he explains the anguish, elation and angst.
NEED MORE DREAMERS
Prateek once said that he wishes the music industry had more courage. Ask him what he meant by the comment, he says, “I feel like the popular music industry all over the world is churning out stuff that they believe is safe and least likely to fail. The economics of the music industry are so precarious that nobody wants to take a chance, and artistes and music reps want to stick to a format or songwriting and production that ‘works’.” He adds that some people are disrupting that process but we need more than just a few people to change that. “Music and art should be about expression and moving people, first and foremost. The economics are important to keep the industry viable but that should run on the back of the music — not the other way around,” he states. According to him, it’s not a pipe dream but totally possible. “We just need more dreamers in the industry,” he avers.
MORE MATERIAL?
cold/mess has just come out and for Prateek it’s too early to think of his next track or album. “I’m always writing and we’ll be performing new songs on the road as we go,” he informs.
