Exclusive! Prateek Kuhad: Not a lot has changed post pandemic, people still respond to live music the way they used to

“Nobody dies from the lack of sex. It's lack of love we die from,” Margaret Atwood, Canadian writer, once said. And when you listen intently to Prateek Kuhad's curious interpretations of love—with that soft, soothing voice and a guitar that strings along loyally—you think to yourself what the writer had observed years ago must really be true. 

In a studio-based interview with OTTplay, Prateek Kuhad tells us that people are just as happy and responsive in live concerts as they used to be pre-pandemic. I agree. He also believes that when people are genuinely in love, they are nicer and kinder to everyone around them. That, I do not agree with. 

The Way that Lovers Do, which is both the title of his latest album and the all-India tour in question, is something that was in front of his eyes all along but he was looking elsewhere. "So, the title is basically from one of the songs from my album The Way that Lovers Do and when you are creating music, sometimes you miss these small yet impactful things. When I read that same line on paper, I knew it had to be the title," Prateek Kuhad tells us when asked about the inspiration behind this offbeat name. 

But Kuhad, who has juggled between indie, Bollywood and now the web space, feels there is no difference in these three mediums as the creative process remains just the same. "So Akarsh Khurana (director of Mismatched) is a friend and he called me to say that he wanted us to work togetehr on this show. He sent the brief across and I was on board; totally sold on the idea... As far as making music for OTT or films or even independently is concerned, I think the core of it is still the same. Because you are, at the end of the day, making music and the creative process remains unchanged," Prateek shares his observations with us. 

The musician, who will be going to every nook and cranny of the country, feels that people's love for live music has remained intact, pandemic or not. "When you give people a good set, during a live music session or even a full-blown concert, they react and respond the same way. They are happy and in the moment with the musician. I think that has not changed at all even after all that the world has gone through," opines the star musician. 

So, does a singer, especially the ones talking about love in all its glory, has to experience heartbreak to pen love songs? Prateek has a short and along answer for it. "Ah, no! (Laughs!) I think these are life experiences that everyone goes through, even musicians. So, romanticism is of course good but I do not think that one has to dwell on a certian experience and keep revisiting it to create music. These things happen in a person's life and we just need to accept it and move on," Prateek Kuhad says, in his long answer. 

As we all know, Prateek started out in the indie space, brushes shoulders with Bollywood every now and then, and has now ventured into the OTT space as well. He feels that the overall blossoming of OTT platforms has generated work not just for actors and musicians, but for thousands of people related to the entertainment industry. 

"Yes, I think the OTT boom has definitely opened new doors for everyone involved and not just actors and musicians. These shows and web films have generated work for so many people out there... I think it is good that we have all these platforms churning out fresh, innovative content and experimenting with not only scripts and narrative styles but also the kind of music they incorporate into these stories. I think it is a win-win for everyone invovled, even the crew members and other technical departments," shares the singer.

Prateek Kuhad, known for his songs such as cold/mess, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Kasoor, Tum Jab Paas, among many others, is performing live at Airia Mall in Gurugram tonight (November 13, 2022).