Prateek Kuhad: Beyond writing songs, I've become more curious about every part of making music

Indian singersongwriter Prateek Kuhad has come a long way since he released In Tokens amp Charms his first album more than 10 years ago In that time he has had many popular English and Hindi music hits in films multiple EPs including Kasoor a balm for many people during the Covid19 pandemicWith The Way That Lovers Do in 2022 a lot more changed and Kuhads sound has evolved even further since then and that can be seen with his latest album Full Moon Chamber which was released on July 10 Recorded over several years with multiple producers the album has been coproduced Nick Ruth Carly Rae Jepsen Zara Larsson who has helped unify the albums soundMaking of Full Moon ChamberWritten over the years Kuhad speaking to midday says his third studio album wasnt written in a single phase The songs came together across New York and Los Angeles and what started as individual songs slowly revealed a larger story to him along the way He shares Looking back many of them were exploring similar ideas around love identity belonging and the different ways relationships shape us The title comes from the idea of a chamber being a space inside the mind During certain periods of life thoughts and emotions can feel very consuming and a lot of these songs were written from within that space Whats interesting is that while the earlier songs sit with those questions the later songs seem to arrive at a different place altogether The album ended up becoming a record of that journeyIt is also why the singer who is also known for the likes of lsquoCo2rsquo and lsquoBloomrsquo along with lsquocoldmessrsquo apart from lsquoKho Gaye Hum Kahanrsquo and lsquoTum Jab Paasrsquo is extremely excited for the latest album He expresses Theres a mix of excitement and relief honestly An album stays with you for so long that by the time its ready to come out youre just eager for people to finally hear itEvolution of musicEven as he has released so much music over time Kuhad believes this album is different from all his other works in more than one way Even though the songs were written at different times they all seem to belong to the same world Theres a very natural arc to the record Songs like Blush and If I Cannot Be Yours capture feelings of infatuation longing and the questions that come with being deeply connected to someone As the album progresses those emotions begin to settle and make way for something calmer and more grounded Im especially excited for people to hear You Make It Easy Its a simple song but at its heart its about how the right relationship can make it easier to be your truest self he addsInterestingly none of this would have been possible without the last few years that have been extremely fulfilling reveals the singersongwriter who has not only toured India but also North America He explains There has been a lot of writing a lot of travelling a lot of performing and all of those experiences eventually found their way into the album One thing that became clear while putting lsquoFull Moon Chamberrsquo together was that songs often reveal their meaning over time A lyric written years ago can suddenly mean something completely different when you revisit it later Thats probably what I enjoyed most about making this record Rather than forcing everything into place the songs were allowed to grow and find their own connections By the end the album felt less like a collection of separate tracks and more like one complete storyIndian music has evolved a lot since Kuhad first started out and he has immersed in every bit of the evolution as it has also helped him grow as an artistHe shares The biggest change has probably been becoming more curious about every part of making music Earlier the focus was mainly on writing songs Over time production arrangements visuals and storytelling have become just as important to mePerforming on stage amid Indiarsquos growing live music sceneKuhad has not only evolved personally but also seen the Indian live music scene grow and that is something that he is extremely excited about He shares Its been incredible to watch the Indian music scene grow There are so many artists making great music across genres today and audiences are far more open to discovering new sounds than ever before It has created a really exciting environment for musicians At the end of the day though the most rewarding part is still the same as when I started mdash searching for a line or a tune that captures a feeling in a way youve never heard beforeAt the same time largescale live music performances have also seen rapid growth more than ever before Having been a part of a scene that is not particularly Bollywoodcentric can be challenging but Kuhad can be credited as being one of the early Hindi and English independent music artists of the 2010s who pulled large crowds to music festivals apart from his standalone tours Talking about performing live he expresses Live music has a way of turning something personal into something shared Most songs begin in a very private space but once theyre performed live they take on a completely different life One of my favourite things about playing shows is hearing people sing back the words and realising theyve connected with a song in their own way Sometimes their interpretation is completely different from what inspired the song in the first place and thats always fascinating At its best a concert feels less like a performance and more like a room full of people experiencing the same thing together Thats what keeps live music specialWith the album out Kuhad is very excited for people to listen to all the 14 songs but is also simultaneously planning his tour which he says is still in the works and will let us know soon