It’s very intuitive and spontaneous: Prateek Kuhad on songwriting

CHENNAI: Prateek Kuhad is touring all over the country for his ‘The Way That Lovers Do’ tour. In conversation with DT Next, Prateek talks about what he missed about touring, his album The Way That Lovers Do, his upcoming show in Chennai and lots more.

You’re finally touring after one and a half years for your ‘The Way That Lovers Do’. How does it feel to be on the road again?

It feels great to be on the road again. I haven’t toured since 2019. It’s been really good and the shows are going really great so far. I’m really excited about the rest of the tour. We are playing in 16 cities and we’ve already done three. So, it’s really good.

Where are the places you will be visiting as a part of the tour?

We’ll be doing 16 cities. So we started in Mumbai, which was the first show and then we did a show in Goa. We’re going all over the country Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat, Jaipur, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

What are the things you missed doing and will do while you’re on the road again?

I mostly, of course, missed being on stage and doing shows. Touring is really fun and you travel with the whole crew and your band. It’s like this whole group of people going on a fun trip together. I’m excited to be doing it with my people again.

Your song Favourite Peeps is the most popular song in the album. The song feels very personal and raw. What was the process like for you writing and producing the song?

All the songs were written in the past few years and I collected them and decided to put this group of songs on the record. I don’t remember when, but one day I just sat down with my guitar and just wrote the song. That’s actually how I write most of my songs- it’s very intuitive and spontaneous. I just sit down with the instrument, paper and pen and kind of just write what’s on my mind at that particular moment. I like to keep it simple.

Which is your personal favourite in the album and why?

I think my personal favourite is Co2 and Bloom, it’s tied between these two. Both songs are pretty personal and I wrote them during the pandemic. It has nothing to do with the pandemic (chuckles), I just wrote it then. I’m proud of the way these two songs came out; it’s just very real.

What are you looking forward to from Chennai? Are you excited to meet your Chennai fans?

Yes! I’m very excited about Chennai. We were supposed to have it last week, but because of the rain, we had to postpone it. I’m happy that it’s finally materialising now and I’m elated to meet everybody and hope to put up a really great show.

What are you looking forward to from the concert?

I have never been a fan of setting expectations for concerts. I just like to go on stage with a clear and empty head and do my best and hope to put up a good show and that people have fun.

'The Way That Lovers Do' tour is produced and presented by BookMyShow. Tickets available online