Prateek Kuhad: MTV EMA win was incredible

Known for his distinctive voice on the indie music circuit, singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad said it was an honour to win the Best Indian Act trophy at last week’s MTV EMA Awards.

“I was really surprised when I first heard about the nomination. Being nominated was already such an honour, so to win the award itself is an incredible feeling,” Kuhad admitted on Thursday (November 10).

The Delhi-based artist, who received a nomination for his song 100 Words, was named in the category with music heavyweights such as sitarist Anoushka Shankar, singer Monica Dogra, indie bands Bandish Projekt, and Uday Benegal and Friends.

“I clearly have some really loving fans who voted for me and made this happen. A big thank you to all of them,” he added.

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA), held in Rotterdam this year, have been acknowledging the regional talents in music around the world for the sixth consecutive year. The Best Indian Act category, which was introduced for the first time in 2012, was won by Priyanka Chopra in 2015 and singer-rapper Honey Singh the previous year.

Kuhad’s debut album In Tokens and Charms, which was released in January last year, was adjudged the best Indian indie album in 2015 by iTunes.

In September, he played at Bigsound in Brisbane, making him the only Indian act at the Australian music conference. He was also among the performers at the indie music festival Music Matters in Singapore.

The Tune Kaha singer is now set to appear at Magnetic Fields Festival at Alsisar in Rajasthan next month.

Kuhad’s style of blending minimally arranged melodies with intense lyrics has found fans all over the world.

“I’m a songwriter more than anything, and I always want the focus to be on the songs. That’s what lies at the heart of doing these shows,” Kuhad explained.

“We want to ensure an incredible listening experience, which is not always the case with club shows. We received a great response when we did a show last year, and we want to take things up a notch,” he added.

Kuhad made his debut in Bollywood with the song Kho Gaye Hum Kahan – which he wrote and sang with musician Jasleen Royal – in the film Baar Baar Dekho.