Interview: Prateek Kuhad on his Silhouettes tour, songwriting, and the art of staying true

Prateek Kuhad discusses the Silhouettes tour, his visual approach to songwriting, and why he doesn’t like performing live

On a balmy evening at Bharatiya City Mall’s open-air auditorium in Bengaluru, the anticipation was palpable. Fans had gathered well over an hour before Prateek Kuhad’s performance, lingering in the ‘fan zone’ or the general admission area, clutching their tags after a somewhat circuitous entry process. Those arriving late were seen rushing back and forth between the box office and the venue, a flurry of movement contrasting with the stillness of the evening.

In the venue, confetti shot through the air, catching the soft glow of the stage lights. Phones were out — recording, documenting, and ready to be uploaded to social media. “How are you guys doing so far?” Prateek asked the crowd periodically, his voice warm and friendly. In the ‘fan zone’, a girl with a bandaged right leg in a wheelchair smiled.

Prateek, dressed in a white shirt with minimal designs, held the stage without theatrics. This was not a high-octane, rave; instead, it felt like an intimate gathering, where people swayed gently to the music, some holding each other with quiet affection.

It is this comforting, inclusive vibe that defines a Prateek Kuhad concert — a space where every note feels personal, where even the grandest of settings takes on an intimate glow. When I interview the singer-songwriter over the phone days later to discuss his ongoing Silhouettes tour (presented by Johnnie Walker Refreshing Mixer Non-Alcoholic), however, I realise that the gentleness of the experience belies a deeper complexity within him.

“In real life, I’m quite the opposite of comforting,” he says, “I’m an intense person. My music gives a comforting vibe, probably because I enjoy listening to and making that kind of music.”

Prateek’s career has unfolded in ways he never anticipated. Raised in Jaipur, he spent years in New York studying at New York University, unaware that music would become his life’s work. “I had no idea I was going to be a musician,” he admits. “I was the farthest thing from it, and suddenly I’m playing to 10,000–15,000 people, with crowds singing my songs back at me. It’s been an intense journey for me.”

It is this dichotomy — between the deeply personal and the undeniably public — that forms the backdrop of his latest tour. Silhouettes, the name he chose for the tour, is as much a reflection of his journey as it is a metaphor for identity and self-perception. “With all the noise and stuff around you — people, media, everything — it can feel like you’re a silhouette of yourself,” he explains, “You start to lose yourself, so to speak. It comes from that feeling.”