Obama picks Indian singer in ‘fav music of 19’ list, triggers online search surge

He likes the gruff blues of Bob Dylan, the rousing country notes of Woody Guthrie and the melancholic folk tunes of Elliott Smith, all of them singer songwriters like him. But guess who likes desi boy Prateek Kuhad? Barack Obama.
Soon after the former US President mentioned the 29-year-old, originally from Jaipur, in his ‘favourite music of 2019’, a list of 35 songs and albums, there was a rush to search online for the singer, with people in America, Singapore, Nepal, the UAE, India and Pakistan digging for information on him.Kuhad made it to Obama’s list for his most celebrated album ‘cold/mess’, released in late 2018. Keeping him company were the likes of Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Lizzo, Kaytranada, Solange, Alicia Keys, Maggie Rogers, and ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen.
“From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick,” Obama wrote.
Five minutes after Obama shared his “must-listen to” on social media, Kuhad’s phone started buzzing with congratulatory messages.
“I was shocked. So were my mom and girlfriend. It’s not like it’s just anybody. It’s the former US president,” Kuhad told TOI on Tuesday. “He is a very prominent figure and a really great personality. The fact that my music reached him... it’s kind of landmark. It’s a big moment for me and those who love me.” The singer-writer was just back in India after having performed to packed houses in New York, UK, and Europe during his 30-nation concert tour.

B’wood not crucial to a singer’s success’
In Jaipur, his family was excited too. Rita Kuhad, his mother, said, “We are proud of him. It’s an honour for all of us.” Prateek’s father Paras Kuhad is a lawyer at the Supreme Court.
After completing his schooling from Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya in Jaipur, Kuhad went on to study Mathematics and Economics at New York University (NYU). In college, he dabbled in music, but said it was “only for fun”. He took to it full-time only in 2013 and has since released the albums ‘Raat Raazi’, ‘In Tokens and Charms’ and ‘cold/mess’.
Those who listened to him vouched for his soulful music, while others remained oblivious, until someone introduced them to Kuhadlike a little restaurant in the corner that people dragged their friends to because they knew the chef.
“My success has been slow and organic, it’s mostly been word of mouth,” Kuhad said. “I couldn’t do massive promotions like those who have label backing and corporate money... My fans found me, shared my music. It wasn’t like they were being bombarded with songs on radio.” And while for many singers, Bollywood may naturally be the next step, Kuhad is a tad disenchanted. “Bollywood is losing its relevance in the sense that it is not crucial to a singer’s success any more. I did sing ‘Saansein’ and ‘Kadam’ (Karvaan) and ‘Kho gaye hum kahan’ (Baar Baar Dekho), but they did very little for me. In fact, ‘cold/mess’ gave me recognition and it was an independent record,” he said.
They say it took The Beatles to introduce Ravi Shankar to India. Obama could just have done that for Kuhad.