THE LAST TIME I met Prateek Kuhad, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter was struggling through a quick 10-minute photo shoot, awkwardness writ large on his face. "I hate smiling for photos," he said ruefully, as the photographer tried to coax him out of his default brooding lurker pose. "I just can't get these [shoots] right."
That was in the summer of 2018, just a week after Kuhad had surprised fans with the cold/mess EP. A classic "break-up record", cold/mess would end up being a breakout success on the back of its eponymous hit single. A ballad that perfectly married his intimate folksy songwriting with more expansive pop production, "cold/mess" racked up millions of streams on Spotify and propelled Kuhad to the big league.
A year later he was playing to packed crowds in both India and the U.S., even earning a nod from former U.S. president Barack Obama who put "cold/mess" in his list of favourite songs of 2019. All that buzz resulted in a record deal with Elektra Records in 2020, making him the first Indian singer-songwriter to get a deal with a major American label. This May, he's all set to release his third studio album and major label debut, an 11-track collection titled The Way That Lovers Do.
All that success must have been accompanied by a lot of practice in front of the camera, because Kuhad seems completely at ease on the sets of this GQ photo shoot. He's still a brooder, but the awkwardness has been replaced with practical professionalism: It's not like he's thrilled, but you no longer get the sense that he's gritting his teeth through the whole experience. Is he finally comfortable with the glare of budding stardom?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June - July 2022 من GQ India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June - July 2022 من GQ India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
In Haider We Hope
The role of a fashion designer is one usually forged in chaos and fired down by “creative differences”. But on the eve of a new Tom Ford directorship, Haider Ackermann has never felt more free.
VIVA VARUN
Varun Dhawan on balancing fatherhood and film shoots, and the pressure of making the right choices.
PRATIK GANDHI'S QUIET EUPHORIA
The actor―who delivered a knockout performance in Madgaon Expresson the high of a hit and the pressure of sustaining success.
THE COMEBACK KID
Buoyed by his performance in Singham Returns, Arjun Kapoor doubles down on creativity.
SCRIPTING STARDOM
Vicky Kaushal on the thrill and terror of stepping onto a Sanjay Leela Bhansali set, charting an unconventional career, and making sense of the money game.
A TRYST WITH STARDOM
Triptii Dimri segued from her left-field roots straight to the animal park. The gamble has paid off.
WALKING A TIGHTROPE
Following the monster success of Stree 2, Rajkummar Rao opens up about navigating artistic fulfilment and box-office glory.
THE MAHARAJA OF MEHRAULI
It's been an action-packed year for Tarun Tahiliani, the emperor of Indian couture.
LONE WARRIOR
Kartik Aaryan on why, in an industry that only watches out for its own, he has to blow his own trumpet.
HITS AND HEARTBREAKS
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali talks about redeeming himself with the extraordinary Chamkila, dealing with star-studded setbacks, and why we've forgotten to make love stories.
