When my last breakup hit, my friends intervened with a playlist. It is one of those mixtapes-turned-playlists that has been quietly passed from one broken heart to another, picking up new songs like battle scars along the way. Somewhere in that lineup, between the obvious Taylor Swift anthems, were a few tracks by Prateek Kuhad. Songs like ‘Kasoor’, ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’, and ‘CO2’ have quietly become the soundtrack of heartbreak for an entire generation. 

The singer-songwriter who found global recognition with his 2018 song ‘Cold Mess’ — a track that made it onto former US President Barack Obama’s Favourite Music of 2019 list is back with his latest album, Full Moon Chamber, four years after his last album, The Way That Lovers Do. On a balmy Chennai night, I caught up with Prateek over a call from Los Angeles to talk about his latest album, the stories behind the songs, the creative process that shaped the record, and this new creative chapter unfolding in his musical journey.

Recorded between New York and Los Angeles, the album digs into love, identity and belonging through writing that feels more personal, more unguarded than anything that he has put out before. Released via Atlantic Records, the album traces a journey from inner turbulence towards a quieter place of calm, love, balance and self-reflection.  

“Most of it was written in Los Angeles while I was here for writing trips. It was only later, when I looked back at everything I’d written over the last few years, that the themes kind of formed,” says Prateek. 

Los Angeles, where he now spends most of his time, seeped into the record in many ways beyond simply serving as a backdrop. “LA has a very different kind of energy,” he says. “There’s a big community of musicians and producers here, and I worked with a lot of people on this record,” says Prateek.Several of the album’s producers, including Nick Ruth, are based in the city, but Prateek insists the influence came as much from the collaborative environment as from any one artiste. 

The collaborative side of the album marked a noticeable shift from his earlier work. While most of his previous records began with him writing a song before moving to the production, Full Moon Chamber evolved differently. “I almost intentionally stepped back from the production side of things. I wanted to work with other people,” he says. Melodies and sonic textures took shape simultaneously. “There’s no set process. Every time it’s a little different,” he laughs.

With songs like ‘If I Cannot Be Yours’ that explores the fear of leaving a relationship and losing yourself in the process, the album feels more expansive, maybe because Prateek has become less concerned with outside expectations. Over the years, his deeply personal songwriting has earned him a loyal fandom and inevitably, opinions. “You get a lot of judgements thrown at you all the time,” he admits. “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t affected me. But I feel I’ve already gone through that curve where it did affect me; now I just do what I want to do,” adds Prateek.

Despite writing far more than just heartbreak, Prateek’s name remains almost synonymous with it. When asked if it overshadows the broader emotional landscape of his music, he simply shrugs, “I can’t really do anything about it. It is what it is. I still get to put out music, so that’s good enough for me.” 

With writing for films like Bar Bar Dekho, Karwaan and the popular Netflix series Mismatched, Prateek talks about how the journey of writing for films is always different from writing for an album. “In a film you’re writing for a character,” he says. “You’re not really thinking about yourself that much. You’re sticking to certain boundaries,” he says. Neither, he insists, is more difficult than the other.  

More than a decade into this industry, Prateek has also witnessed India’s independent music scene evolve dramatically. “When I started, it was much smaller,” he says. Today, he is noticing a richer ecosystem of venues, artistes and audiences. “It’s a more vibrant community now,” he insists. 

For someone whose songs have become emotional landmarks for listeners, Prateek remains refreshingly uncertain if he has finally found his voice.“I haven’t found anything,” he says. “I’m still searching... My voice is just one of the small things that I’m searching for.” 

Perhaps, that is what makes Full Moon Chamber resonate more. 

Full Moon Chamber is currently on all streaming platforms.