"Why don't you post about Prateek Kuhad anymore?"

By: Surbhie
In: Music
2021, August 11

Summers’19. I was graduating from college. Final year and the feeling we never get to experience again. So pure. It was February and I was in Udaipur. Tum Jab Paas Aati Ho was playing on my phone. It was a time when, if I had 50 friends, only 2-3 of them would have heard his name and no one in my circle used to listen to Kuhad. I discovered his music back in my first year when he used to sing in a gig of 20-30 people in some cafe in Bangalore or Hyderabad. I was just lucky to have found him in his best phase. I used to like his music, lyrics and singing. But ‘kho gaye hum kahan’ was not the one I liked. I will tell you why.

I posted a photo with a caption with some lyrics of his songs, my senior commented his name and I replied, ‘Kuhad se milwa do yaar’. That day, I realised that I actually really wanted to meet him. Because a few months ago, I posted a story of his foreign tour writing that I want to attend his concert. I believe in manifestation and putting things out in the universe for them to happen organically.
I graduated. It was August’19 that he announced his India tour. I got extremely extremely excited. Booked tickets as soon as they came out. But as a sign of mishappening I got scared that it occured to me that I will not be able to attend his concert because I am getting this happy and something bad will happen. So I stopped thinking about it.
My most dearest ally, my confidante happened to attend his concert before me and was lucky to get to meet him. He got me the best gift ever. A signed note from Kuhad and he said he would love to see me in the Delhi Concert (:p).

December came. With all the luck I have in my life, I happened to be one of the six people to meet him after his gig. Adrenaline rush was real. The gig was awesome. He sings better in real life, something we get to say so less about singers, but he was magical. I met him, said what I wanted to say and guess what? My hug became the thumbnail of the video the event company posted.

Now this all?
Really mattered to me.
Really here means REALLY.

My friends knew how I was crazy for Indie music, NOT FOR KUHAD. I used to appreciate his music and lyrics. It all got ruined. Tumbled Down.



As soon as he got famous, people who can not appreciate what exactly this genre is, started using his music wherever the fuck they wanted. Who uses cold mess in transition videos with no relevance to the content at all? Kho gaye hum kahan got so fucking famous that it has lost his charm forever. Whenever it played on my phone, I remembered some reel. God! This is not how I want to remember it.

Remember how we curse Bollywood for ruining our dear songs? It is the same thing. Some people have ruined it all. Can you imagine that the last time I played Kuhad on my phone was almost a year ago? Believe it or not but it is extremely sad that this all is happening. I used to feel so helpless.

One of the Notes from my phone:

- 29/04

When I first saw this reel which was on Anuv’s Baarishein, my heart cried. My heart cried that now this has gone on Reels and people will ruin it because who the fuck makes makeup reel on ‘Baarishein’. Call me judgemental but this is sick. I, somehow, managed to live with it. And today I saw a reel of one of my most favourite indie songs which is not popular yet. I discovered it when the video had 10 views. It shattered me. Completely. I am unable to digest this. You know what the thing is that people can do whatever they want and it’s sickening. Sickening because you tell me how’d you like it when you... Please tell me how’d you like it when you see people ruining your favourite thing in the world?

Then this Bajre da Sitta became viral. And I was again shattered. Punjabi Folk has always been the most dearest to me. It was always Surinder Kaur before Sunidhi Chauhan. It was always Surjit Bindrakhiya before Arjit Singh or anyone else for that matter.

There is no harm using any song in our videos. It is the way we do it.
Itna viral kar diya hai par matlab kisi ko nahi malum. Matlab nahi malum to relevance nahi aati.
I understand that it is the job to create content that goes viral but it is actually sucking the fuck out of us.

Post

I was never against Reels. What made me against it is the content which was extremely cringe and which showed that people actually need to have sense to make content.
I read many articles about teenagers giving their parents hard time just because they are not comfortable to make a TikTok video with them. Can you imagine?
I feel like I need to indemnify that I have nothing against the platform itself, I myself scroll through reels.

There are some songs that have become ever so popular on Reels over the past few months that had been lost to time previously or were hidden with the generation that witnessed the height of the song.
Songs like ‘Bajre da Sitta’ is one such example (although I really don’t understand why 12-year old’s are using this. What do you mean Sitta? Go to your room?).
I am strongly denying that this is the best way to introduce younger audiences to beautiful songs like that. Well, not the best, but certainly the most effective. However, it is not only about the next generation and about carrying the legacy of the musician forward. While reels are doing a great job of that, it is also forcing itself onto everybody so much that those who grew up listening to these songs fall out of love with them.
These songs lose the effect they once had in the bargain because lovers of the original are sick of it and kids who are accepting it actually know only a 30 second, possibly remixed, version of it.
Care ni Karda and Levitating are the examples of songs that I personally think are great but can’t get myself to listen to because I will always picture a hissy teenager lip-syncing it using the face tracking filter (I know I sound like an old woman. I’m okay with that).




These are still tolerable. What is not tolerable is that songs that I grew up listening, that define my childhood are being reduced to Reels. ‘O Sanam’ by Lucky Ali, ‘Hello’ by Adele, ‘Bade Acche Lagte Hai’ and ‘Ye Haseen Wadiya’ among others have now played around me more times in the past month than they have ever since I first heard them, which is simply unacceptable. Some of them have already been overplayed enough times for me to no longer listen to them and I can’t let go of any more of them.

Reels are fun, I’m not going to fight it. They are fun and can help you kill a lot of time and for some people, a platform to showcase their talent which nobody is against; if I talk about the people I personally know, my college senior Priyanka Trisal, she makes very informative reels for her circle. She is really good at it. But it is the draining music of some great songs that will forever be associated with cute puppies, babies and teenagers who want to dance their face off for half a minute. And that is what I am against. If Reels is borrowing music, we have to make sure that that is all it’s doing, borrowing. Let it not become a parasite.

So if anyone asks now why don’t I post about Kuhad anymore?
It’s because I can not afford to lose another gem. I, now, keep them with myself.

Sincerely,
Music loving 24-years-old grandma.

"Why don't you post about Prateek Kuhad anymore?"

By: Surbhie
In: Music
2021, August 11

Summers’19. I was graduating from college. Final year and the feeling we never get to experience again. So pure. It was February and I was in Udaipur. Tum Jab Paas Aati Ho was playing on my phone. It was a time when, if I had 50 friends, only 2-3 of them would have heard his name and no one in my circle used to listen to Kuhad. I discovered his music back in my first year when he used to sing in a gig of 20-30 people in some cafe in Bangalore or Hyderabad. I was just lucky to have found him in his best phase. I used to like his music, lyrics and singing. But ‘kho gaye hum kahan’ was not the one I liked. I will tell you why.

I posted a photo with a caption with some lyrics of his songs, my senior commented his name and I replied, ‘Kuhad se milwa do yaar’. That day, I realised that I actually really wanted to meet him. Because a few months ago, I posted a story of his foreign tour writing that I want to attend his concert. I believe in manifestation and putting things out in the universe for them to happen organically.
I graduated. It was August’19 that he announced his India tour. I got extremely extremely excited. Booked tickets as soon as they came out. But as a sign of mishappening I got scared that it occured to me that I will not be able to attend his concert because I am getting this happy and something bad will happen. So I stopped thinking about it.
My most dearest ally, my confidante happened to attend his concert before me and was lucky to get to meet him. He got me the best gift ever. A signed note from Kuhad and he said he would love to see me in the Delhi Concert (:p).

December came. With all the luck I have in my life, I happened to be one of the six people to meet him after his gig. Adrenaline rush was real.


The gig was awesome. He sings better in real life, something we get to say so less about singers, but he was magical. I met him, said what I wanted to say and guess what? My hug became the thumbnail of the video the event company posted.

Now this all?
Really mattered to me.
Really here means REALLY.

My friends knew how I was crazy for Indie music, NOT FOR KUHAD. I used to appreciate his music and lyrics. It all got ruined. Tumbled Down.


As soon as he got famous, people who can not appreciate what exactly this genre is, started using his music wherever the fuck they wanted. Who uses cold mess in transition videos with no relevance to the content at all? Kho gaye hum kahan got so fucking famous that it has lost his charm forever. Whenever it played on my phone, I remembered some reel. God! This is not how I want to remember it.

Remember how we curse Bollywood for ruining our dear songs? It is the same thing. Some people have ruined it all. Can you imagine that the last time I played Kuhad on my phone was almost a year ago? Believe it or not but it is extremely sad that this all is happening. I used to feel so helpless.

One of the Notes from my phone:

- 29/04

When I first saw this reel which was on Anuv’s Baarishein, my heart cried. My heart cried that now this has gone on Reels and people will ruin it because who the fuck makes makeup reel on ‘Baarishein’. Call me judgemental but this is sick. I, somehow, managed to live with it. And today I saw a reel of one of my most favourite indie songs which is not popular yet. I discovered it when the video had 10 views. It shattered me. Completely. I am unable to digest this. You know what the thing is that people can do whatever they want and it’s sickening. Sickening because you tell me how’d you like it when you... Please tell me how’d you like it when you see people ruining your favourite thing in the world?

Then this Bajre da Sitta became viral. And I was again shattered. Punjabi Folk has always been the most dearest to me. It was always Surinder Kaur before Sunidhi Chauhan. It was always Surjit Bindrakhiya before Arjit Singh or anyone else for that matter.

There is no harm using any song in our videos. It is the way we do it.
Itna viral kar diya hai par matlab kisi ko nahi malum. Matlab nahi malum to relevance nahi aati.
I understand that it is the job to create content that goes viral but it is actually sucking the fuck out of us.

Post

I was never against Reels. What made me against it is the content which was extremely cringe and which showed that people actually need to have sense to make content.
I read many articles about teenagers giving their parents hard time just because they are not comfortable to make a TikTok video with them. Can you imagine?
I feel like I need to indemnify that I have nothing against the platform itself, I myself scroll through reels.

There are some songs that have become ever so popular on Reels over the past few months that had been lost to time previously or were hidden with the generation that witnessed the height of the song.
Songs like ‘Bajre da Sitta’ is one such example (although I really don’t understand why 12-year old’s are using this. What do you mean Sitta? Go to your room?).
I am strongly denying that this is the best way to introduce younger audiences to beautiful songs like that. Well, not the best, but certainly the most effective. However, it is not only about the next generation and about carrying the legacy of the musician forward. While reels are doing a great job of that, it is also forcing itself onto everybody so much that those who grew up listening to these songs fall out of love with them.
These songs lose the effect they once had in the bargain because lovers of the original are sick of it and kids who are accepting it actually know only a 30 second, possibly remixed, version of it.
Care ni Karda and Levitating are the examples of songs that I personally think are great but can’t get myself to listen to because I will always picture a hissy teenager lip-syncing it using the face tracking filter (I know I sound like an old woman. I’m okay with that).

These are still tolerable. What is not tolerable is that songs that I grew up listening, that define my childhood are being reduced to Reels. ‘O Sanam’ by Lucky Ali, ‘Hello’ by Adele, ‘Bade Acche Lagte Hai’ and ‘Ye Haseen Wadiya’ among others have now played around me more times in the past month than they have ever since I first heard them, which is simply unacceptable. Some of them have already been overplayed enough times for me to no longer listen to them and I can’t let go of any more of them.

Reels are fun, I’m not going to fight it. They are fun and can help you kill a lot of time and for some people, a platform to showcase their talent which nobody is against; if I talk about the people I personally know, my college senior Priyanka Trisal, she makes very informative reels for her circle. She is really good at it. But it is the draining music of some great songs that will forever be associated with cute puppies, babies and teenagers who want to dance their face off for half a minute. And that is what I am against. If Reels is borrowing music, we have to make sure that that is all it’s doing, borrowing. Let it not become a parasite.

So if anyone asks now why don’t I post about Kuhad anymore?
It’s because I can not afford to lose another gem.

Sincerely,
Music loving 24-years-old grandma.


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Author
Surbhie

I wanted to put this out because I know I'm not the only old school out here. I have so many great people around me who will understand, relate and appreciate. Can't wait for you all to read & relate :|