Samarth Goyal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 1, 2020)

Singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad is on cloud nine ever since on Monday evening former US President Barack Obama listed Kuhad’s song, cold/mess, as one of his favourite songs in 2019.

“I was playing Chinese Checkers with my mum and my girlfriend, when someone I know from a music sharing platform shared his (Obama’s) post with me. For the first few minutes, I just kept staring at the post, and wondered, why was I sent this. Then I saw my song in his list and I was shocked,” beams Prateek, who is still in a trance. The singer thereon has been inundated with calls and texts from his fans and friends.

“I’m honestly shocked. I don’t even know how it happened. It’s not like I am signed to a record label or anything like that. I don’t even know how he heard my song, or who made him listen to it. How did it become one of his favourite songs. All this is very legit,” he says laughing.

“It’s nice to see someone like him, a person like Obama, listening to my music. I mean, he is one of the very few world leaders who is liked by everyone. He just comes across as a nice guy,” adds the Tum Jab Paas singer, who is clearly chuffed about the moment.

The 29-year-old, who recently wrapped up his North America and India tour, feels good that his music is being appreciated globally. “I don’t think much about these things. I’m really finicky about little details, and that’s the reason why I think the song has a global appeal,” adds Prateek.