New Delhi: Surprise, surprise: Barack Obama’s much-awaited ‘Favourite music of 2019’ list has one Indian name this year.
Prateek Kuhad, the indie pop heartthrob famous for his gentle tunes and romantic lyrics, features in the list for his song Cold/Mess, along with renowned international musicians like Beyonce and 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. pic.twitter.com/mQ2VssyDwt
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 30, 2019
The former US President shared the list Monday on Twitter and Instagram that includes 35 tracks from across the world.
Since Obama left the White House, he began sharing an year-ender curated list of his favourite books, movies, TV shows and music.
On 29 December, Obama shared a list of his favourite books across all genres, and a list of movies and TV shows he liked in 2019.
As we wind down 2019, I wanted to share with you my annual list of favorites that made the last year a little brighter. We’ll start with books today — movies and music coming soon. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. pic.twitter.com/l5qTGkAPok
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 28, 2019
Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019. Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. Here’s the full list: pic.twitter.com/PEcgwotcxm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2019
‘No idea how Cold/Mess reached Obama’
Kuhad is the first Indian artiste to have featured on Obama’s annual list since he began the tradition in 2014.
The singer took to social media Tuesday to share his excitement while adding that he had no idea how the song had even reached Obama.
This just happened and I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight. Totally flipping out. I have no idea how cold/mess even reached him but thank you @barackobama, thank you universe ? I didn’t think 2019 could’ve gotten better, but damn was I wrong. What an honour. https://t.co/zwaJFIQLmC
— Prateek Kuhad (@prateekkuhad) December 30, 2019
The 29-year-old Delhi-based singer-songwriter has become a millennial-favourite after his 2015 album ‘In Tokens and Charms’ became an instant hit. The album earned Kuhad an MTV Europe Music Award and the Indie Album of the Year title from iTunes. Tune Kaha, Raat Raazi and Saansein are some of his hit songs.
His heart-wrenching English song Cold/Mess was released in June 2018, featuring actors Jim Sarbh and Zoya Hussain, and topped the iTunes India all-genre album chart.
Kuhad writes and composes his songs in both Hindi and English, which has made him immensely popular among the youth. He has released four albums so far and sung in two Bollywood movies — Baar Baar Dekho (2016) and Karwaan (2018).
Kuhad concluded his winter tour to eight countries in Delhi on 22 December.
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