In a saturated post-COVID Indie and non-film commercial music market, Prateek Gandhi is one of the few musicians who really does stand apart. Despite the singer-composer’s work having consistently racked up millions of views across genres and styles, Gandhi actually has no restrictions when it comes to his art or his collaborations. Working from his sophisticated home studio, a far cry from when he first started out, he spends his days churning song after song. After a decade of working on some of the most significant released by prolific artists like Ash King, Benny Dayal, Ankit Tiwari, Raja Hassan, Nakkash Aziz, Sukriti Kakkar, Purva Mantri, Shefali Alvares and Gurinder Seagal, and across virtually every genre imaginable, he is all set to release his first international single featuring the intimate vocal presence of Dubai-based Award-winning actress and singer, Alfeeya Donna.

 The independent release ‘Do hisse’ is a soul-stirring song of two grieving lovers enduring the pain of separation that’s guaranteed to take the listener on an emotional ride that breaks them from within, and yet leaves them wishing nothing but the best for each other.

 Take a leaf out of Gandhi’s work ethic and you will immediately know why some Indie artists succeed while others fail. The first reason that comes to mind, and the most crucial, is his work ethic. Gandhi works equally well with known and unknown artists and asks but for two things, to know what one wants and to have the spine to achieve it. Music to him is as much about building relationships as it is about instruments, lyrics and melody.

 Gandhi is by no means a commercial artist. In fact, he is as Indie as they come. He hails from Banswara in Rajasthan; he began his career as a guitarist; he worked his way up learning the art of composing music through trial and error while simultaneously honing his technical skills in sound engineering, and finally; he has built his workplace, Aum Studio, brick-by-brick and cable-by-cable. While his story sounds like the quintessential Everyman’s big-city tale, why do channels like Star Sports and platforms like HotStar trust him with their World Cup Cricket and IPL anthems, and why do Bollywood singers come to him for that extra pizzazz?

 The answer is simply that he is trustworthy, educated in his craft and has a firm foundation. Gandhi’s roots are in Rajasthani folk music. His tracks ‘Mharo des’, ‘Neend Nahi Aave’, ‘Thare Siwa’ and ‘Piya Ko Milan’ from his Rajasthani folk album teach us that if an artist doesn’t have a firm grasp of his or her own cultural background, then that is more than half the battle lost.

 As an extension to this, Gandhi has an appreciation for and understanding of the allied arts i.e. poetry, theatre and art. Testament to this is his work on a unique tribute ‘Ek Alag Pehchaan’ to one of the greatest poets of this generation, the Late Dr. Rahat Indori. This work not only consists music based on the maestro’s poems and ghazals but also forms the background for nine equally inspired paintings by the country’s foremost artists.

 Through this diverse body of work, Gandhi successfully navigates an industry that thrives on blending the traditional with the contemporary. Whether it’s hits like ‘Prem Deewani’ (based on Mirabai’s poem) featuring actor Manish Goplani, pop singles like ‘Beishqi Galiyan’ by Shefali Alvares and Benny Dayal, viral rap singles like ‘Mumbai Machaand’ featuring Hindustani Bhau or romantic songs like ‘Kahin Nai Jaana’ by Lakshay Kapoor, Gandhi has done it all. Without having thought about the end result, his music has still reached over 15 million ears across the country.

 As for perseverance, chances are that when you find that non-film commercial hit you love or that undiscovered Indie gem on YouTube or Spotify, it would most likely have been mixed and mastered by Prateek Gandhi. And when he’s not working with a plethora of talented artists, one will find Gandhi releasing his own singles on the world’s largest social network as a Facebook-exclusive artist. Among his 45-odd releases, you will also find his first solo song ‘Kaisa Yeh Zeher’ displaying his powerful voice and insane guitaring skills.

 For more information, visit Gandhi’s website www.prateekgandhiaum.com and follow him on Instagram @prateekgandhiaum