Gunnar

Having gained initial recognition through online cover performances, California native GUNNAR landed a major-label contract ahead of his 2020 debut album One Second of One Day. He soon abandoned the confessional, anthemic pop of that project and embraced a rock & roll direction on the 2022 single "Cinnamon."

Born and raised in Newport Beach, Gunnar Gehl first grasped a guitar at seven, drawing influence from classic rock, country music, and ’90s alt-rock. In junior high he assembled a local band that played covers at small shows, yet the members parted ways after high school. Gehl kept performing and tracking material at a nearby studio, uploading cover versions online that quickly amassed a sizable social media audience. In 2018 he reached a far larger audience by opening twenty-two dates across the U.S. for the Simon Cowell-produced outfit PRETTYMUCH. He signed with pop and country label Big Machine, which issued his first single, “For Your Love,” early in 2020. The album One Second of One Day arrived a few months later, featuring songwriting and production work from Julian Bunetta, AFTRHRS, Mags Duval, and others.

Additional pop-leaning singles such as “Dance Alone” and “She’s in My Head” surfaced in 2021 before Gehl pivoted toward a sharper, alt-rock sound. Dropping his surname, GUNNAR released the swaggering rock-driven single “Cinnamon” in 2022 and gathered his earlier material into the anthology Old Shit.