In this interview spotlight, I chat with WONDR about his latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was born in New Hampshire, moved overseas when I was super young but really grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. I create music for everyone. I make music for dreamers, lovers, and the emotionally vulnerable. My style is diverse and was developed through years of playing rock, country, and hip/hop music in multiple bands.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Ultimately it was my father who got me into music when he bought me my first guitar in elementary school. It was the loss of a former teammate in high school that pushed me to write and record my own raps and pursue music as a career.
My mother grew up extremely poor living in a small house built by her father in the woods of Laconia, New Hampshire. When my father was in middle school, he was already providing for a single mother, who struggled to hold a steady job. His father was in prison his entire life forcing him to hustle to help keep his family in a home. From my parents literally sleeping on a porch in New Hampshire with two kids, and me only days away from coming into the world, to eventually raising my siblings and I in a safe home with endless opportunity in Raleigh, North Carolina, I have only my parents to thank for the endless drive I have been given. Their persistence, the way they showed me the value of a dollar and the value of family, that’s what motivates me to chase my dreams. Dreams I hope to share with them soon.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
I sing a lot on ‘All for You.’ It’s also my first releases since moving to Los Angeles in August. When we set out to make this record our first goal was to find the song that would fully embody my sound. We would record it in a professional studio surrounded by up and coming producers and engineers, as opposed to my bedroom alone. We would use the data and strategies tested in previous campaigns to build a distribution and marketing campaign for this release that would make it my biggest release hands down. We set out to create a buzz and put my music on the map.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
Sure, I definitely face some challenges. Because it is easier than ever to create and share music, social media has become oversaturated by aspiring artists doing anything and everything to stand out. Clout chasing and follower strategies have blurred the lines between organic and non-organic growth making it hard to stay organic with so much temptation.
On the flip side, technology has been extremely helpful. I’ve created numerous connections with friends, producers, brands, playlisters, and fans that have helped move my career forward. I definitely prefer releasing music to the world as opposed to physically handing out mixtapes as I did in high school. My potential reach is endless and I have real-time insights and feedback on my music. I could not be doing what I am doing today without it.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: wondr94
Spotify/Apple Music/SoundCloud/Title/Amazon/etc: WONDR
Anything else before we sign off?
3 for Dale
