Gunnar Patrick Gehl, also known as Gunnar (stylized in
all caps
In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
), is an American singer-songwriter. He released his debut single "Ocean Blue" in October 2018. Gehl was the opening act of
PrettyMuch
PRETTYMUCH were an American-Canadian pop and R&B boy band based in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Brandon Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, Austin Porter and Zion Kuwonu. They released five EPs and a debut album before disbanding in 2023. ...
's North American Funktion Tour. His first EP, ''One Second of One Day'', was released in October 2020, and his debut album, ''Best Mistake'', was released in February 2023.
Biography
He first started playing the guitar at the age of seven.
At the same age, he started playing on his grandfather's piano.
Career
Music
Gehl started his music career playing in local bands and as a solo artist. He later recorded at a local studio where he met other artists including
PrettyMuch
PRETTYMUCH were an American-Canadian pop and R&B boy band based in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Brandon Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, Austin Porter and Zion Kuwonu. They released five EPs and a debut album before disbanding in 2023. ...
.
He was the opening act for all 22 dates on PrettyMuch's North American Funktion Tour.
Gehl's debut single "Ocean Blue" was released in October 2018 and gained 100,000 streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
within three weeks of its release.
It was one of the first songs that Gehl wrote outside of Newport. He worked in Los Angeles with producer Julian Fefel.
Before releasing "Ocean Blue", Gehl had posted covers and original songs including "Change" and "Time Stands Still" on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
and
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
.
A highly-anticipated EP was released in 2020, ''One Second of One Day''.
He has stated that modern technology has had a largely beneficial impact on the music industry, making it easier for listeners to find music. He frequently uses technology in music production, including to write down lyrics while writing songs.
He sings covers of
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...
,
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
,
Khalid
Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname. ,
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...
, and
Juice Wrld
Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...
.
He plans on releasing more covers by these artists and other artists such as
Why Don't We
Why Don't We, shortened to WDW, was an American boy band consisting of Jack Avery, Corbyn Besson, Zach Herron, Jonah Marais and Daniel Seavey. They formed in 2016 and released two studio albums and six extended plays. Because of a lawsuit, the gr ...
.
Philanthropy
Gehl began working the
WE Charity
WE Charity (), formerly known as Free the Children (), is an international development charity and youth empowerment movement founded in 1995 by human rights advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger. The organization implemented development progra ...
organization in 2014 where he has spoken at events and performed with a Kenyan Boys’ Choir. He was invited to the board of the organization in 2017. In February 2018, Gehl performed at WE Day Texas, along with Johnny Orlando and MKTO. He sang the song "Change". As part of the charity, Gehl travels to Africa and helps young students. He has traveled to Africa twice and also to India. He donates ten percent of the proceeds from his music career to the organization. He also performed his single "For Your Love" at WE Day UK in 2020 in front of 12,000 people.
Artistry
Gehl describes his sound as alternative, urban, and pop. He stated in an interview with ''Asymmetric Magazine'' that he likes to use electric or acoustic guitar mixed with modern beats and melodies.
''
L'Officiel
''L'Officiel'' (; stylised in all caps), full name ''L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris'' ("The Official ublicationof Paris Couture and Fashion"), is a French bimonthly fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 1921 a ...
'' describes Gehl's music as having an "accessible yet dense sound." He has been compared to
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...
, but Gehl cites
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...
and
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...
as his biggest inspirations.
Emina Lukaranin of
''Billboard'' describes his music as catchy and "flirty pop" while Taylor Weatherby called Gehl an "urban singer-songwriter".
''Digital Journal'' calls Gehl a teen pop sensation. Gehl reported that he would like to collaborate with
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
.
Fox 2 Detroit describes his voice as "soulful".
Discography
Albums
* ''Best Mistake'' (2023)
EPs
* ''One Second of One Day'' (2020)
Singles
* "Ocean Blue" (2018)
* "Outta My Mind" (2018)
* "For Your Love" (2020)
* "Can't Say No" (2020)
* "Dance Alone" (2021)
* "Somewhere We Can Be Alone" (2021)
* "She's In My Head" (2021)
* "Cinnamon" (2022)
* "They Didn't Tell Me" (2022)
* "Fuck a Broken Heart" (2023)
* "Again & Again" (2023)
* "Dirty Blonde" (2024)
* "This Is Now" (2024)
Tours
Opening act
* Funktion Tour (2018)
* WE Day (2019)
* Maroon 5 UK + Europe Tour (2023)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gehl, Gunnar
Living people
2001 births
21st-century American singer-songwriters
American male pop singers
American child singers
Musicians from Newport Beach, California
American male singer-songwriters
21st-century American male singers
Singer-songwriters from California