Distracted

BY ALLIE RUSSELL

When GUNNAR first emerged, he was a pop prodigy: young, talented, and caught in a whirlwind of industry expectations. Years later, he’s lived enough life to know what feels real and what doesn’t. His latest album, SUNFADED, is the product of that realization. It’s a bold, honest record that blends the energy of rock with the polish of pop, born from both personal loss and self-discovery. 

“I had been doing music for a long time, and when I was a teenager, I kind of got thrown into being told what to do and what to make,” he reflects. “So I made a bunch of pop music, and then got out of the deal that I was in and wanted to just do my own thing, so I made a rock project. This album was a really grounding experience for me, where I found the balance between the two that actually makes me feel the most real and authentic and happy.” 

For GUNNAR, even the album’s title holds weight. “SUNFADED is kind of just a representation of the feeling of being a little bit burnt out, on living in LA and being in the same place for so long,” he says. “I think SUNFADED was also just a good representation of what I feel the next chapter is going to be, getting out of a routine that I’m in and trying different things. I’m just feeling sunfaded; it’s a good thing.”

The next chapter has already brought both heartbreak and healing. Earlier this year, GUNNAR lost his home in the California wildfires – an experience that bled directly into the record. “Losing my house and just the shit show that that was really had a big impact on this project,” he explains. “For example, Art of Staying Alive has become my favorite song on the project, and that song only came to life because of that situation.”

Still, amid the wreckage, he’s found love and light. This past summer, he got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Jamrozy. “The engagement really inevitably has played a role in all of the music for the last six and a half years, just leading up to this, being in an awesome relationship with a woman I love,” he says. “I think any good artist, and any music that you want people to connect with, has to be true, and it has to be real. Whether it’s from the fires, the engagement, family stuff, or friend stuff, just being authentic and real and using stories and experiences from my life in the music is incredibly important. I think I’ve done a good job with that on SUNFADED in a way that I haven’t been able to get vulnerable and do before.”

That emotional honesty carries throughout SUNFADED’s visuals, especially in the cinematic, horror-inspired video for Art of Staying Alive. “I’m a fan of horror movies,” he says. “If you listen to the song alone, lyrically, it’s pretty deep and has a serious meaning to it. I wanted a video that had a little comedic relief.” The resulting video is a campy, blood-spattered “cabin in the woods” setup that perfectly blends tension and humor. “I wanted it to feel kind of scary movie-esque and still convey the message of the song, like shit going on around you in life, but trying to laugh and chuckle your way through it. I’m pumped how that video turned out, it was super fun to shoot and just became the perfect kind of comedic parody on the meaning of the song.”

After being postponed in the wake of the fires, GUNNAR’s first-ever headlining tour is finally underway. “I was really anxious for this tour,” he admits. “There was a lot going into it, and it’s been just the biggest sigh of relief. I’ve been the happiest version of myself on stage that I ever have. I’m so grateful for the people who are showing up. This was supposed to be in March, and for them to be so understanding and allow me to push this another six months and still show up with such energy, love, and support… It’s been a different experience.”

After years of opening for major acts like Maroon 5 and Gwen Stefani, headlining has been a breath of fresh air. “When you open for another artist, you have thirty minutes to play. You’re selling yourself,” he says. “When you do that for such a long time, it starts to feel like work more than passion. This tour has been special because the passion has really soared back. I get to take my time with the set, slow things down, be present. Seeing people sing the words to the songs has been really incredible.”

He’s taken notes from every artist he’s shared a stage with. “The best artists in the world are always taking influence,” he says. “Watching Adam [Levine] as a veteran knowing how to get the crowd engaged, or Gwen Stefani, who’s an icon, the way she gets the crowd engaged is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Even smaller artists like Spencer Sutherland, he’s a total theatrical performer, and that’s an entirely different way of looking at a show. I’m constantly just trying to absorb and be a sponge.”

Now nearing the end of the tour, it’s clear that connection is what fuels him most. “The best moment I’ve had on this tour was in Boston,” he says. “It was a show that was a little low on tickets, and I was concerned how it was going to feel, but it got packed, and the energy was incredible. I think it was probably the best show I’ve ever had.” he also highlighted an afterparty hosted by him and his team after their show in New York. “We had everyone from the show come out to a bar we had reserved – friends, family, fans, everyone. It was just cool breaking that barrier down a little bit of fan versus artist. Obviously, having that moment up on stage is everything, but then being able to go to a bar and get drunk with everyone after, we’re all human beings. That was really cool.”

If SUNFADED represents anything, it’s the power of live music – the heartbeat of GUNNAR’s artistry. “Live shows have always been the reason why I do this,” he says. “I started music with live shows, playing guitar with my neighbors in a garage band, playing bars at one in the afternoon, before I even knew I could write music. It was only and always about the live shows. The music has always just been a vehicle to get me and others to the live show.”

So what does he hope people take away from SUNFADED? His answer is simple: “I hope they take away the impression of, ‘I would like to see this live.’ That’s really my only honest answer about it.”

For an artist who’s spent years redefining himself, SUNFADED feels less like a reinvention and more like a return to center, to the version of GUNNAR that exists beyond labels, genres, or expectations. The record captures a moment of clarity, the sound of someone finally standing where they’re meant to be. “This feels more permanent,” he said earlier in our conversation – and it’s easy to see why. Between the vulnerability in his songwriting, the joy in his live performances, and the grounded gratitude he carries through every story, SUNFADED stands as a reminder that even after everything burns down, there’s still something left worth singing about.