By: Jazmine Martinez

Years from now when people refer back to the year 2020, they will think of a time of loss, political banters, face masks, wildfires, police brutality and many more hardships that stampeded a long and mentally-draining 12 months. In such times, we have aspiring artists such as producer, singer and songwriter Wundr.
He was born and raised in the Inland Empire with the infatuation of creating art, whether that be paintings, graphic design and fashion, but his heart had always veered him to pursuing his one true love, music. As his style constantly evolves it tailors towards electronic, pop and more recently, modern punk.
In three years of developing professional and distributable music, he has managed to perform at renowned venues, such as The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles, held his release party in the Arts District of LA and many local shows in the Inland Empire.

He works closely with singer and songwriter Leadr, recognized on both Billboard Pride and Vogue Brazil. Before the pandemic, Wundr. made it a habit to commute to LA once a week, or every other week, to work on music and collaborate with different artists. He states:

“Going to events for producers and artists was also a big thing, and even going to concerts to get inspiration […] [It] makes you want to keep going.”

As an up-and-coming artist, Wundr. made it a priority to do what he could to stay inspired, whether that be going out to a local show or concert. He also made many collaborations, working in different atmospheres with different types of artists in order to make connections in the industry as a professional producer, singer and songwriter. However, it was harder to do so during a global pandemic. He recognizes:

“When you’re at a studio you kind of just feel that energy together and you work way faster than being home alone.”

In the midst of creating a fanbase and working with other artists, the pandemic took its toll and told many to stay home. Since the focal point of his career consisted of in-person activity, quarantining has led to sudden hardships.

At first, Wundr. did not see it as a big hurdle to jump. He found ways in which the pandemic, in difference, helped his case:

“I was already working on a little EP that I was planning on releasing; then COVID happened and it actually benefitted me because I needed more time to finish anyways, so I was like okay this is kind of cool.”

Before the pandemic, he had a job at a local pie and coffee shop that took up a great deal of his time, but without the job, he could spend a lot more time working on what mattered most to him: creating music.

Wundr. says:

“At first it was nice because I have all this time to work on music, like this is golden — […] but then I realized, ‘wait I have to be at home.’ I can’t really go to LA anymore, I can’t go to concerts because they don’t even exist right now. I can’t really go to studios because I don’t want to risk going and bringing it home, so that was all kind of a game changer.”

After the expectation of coronavirus being gone after two weeks or a few months came and went, so did his motivations for creating music.

There was a time during 2020 where Wundr. felt a mental rut arising, gradually with some days worse than others. He found it motivationally difficult to create music as often as he did before. For a few weeks, he took a mental break from it; at a point it was not necessarily fulfilling his day-to-day life.

It was a concerning feeling and without the routines he was so used to, the days easily blended together. He was looking for everything and anything to keep the momentum, but the Stay-Home Order overpowered his control. He shares:

“I was kind of depressed and every day just felt so mundane; I didn’t even know what day it was for a minute. I was […] on autopilot almost and it was a big struggle.”

As time passed with the help of loved ones and time, he began to confront these emotions. It allowed him to step out of his comfort zone as a human being, regaining his mental state that remains so vital to his career and lifestyle.

For the first time in his life, he decided to talk to a therapist to help him through such times. While it may be uncommon for men to receive therapy over women, he found this decision to be most helpful and beneficial during the pandemic. He openly advises many more to receive therapy in dealing with one’s mental state:

“Even if you have a whole household filled with people, it’s still different to talk to someone that’s not even in your household because they have a different perspective.”

With therapy being a grand decision with sparking his range of emotions and overall creativity, he also decided to take a road trip. Through pure novelty, he ventured to Eugene, Ore. for some time to help cleanse his mind within nature. Being within trees and fresh air brought him back to his roots of growing up as a boy scout and camping with family and friends.

In a refreshed tone, he says, “[...] that really checked my mental state and I’m right back where I am […] more inspired than ever, and it’s really exciting now compared to the last three or four months.”

Being back home in Fontana with Christmas around the corner, he gained inspiration to make a Christmas song with Leadr titled “6Ft. Winter.” With Wundr. and a close friend Jordan producing and mixing the track, and Leadr singing and songwriting, they created a unique track tailored specifically to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their lyrics read:

“Sleigh bells dreaming // Bad news streaming // I’m ready to get out of this // six feet winter// Santa’s not around // I know the sun will shine again”

Leadr and Wundr. create this song in the realistic notions of many struggling with not being with family this year. They recognize the difficulties of being home with no plans and the six-feet social distancing guidelines; it is a year like no other, and with that, they decided to be the ones to help uplift spirits.

The two artists made the song available on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud and BandCamp; they looked forward to the project itself, but predominately, being able to work on a project that would be distributable right away.

In Wundr.’s unique experience being a growing music artist from the Inland Empire, he had much to grasp that he wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the pandemic:

“If it weren’t for 2020, I probably wouldn’t have learned how valuable living is — just being in the moment; especially in the Inland Empire or LA, it’s very fast-pace […] sometimes we literally forget to just sit and be here, living.”

As aspiring musicians are worked creatively to the bone, it is hard to mentally survive while making a name for themselves, especially through a year such as 2020.

Although, Wundr. found ways of persevering through difficult times by facing them head-on and exploring in safe mental and physical outlets, he was reminded of the freedoms and beauties that the world has to offer. He took moments to appreciate nature, adventure and novelty, whether that be on the road traveling through new towns or in his isolated bedroom.

(Jazmine Martinez has a long-term relationship with Wundr.)

An Inland Empire Artist Creating During a Pandemic: On Wundr.