Exploring Life & Business with Cris Gunther

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cris Gunther.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m from a musical family with a father and brother who were professional singers, and a mother who was a competitive dancer. I started performing as a break dancer in nightclubs and talent competitions when I was just a kid. I had my first taste of success when world-renowned Fashion Photographer, Steven Meisel, shot me for Italian Vogue as a Versace Model in my early twenties in New York City.

And, my first major accomplishment in the Music Business as a Recording Artist was in 2018 in Los Angeles when I was declared the Co-Winner of the inaugural Randy Jackson, Babyface, Kenny G, and Walter Afanasieff talent competition, ISINA. That same year, I also won the 2018 Hollywood Music In Media Award for Best Message Song/Social Impact for my original song, “Never Give Up”, which Madonna had also featured in her social justice initiative, Art-For-Freedom.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. In addition to the hyper exclusivity of the entertainment business and learning how to believe in yourself when no one else will- getting sober eleven years ago was and has been one of the greatest challenges of my life, because it’s a daily choice and investment in yourself that’s never ending. It’s not only involved years of therapy and starting over from scratch several times, but it’s also forced me to confront generational traumas within my family that had left me extremely isolated with recurring suicidal thoughts that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to overcome.

But, ultimately, that confrontation and rejection of those generational traumas eventually gave birth to what I call my “Self-Love Superpower”, which I’m now bonded to for life, and I’ll never allow another situation or human being to ever darken my spirit again.

We’ve been impressed with your work, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m first and foremost a singer and songwriter with acting aspirations, but I’m now ready to spread my entrepreneurial wings by launching a startup media company, and my first semi-autobiographical Japanese-styled “light novel” (a novella with illustrations) as an Author this year, too.

And, musically, I just released the redemption-themed Rock ballad, “Desert Bloom” (written for my brother who died from Cancer in 2015), in conjunction with a more Euro Pop-EDM track called, “I Want More”, and its accompanying Club Remix, “I Want More (Tick Tock)” on all streaming platforms. And the conceptual album that both singles stem from, C-Gun’s Beatific: The Wedding of Heaven and Hell Vol. 1, will be out later in the Spring/Summer.