GONZALO

November 22, 1999

Born as the 3rd and final child to a young immigrant family who migrated to the United States from Peru in 1998.

From a very young age, Gonzalo has always expressed a sense of artistic confidence, always curious in the instruments around the house, eventually fiddling with the keys of a cozy brown upright Baldwin. Listening to the classical music his father played for hours on end throughout the day, he started to quickly find the keys that matched that of Beethovens Moonlight Sonata. It was in this tiny little townhouse in Lorton, Virginia that began the germination of what would be a life mission to share some type of artistic expression with the world. Dancing, singing, playing the piano, Gonzalo had a yearning for the stage during his young years, performing at school events, talent/variety shows, showcasing artwork at local art events and competitions. Always willing to showcase a talent that sort of just came to him.

Whether it was Fashion Design, Dance, Acting, Photography, Sculpting, etc., Gonzalo was interested in exploring the arts and expressing his unique perspective.

It was during this time, a young Gonzalo was hit in the face with the sledgehammer that was Lady Gaga and the rest was herstory.

Having always been enamored with the pop icon, Gonzalo connected deeply to something about Lady Gaga. Could it be the connection to the piano, was it her outspoken support and love for the gay community, was it a form of expression Gonzalo resonated with but had never explored, was it that the music and videos were just so freaking GOOD?

The truth is, it was all of these things combined. And the inspiration that emerged was mere potions for the alchemy of what Gonzalo would one day figure out to become.

A quick truth, however, dawned on Gonzalo. Life was not easy, and realizing the things that needed to be processed as a family going through financial struggle, evictions, changing schools and leaving behind relationships constantly. Thankfully, struggles don’t define you, and as Gonzalo grew, so did his sense of self and really trying to understand his purpose by the age of 16. It was this year, Gonzalo ultimately hit a bottom, but what they say is true. “What goes up must come back down, and what goes down, will eventually come back up,” and it was this time Gonzalo realized his purpose. During concert band rehearsals, Gonzalo always found himself at the grand piano “screaming and banging on the keys.” And then songs just started to pour out here and there. He then thought about what made him happy, what came so naturally to him, the reactions and way he saw people were moved by his talent, he knew he had to pursue greater things and maybe his life did have a purpose. (Some of these songs written during this time was released in 2019 on SoundCloud)

Throughout his college years spanning from 2018-2022, Gonzalo never quit expressing his talents. He travelled all the way from Springfield, Virginia to Morgantown, West Virginia. During his first year he was accepted into the Voice Program at WVU’s Creative Arts as well as the only male of over 50 auditionees who joined the WVU Hip Hop Dance Team, where he danced for 2 years!

In the fall of 2019, Gonzalo had the amazing opportunity to perform in a master class with Kathy Mattea, a Grammy award winning country singer-songwriter, where he sang Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My LIfe.” It was this performance that not only had the audience in tears and Kathy astounded, but it also sparked the interest of the universities student-run record label, Mon Hills Records, to sign Gonzalo to a one project contract. On October 1st, 2021, his single “We Could Be Lovers” was released followed by the Release of his 8-track EP “Orange Purple Blues,” October 15, 2021.

As the years followed, the music was by his side. and over the course of the next few years, Gonzalo, would conjure up a project that came out of true feeling and moments during this time that mark significant changes. Making a move back home to Virginia to be closer to family while still pursuing his musical career, Gonzalo released his first independent project, “The Harmonia Sessions,” on April 25, 2025.