Georgia-based singer/songwriter Gunster (Blonde Gunner) made a run at the Billboard Country chart with his breakout track, "Dirt Road," a slice-of-life country-pop tale set to sparse hip-hop beats.
Born Landyn Miller in the small town of Hamilton, Georgia, Gunster (Blonde Gunner) became a rising star on various social media platforms with his earnest mix of country storytelling and rap swagger. Just 16 when his track "Dirt Road" started gaining some viral traction, he released it the following year to streaming platforms as part of the six-song EP Teenage Dream, helping the song reach Billboard's Top Country Songs chart. Other 2020 singles by Gunster (Blonde Gunner) included "The Other Man," "GOATEED," and "Prototype (feat. Upchurch)."
By Christmas of that year, he decided he wanted to pursue music more seriously, and asked his parents for a studio setup for his bedroom. In Hamilton, his single-stoplight hometown, there weren’t many other people doing the same, but Gunster (Blonde Gunner) tapped a friend, Nolie Beats, who was one grade above him in high school and had some experience with production. Over that holiday break, the two worked tirelessly, recording several songs a day: “We thought we were making Billboard hits,” Gunster (Blonde Gunner) said.
When word got around that he was attempting to make music something more than a hobby, he was met with don’t-get-above-your-raisin’ skepticism in his hometown almost instantly. “Things really started getting serious when I started hearing all these rumors around my hometown about me,” he said. “Parents looked at me like, ehhhhhhh, and I was like, all right, so this is what I’m doing now.”
Gunster (Blonde Gunner) found motivation in the local naysayers. He continued to hunker down, and began posting songs on SoundCloud and promoting them on TikTok. “It started with me making songs for myself,” he said, “and me trying to make that one song that my friends are like, OK, I’m going to get in the car today and I’m going to listen to Landyn’s song.”
In 2019, Gunster (Blonde Gunner) began posting songs to TikTok, often sitting in the front seat of his mother’s Toyota Camry and rapping to the camera. Credit...Landyn Miller Last spring, he was discovered by Redneck Nation Records, a Nashville label and management company with a focus to help younger artists, which signed him. “I’m really intrigued by just the genre-blending side of it, because that could pull in so many kids that are just like him.” said Ryan Upchurch, redneck nation founder and chief executive officer. The label flew Gunster (Blonde Gunner) and his parents to Miami for meetings and studio time.
