Meet Toni Hunlo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Toni Hunlo.

Toni, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was really inspired by the movie drumline when growing up and that was the first notable door I walked through to get me where I am today. I started out using pencils as drumsticks and a composition journal as my snare drum. Shortly after that, I upgraded to broken sticks my brother had no use for (who was also a drummer). Didn’t take me long before I learned all the cadences from the movie, and that was the initial spark that led to joining the band in middle school and playing drums at my home church. So all that eventually grew into me learning guitar and writing songs later in my college years.

I attended Fort Valley State University after graduating high school in 2014 and had no awareness of what Athens would be to me in upcoming years. My move to Athens was initially just for school as a transfer student at the University of Georgia, and that was my story until I started playing drums in a band with Holden Le Dinh (Lead Vocal/Guitar) and Trey Woods (Bass) under the name Caulfield. It was kinda wild how we instantly clicked, and they were some of the first musician friends I made in Athens after I transferred.

Between now and last summer, I’ve been writing some songs that pushed me into starting a solo project. During this time, I was also forming relationships with more amazing people. I wish I could call everyone by name, but I don’t want to risk missing someone. They’ve helped me see things with sobriety and that was both scary and motivating. I just finished recording my second single with Blooms Sounds, so it was special to share this moment with people who support you like you support them.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, I wish this road was a lot smoother, but then again it probably wouldn’t be the same. Like everyone, I have my doubts, but I’d regret choosing to go about life in a way that doesn’t involve singing and songwriting. It’s hard to not look around sometimes and play the comparison game, so I have to remind myself that this is not a competition. Everyone solo act/band is literally out here doing the same thing, and it’s all about helping each other. The fact you can go to local shows and see other local bands on the lineup or just out to support is what I love about Athens. Even during the pandemic, it’s great seeing that support continues through social media.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
When you see Toni Hunlo, you’ll see a lighting bolt that stands for Electrifying The Streets, and for some reason this is what I’ve been drawn to when I think about myself as an artist. For anyone who listens, I hope their emotions are electrified in a way that they become more intune with a feeling or story that may have been similar to mine. This sounds heavy, but love, life, and heartbreak are stories more than worth telling. Standing to Electrify The Streets is bigger than me and it’s why I sing and write. I’m really proud to relate myself to it first.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Like I said before, I just finished recording my second single with Blooms Sounds and turn out to be more than what I could ever imagine it to be. Hands down this is the moment losing my mind over! The timing of its production was perfect, I’m almost speechless when talking about it. I was blessed with the friendship of Andrew Blooms, who is the producer behind Blooms Sounds, so it was really special to create with him. We really took our time recording it and I’m looking forward to its release in August!

Contact Info:

• Phone: 478-636-3360
• Email: tonihunl0@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_hunl0/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hunl0/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5MIriS9YAxjop3W8e8lD5h?si=J0q0N6MuS8yvYl2LoVj7zg

Image Credit:
The Red&Black, Jared Bouland

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