Today we’d like to introduce you to Wenzel Escudero.
Hi Wenzel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is “Wenzel”, I am a lo-fi hip-hop artist/producer from Phoenix, Arizona.
I started making hip-hop beats as Wenzel in 2017 in my bedroom using tools such as my sp404/mpc2000xl and connecting with other artists over the years. My music includes chill melodic, nature lofi beats.
I released my first album “Black Out” (2018) which was the introduction to who I am and what I do, over the years the start of my success came with my song “Depiction,” which amassed a total of 17 million streams and introduced my reflective sound to a much wider audience. I have then released my full debut album “Sincerely, Wenzel” (May 2024). Since then, I’ve continued experimenting with my sound and trying to make music that feels personal. I want to keep evolving Wenzel while creating music that people can attach their own memories and experiences to.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges for me has been figuring out who I am creatively and not letting numbers define whether or not I’m making good music. Having a song like “Depiction” reaching millions of streams was something I never expected, especially at a young age of 16 (I am 24 now), but it also created pressure to recreate that success.
Over the years, my taste and the kind of music I want to make have changed a lot. There have been periods where I’ve stepped away from releasing music, questioned the direction I wanted to take, or felt disconnected from the expectations that came with having an audience. Balancing music with school, work, and the rest of life has also made it difficult to consistently give it the attention I would like.
I think those challenges ultimately helped me become less focused on chasing numbers and more focused on making something that actually represents me. I would rather release something I genuinely connect with than make music just because I think it will perform well. I’m still figuring things out, but that process has become an important part of why I continue making music.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a producer and artist focused primarily on melodic, sample-based hip-hop and lo-fi. A lot of my work is built around chopped samples, drums, and melodies that create a sense of nostalgia. I’ve always been drawn to music that feels reflective and atmospheric rather than just functioning as background music.
I started producing largely through hardware like the SP-404 and MPC 2000XL.
I’m probably best known for my song “Depiction,” which has reached over 17 million streams, but I’m most proud of being able to develop a sound that people have continued listening to years after some of those songs were originally released. My 2024 album Sincerely, Wenzel was especially important to me because it gave me the opportunity to present a larger, more complete body of work rather than being defined by one song.
What I think sets my music apart is that I’m not particularly interested in following whatever sound is currently popular. I’m much more interested in creating a specific feeling. If someone hears one of my songs years later and it brings them back to a certain period of their life, that means more to me than making something that is only relevant for a moment.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as having the freedom to create what I genuinely want to create and knowing that the music means something to someone else. Some of my favorite messages are from people who tell me they discovered one of my songs years ago and still associate it with a certain memory or period of their life. Knowing that something I made in my bedroom can become part of somebody else’s life is really special to me. I still have the desire to experiment, improve, and find new things that inspire me. As long as I can continue creating things I’m proud of, connect with people through them, and enjoy the process without feeling like I have to chase numbers, I would consider that success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wnzel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wnzel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/wenzell
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wnzel
Image Credits
@_shootsbyjake on instagram
