Juan Wauters hangs up ‘Wandering Rebel’ cap

Rolling stone Juan Wauters is learning the perks of gathering moss.

“I’ve made that my priority the last ten years, going around, sharing my music, but mostly exploring the world and exploring myself away from home,” the indie singer/songwriter said.

“But after COVID put us down, I was able to reflect on other things, and I was able to experience other things by force, like sharing a house with someone, setting roots, being more at peace with not traveling,” Wauters said.

“The world probably sees me as a wandering rebel, but these days I’m not really feeling that.”

The Uruguayan musician composed much of his sixth album, 2023’s “Wandering Rebel,” over the pandemic, and the stability he found during that time translated onto the record.

“This is the first album that I worked with a producer, someone that had something to say about the songwriting,” Wauters said.

“And I opened myself to other things, things that have to do with society. In society, there is a mixing engineer that really knows what he’s doing, that’s his specialty. And the album cover was made by a person who works as a graphic designer. I used to do those things myself, before.

“When you’re a wandering rebel, and you’re not looking for stability, you think you can do everything, and you do everything yourself. And that’s cool, but I’ve learned through life that there’s something positive about sharing with others, as well.”

Though this album taught Wauters to share aspects of production, fans will point to his rich history of collabs as evidence that, for the musician, cooperation is anything but new. His 2021 record “Real Life Situations” is peppered with features, from Mac DeMarco and Homeshake to Tall Juan and El David Aguilar, to name a few.

Wauters, a long-time fan of hip-hop and Latin American styles, took inspiration from those genres’ traditions of artists collaborating to “propel each other’s music.”

“Like, a year before ‘Real Life Situations,’ when I was just thinking about the idea, I would talk to my friends,” Wauters said. “‘How come we don’t do that, in this genre or scene? How come we don’t collaborate, get together and write a song in the studio together? We might come up with something that neither of us is able to come up with alone.’

“‘We might create a beast, a third entity aside from you and me.’”

To test his theory, the musician enlists artists from diverse genres and cultures. On “Wandering Rebel,” the musician runs the experiment with Frankie Cosmos, Zoe Gotusso, Super Willy K and John Carroll Kirby, culminating in a 12-track project that is well informed and dynamic.

Wauters’ songwriting process is even a collaboration between him and his audience. The singer, who alternates between English and Spanish throughout his records, often chooses the language based on the ears he wants his lyrics to fall on.

“If I sing in English, certain people will understand, and if I sing in Spanish, others will.

“If I’m in New York, and I’m singing about a New York issue, and I’m commenting with my English-speaking friends, I’ll sing in English. I use it as a tool to communicate with whoever I want to hear the message.”

The musician imparts his thoughts with a refreshing earnestness and blunt honesty. In “Wandering Rebel,” the title track on the record, Wauters sings about his personal hygiene, his desire for monetary success and his fear of having to “make some changes” if his career doesn’t pick up.

“I’m looking to make money on this album and the one that follows after,” Wauters explains plainly on the track.

The economic condition is a common theme on the album. Wauters begins “Millionaire” — an ode to the struggles of making it in Los Angeles — by pointing out, “you could be a millionaire, and also you could end up on the street.” He expands on the arbitrary nature of wealth inequality on “Modus Operandi,” a tune about the wealthy’s flight from New York City during the lockdowns.

“COVID made it clear that some people have it harder than others,” Wauters said. “People that didn’t have an option, they were locked in their apartments. It was right in your face, the inequality of the world, and I commented on that.

“Sometimes I feel like ‘Modus Operandi’ could come off like I was resentful that everyone left the city, and people that didn’t have an option could not leave. Maybe I was resentful. But also, as I now look back and have a conversation about it, I realize that it’s just an observation of everyday life.

“Maybe life is supposed to be like that, that some people live more comfortably than others, and some people are supposed to have it harder. But maybe it’s an opportunity to talk about it, and perhaps we can do something that, if COVID hits again, it’s not unfair.”