this past march, future modern supported the Catalog nft release of Jon Waltz’s shining pop performance, “TRAINWRECK” ft. VERZACHE.

he’s web3’s pop star. the single comes ahead of Jon’s multimedia experience, MY GOLDEN HORSE, on March 23rd.

as a 6th generation Memphian,

Memphis area is like, I used to hate Memphis. I went to college in mizzou then went to la for a bit but it wasn't for me, so I came back here. Memphis is full of culture and beautiful people but is misunderstood.

in terms of attitude, it’s an underdog city. like the Grizzlies: we in the game, don't give a fuck, do the work to make it hot no matter how many times it takes…being from a small market city like that my approach was just to go all in on my music...

...i'm a perfectionist. my process is trial by failure. doing it over and over. reaching out to people and learning from others feedback. studio sessions with 60 takes. shit tons of mixes. i got addicted to not winning.

Jon Waltz is winning now. his forthcoming MY GOLDEN HORSE EP signifies the product of 8 month of reps that trained a champion.

Jon cites Jay-Z, Kanye’s College Dropout, and Outkast as big influences for him to get into music. “Outkast was doing psychedelic shit like lining up crystals and it was like it was from an alien planet…”

there is a golden melodic thread reminiscent of the 00’s in Jon’s recent work, sprinkled with a dash of Lykke Li and Janet Jackson, that starts spinning when you press play. that feeling you get from putting a physical album in your record player.

the EP’s first single “TRAINWRECK” features bright bedroom pop anthem maker VERZACHE. it’s a sonic sunstorm about trying to stay on track and get your head right in stressful times.

“the world is on fire / my money’s multiplyin’ / we rollin’ dollar bills up / and order coke diet”

Waltz is a hyperconscious artist living through late capitalism, swerving his own way through a culture of consumption and turning escape into mindful musical catharsis.

“DWN4” is the second single off MY GOLDEN HORSE, released as an NFT after the “TRAINWRECK” auction closes. the music video features Jon soul searching through the streets of his city:

but will this all click for someone who’s skeptical of NFTs?

tbh the whole reason my fans never got as much from me as they wanted is because I was doing label shopping in 6 month spurts and being sold a fake dream and that shit fizzled out every single time...

I just got whiplash from knowing the industry just doesn’t care about artists, especially the black ones who give them the most cultural relevancy.

taking control of one’s own destiny is a recurring theme on MY GOLDEN HORSE.

we invite you to celebrate Jon Waltz and MY GOLDEN HORSE with us. congrats to ethventurer for collecting “TRAINWRECK”.