John Anthony is the genius and one-man band behind 54 Ultra, hailing from the Garden State itself. Versatile in his craft, he is a master at synthy sounds with Latin rhythms. I had the privilege of hearing him and his bandmates AJ, Duncan, Sam, and Dave, play live in the basement. Afterward, I had the chance to chat with the collective.
[Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
You are talking to someone who has never heard of 54 Ultra before. If your music were a season, color, scent, and shoe, what would it be?
John Anthony: Early June, mid-September, the feeling of the beginning of summer and also the fall heat. The color would be a teal or orange. Maybe periwinkle. The scent would be lavender. In terms of shoes, probably a Nike Cortez, or something leather.
Previously you were in the rap scene making beats. What is the shift from that to where you are now?
John Anthony: That was my first musical endeavor growing up. I started learning piano as a kid and I would go on to make rap beats in highschool. When I started college, I got into an internship at a recording studio and I would learn how to record and engineer as a producera. Teaching myself guitar at the same time, it opened up my ears to many different genres. Between all of these experiences in a fairly short time, I had many different influences coming in at once, whether it be teachers or other producers and musicians. Eventually, I just grew out of making beats because my musicianship kind of improved a little bit and then it evolved into writing songs and singing.
Where does this bring us to the present moment? Like, why 54 Ultra?
John Anthony: It’s a very funny story. I had a girlfriend when I was in college, and she wanted to be a singer. And I wanted to be a producer. And she couldn’t come up with a stage name. So I was like, whatever you do Ultra is cool. Because like, Frank Ocean’s nostalgia,ULTRA. We liked that album. So I was like, use that word. It’s a cool word. She didn’t want to use it. So I said, I’ll stay with Ultra if you don’t ever use it. But like don’t sue me if I use it. So then fast forward. A couple of months later, now, we weren’t together anymore. And I started to write songs. And then in July 2020, I was 19 and I wrote a bunch of songs in a couple of days. And the day before I released them, I was like, we’re gonna go with Ultra, but that’s too common. So I put the 54 in front of it from Studio 54 the disco, because I was listening to all this 70s and 80s pop and disco. And I wanted to stick myself out of the fold. So yeah. 54 Ultra. Awesome!
Did you start as a one-man band? How did you meet your bandmates now?
John Anthony: It’s always been a one-man band. I record everything in my house, in Jersey, in the Garden State, in my solitude. By 2021 I started playing shows around New Jersey with a band of hometown friends after I felt like I had a product that was nice enough to go out with. Being in the local scene and playing shows, I introduced myself to a community that I had never been a part of. Through that I ended up meeting a plethora of musicians and people who opened my eyes to many different talents. I met them [his current band] through that. Sam the drummer and AJ the guitarist were in another local band called Bellerose. And then Duncan is a bass player, and he used to play with Sam when they were younger. And Dave’s a keyboardist. I met Dave from knowing the person who wrote a past article about me. All we’re missing is guitarist Nick, who’s out on injury. I always need help taking the live product outside. They give me their time and energy and focus and I am always grateful. They take what I record, and then we just make it live. They put their own spin on everything that we do. That’s the lineup now it’s just all hands on deck.
Sam: He writes everything and occasionally he’ll have us come in and record instruments for him. But it’s all from the genius Mr. John Anthony.
John Anthony: It’s good because being around them made me a better musician. Because you know, the last thing you want to do is stick to your own head. You go crazy. So they each give me a piece of them. And we kind of just blend it into the live aspect. They help put the message out. It’s a fun time!
First hearing, “Where Are You”, it is clear that there is Latin influence, but also Soul, and, like, the whole indie thing. Compared to the rest of your discography, this song stands out. Especially now with Latinx artists, an older sound like that is not common anymore, which is why the song is so special. What was your process of making this song and how did it go for you?
John Anthony: I’m glad it resonated with you that means the world. Thankfully, that song has been doing me a lot of favors and it’s bringing me a lot of opportunities. I’m a descendant of a Puerto Rican father and a Dominican mother. And you know, growing up, it’s all salsa, bachata, and merengue music. That is the foundation of my existence. I can make guitar music all day, but that’s the foundation no matter what is. It’s all that’s always been just in the body. We (John Anthony, AJ, Sam, and Duncan) also play in a salsa band. Having that background we learned the music and rhythms together. And naturally, I kept writing songs and writing songs. I ended up kind of experimenting with trying to do it in English. I heard salsa boleros and was like, nobody’s ever done these in English, a very naive thought. Eventually, I found someone who did it in English and then kept digging deeper, getting into old Chicano soul. I didn’t know that community really existed. I just started listening to all this awesome music and I just learned it pretty much. That song came out of a bunch of trials and errors. I had been writing a lot of different music up to that point. What I had been releasing is different because I haven’t put everything out that I’m making. I’m still growing. So it’s like a workout. When I did that, it was like the fruition of 2023, where I was learning all these different kinds of music, and expanding my taste. I wrote it in a couple of hours. And it was a demo. It wasn’t supposed to be a song. AJ had a graduation party that day. The night before we went out, and I had been running around, and I was tired the morning after, but I still had this idea in my head. So I woke up and put in the bongos and Conga rhythms and stuff on my computer. Then I’m like, asleep, and then I wake up and I go on the piano and play a dun dun dun dun. And then I’m like, okay, whatever, go to sleep. I wake up, and I get on the base and play a dodododododo. And then I’m going back to bed. I kept taking naps, going back to sleep, and then I woke up and it was done. And I did all the vocals on there, in like two takes.
Why were you so tired?
John Anthony: Because I had been out the night before. I was in Brooklyn, I lost my phone. Without having the phone I wasn’t distracted or anything. And I just was like, damn, what have I got to do all day?
So you were napping and then waking up and like, it just came to you?
John Anthony: Yeah. In like an hour or two. I just kept dozing off and waking up. I ended up being late to the party because I was recording the vocals by the time I had to leave. I let it sit for a couple of days and added a little bit to it. Then I put it on Tik Tok, and it didn’t blow up, but it got enough attention to make me feel better about myself. And then I said, Alright, that’s enough. I released it a couple of weeks later, and the Spotify stuff started happening in September. I knew it was gonna do okay, just off of the local response and people telling me that they liked it. But out of nowhere on Spotify, Discover Weekly, and whatever playlists, it kept taking off. And it’s still taking off. And it’s a blessing because I didn’t expect that at all. I’m grateful for that. So now it’s about, how do we just keep pushing on that and keeping the music as organic with as much integrity as possible? I’m just thinking of what makes me feel good.
Hearing you talk about organicness, integrity, and doing what feels right in the body, I’m wondering, how your personal life, feelings, and experiences play into your musical practice? And also how does listening to yourself or your intuition impact your music?
John Anthony: I just tried to go directly with it. That’s what I do. I listen to myself, Whatever emotion I feel, I get it out by talking to myself. I’ve talked to myself, and I’ve played music at the same time and ended up writing a song. I think that’s the simplest way to do it. It’s just being being honest. And being uncomfortable. Whether it’s a relationship thing or something in my house or something that someone had said to me on the street or something I just talked to myself about it, made my own little commentary in my head, and then whatever music comes out at the same time, just goes hand in hand. I think that’s right. That makes sense.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Closing out this interview, what can we expect in the future? Or at least, like, where do you want to go? What does the future look like?
John Anthony: I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work with an incredible producer with an ear for soul music and I have a nice routine with the writing right now. My next single is going to be called “Heaven Knows.” It comes out in April. I have a good feeling about it and I think it’s gonna do okay, and I think more doors are gonna be opened after that. Yeah. I want to be just in front of as many people as possible cuz I think once people hear it, they’ll catch it and won’t leave. I know it’s gonna happen at some point. I want to be just around everybody and I want to make everybody happy. I want to make everybody feel good and nice energy. In due time you know?
Watch 54 Ultra’s “Alive in the Basement” session, below: