Get to Know: 54 Ultra

54 Ultra is one of the most prominent rising voices in music right now, and it is no surprise why. His sound feels difficult to place precisely in one genre or style, because it refuses to sit comfortably in one singular mode. His work is rooted in retro influences, driven by textured production, percussion and a distinctively modern undertone.

26-year-old John Anthony Rodriguez, better known by his stage name 54 Ultra, has steadily established himself as an artist to watch. Rather than finding viral fame in one explosive moment or release, his career has been built from the bottom up through years of performing, experimenting and organically establishing his place in the industry. We sit down with him to talk about his musical identity, the influences that shaped his sound and what comes next.

For 54 Ultra, the decision to pursue music came early. At the age of 14 or 15, he found himself faced with a choice: “I either have to work really hard in school, or I work really hard in something completely irrelevant.” Having played piano as a child, music seemed to him to be the obvious choice. This first translated through making rap beats for “random rappers in New Jersey”, something that would eventually develop into a much deeper understanding of production. After graduating high school with a degree in Audio Engineering, production became central to the way 54 Ultra moulds his tracks, teaching himself to write and record before beginning performances across New Jersey by 2021.

Speaking about how his sound developed, 54 Ultra is refreshingly honest about where he has found his influences. Much of his education introduced him to artists and the intentional choices behind their works.

He recalls writing papers on John Lennon and Michael Jackson, and finding particular intrigue in artists such as The Smiths, The Cure and Mac DeMarco, acknowledging that much of his sound is indebted to the music that came before him. These discoveries resulted in a unique culmination of sounds, and their product: 54 Ultra.

That philosophy has become embedded within his recording process. “Anything I listen to I just deep dive into everything,” he tells us, explaining that discovering the intricacies of music has influenced both the way he records and the decisions he now makes alongside producers.

Spending considerable time playing in New York, he found himself surrounded by the shoegaze and indie rock movements happening around him. It was not this scene which inspired his music, but rather the 'idea of the city'. He was inspired by “the idea of being there and wanting to get there”, of the competitive edge that came from putting together a show or simply convincing people to watch his performances. Every show mattered for 54 Ultra. Regardless of the size of the audience or media attention, there was always something to prove to himself. That same passion continues to translate through the final product.

His Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage has also become an increasingly important part of his music, particularly through his use of bilingual lyrics. For him, bringing language and culture into his work is less of a deliberate artistic decision and more of a natural extension of who he is. 

“It’s a privilege and a pleasure,” he says.

Growing up, his mother "would instil the pride of being Dominican or being Puerto Rican in everything that we did,” which has meant that recreating that through his music has felt less like a chore, and more like something which was meant to happen.

The growth of 54 Ultra has been similarly organic. ‘Where Are You', released in 2023, was one of the songs that first began to make people pay closer attention, but he has never experienced the kind of overnight viral explosion that has become increasingly common in the modern music industry.

“I never had a viral moment, I never had an explosive overnight situation,” he says.

Instead, he found something valuable in the slow incline. A new person discovering his music every day, gradually building an audience over time. “That was such a privilege to watch happen.”

In an industry increasingly obsessed with fast-paced media, instant gratification and sudden sensations, there is something particularly refreshing about an artist who spent years creating before reaching the wider spotlight.

His catalogue reflects that willingness to experiment. ‘Where Are You In 2023’ brought a modern, percussion-heavy, hyper-pop energy that resonated with younger listeners, while ‘Sierra’ represented an entirely different period of his artistic journey — a rock song written at a time when his goal was to be part of a four-piece rock band.

That ability to move between worlds also carries into his live performances. With every show, he says he is focused on “pushing myself to do something different than the night before.”

That mentality feels particularly fitting given the year he has just experienced. From Lollapalooza to Reading & Leeds and his Coachella debut, 54 Ultra has found himself performing for audiences that once felt completely outside the scope of his career.

Asked about his favourite performance, he points towards Mexico City, describing the experience as one of the most memorable. “Such a broad audience that I never expected to have,” he says.

Coachella was similarly significant, with 54 Ultra remembering “a really great reception and a lot of love” and the surreal feeling of realising that people were paying attention.

Yet perhaps the biggest moment of his recent career has come through a song that was created almost casually.

‘Talk To You’ had surpassed 200 million streams by the time of our conversation, a figure that feels particularly remarkable considering how naturally the track came together.

The collaboration began when his manager was contacted after he was discovered through Instagram. 54 Ultra was approached to bring something different to the record, eventually bringing his friend Jackson Shanks into the process.

Despite the scale of the opportunity, he remembers feeling nervous. The pair ended up recording for around 20 minutes from his parents’ house, before spending the weekend getting to know each other, making dinner and experimenting with music.

“We made two songs that weekend, made ‘Talk To You’ only in a day.”

There was no elaborate formula. “There were no wrong ideas,” he recalls. “We just sat there playing instruments and throwing things together.”

They tested the song at their next show and watched it explode.

The track represented an interesting challenge for 54 Ultra, whose own music does not necessarily sit within house music. Yet the collaboration felt surprisingly natural. He might not listen to or make traditional house music, but his taste stretches towards dance music from the 70s and 80s, early disco, funk, soul and Brazilian music.

“They listened to the same things that I did, and that made me feel less intimidated,” he says.

When the collaborators told him that they wanted him to make something that would bring “my world into theirs”, the process suddenly made sense. Their one-word description of what they wanted the song to be — “dance” — initially freaked him out slightly, but ultimately became the foundation for something completely unexpected.

The finished track achieved the balance they were looking for, merging two musical worlds without either one overpowering the other.

At one point during our conversation, when discussing the song, 54 Ultra simply laughs and says: “Sometimes I listen and I forget that it’s me.”

That humility runs throughout our conversation. Despite the stages, the streams and the growing recognition, there remains a sense that he is still the same person who was experimenting with music in his bedroom and making beats for friends.

Perhaps that is also why his next chapter feels so exciting.

54 Ultra is currently working on an album, one that he describes as particularly introspective. The process itself has been teaching him about who he is, especially as he becomes more accustomed to creating alongside collaborators.

“I’m used to making music alone, and with collaborators it is different,” he says.

Rather than allowing the scale of the project to change his approach, he is trying to make the studio feel as comfortable as possible, treating it “like I would my bedroom”.

The attitude, he says, remains the same. Familiar, instinctive and hopefully recognisable as 54 Ultra.

The album is being created at Electric Lady Studios in New York, a place he describes as “very near and dear to my heart right now.” Its arrival also feels perfectly timed. With life becoming increasingly busy, the project has emerged during a period where slowing down has become just as important as moving forward.

“Everyone just wants to relax a little bit,” he tells us, “and I hope to help with that.”

For all the evolution in his sound, the collaborations, the international performances and the growing audience, the most important thing to 54 Ultra remains remarkably simple: “I hope to inspire a lot of people with what we do.”

There is something fitting about that being the sentiment he leaves us with. For an artist who has never relied on a single moment to define him, 54 Ultra’s story has instead been one of accumulation — of sounds, influences, performances, cultures and people gradually finding their way into his music.

From a teenager making beats for rappers in New Jersey to the stages of Coachella, Lollapalooza and Reading & Leeds, the journey has never been about chasing one particular sound or moment. It has been about remaining curious.

Five years into the identity of 54 Ultra, there is still a sense that he is discovering what that identity can become. And perhaps that is what makes his music so compelling: it sounds like someone who is still searching, but has already found his own frequency.