Music artists trade the comfortable support of a band to carve out their own solo careers.

It’s a change of pace for singer-songwriter Jonn Walter figuratively and sonically as he embarks on a solo career with the release of two consecutive singles tilted “Ulan” and “Ikaw.”

But first, who is Jonn Walter? Well, he was the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for an alt-pop and rock band called Down By 18. That band had a string of single releases (“Kulay Bahaghari” and the mild radio hit “Piring” among them) and made a decent name for themselves in the local music scene. Suffice to say that said band had a good run, but as these things usually go, somebody’s bound to fly the coop sooner or later.

And that would be Jonn Walter, who said that the pandemic had pushed him to strike it out on his own. “I was unable to collaborate with my bandmates because of the pandemic. Most of them were busy with other commitments (so) I took the time to discover my own sound and created my own music, and I decided to go have a solo career.”

Hence, Jonn has now reinvented himself as a cool-vibed balladeer and already has two new songs under his name. The first being “Ulan,” which is described by his management as “warm up single.” This piano-decked ballad is almost lo-fi in its minimalist arrangement. “Ulan” builds up slowly, and when it does bloom, it’s not in your face and is just as relaxed, punctuated with a clean sounding, almost bluesy guitar solo. Which got us thinking, if this is a warm-up, something must really be cooking.

Which brings us to the just released new single “Ikaw.” This mid-tempo, and quite modern-sounding pop ballad really embodies the “reinvented” Jonn Walter. Whereas his previous incarnation with his former band saw him dabble in pop, rock and the occasional power ballad, this time it’s all about embracing the sound of now for Jonn. “Ikaw” is a lo-fi laced, synth-drenched and relaxed, mid-tempo ballad and is “about someone you meet casually and fell in love with unexpectedly.”

A tidbit about his process, Jonn shared that the melodies he comes up with “come from my dreams and I always remember them even when I wake up,” adding that, “this is my sound and (would) love to have people hear it.”

Jonn said that by going solo, “I found my sound and can now call it my own.” For that reason alone, he’s already glad that he tried going at it on his own, but said that even though he misses his former bandmates, he knows that they are “just a phone call away when I need them.”

Released under Ant Savvy Music, the music video for “Ikaw” was dropped just this weekend and featured TikTok personality Ms. Robine (@robie.doll) as what else, a living doll. For Jonn Walter, he’s looking forward to the new adventure that going solo gives him. “I’m blessed to do this. I feel an extra team working with me at Ant Savvy Artist Management. They are hands-on and professional, and I’m already looking forward to the shows that they lined up for me.”