After being with the group for ten years, in the mid-2010s Jon began touring as a solo artist (including club tours as a singer and dancer in China) and ventured into songwriting for other artists and artist development. He later toured for three years as one of the dancers on the international Michael Jackson tribute tour. Over a decade after dancing onstage at the 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII as a high school senior, and achieving runner-up status in a Showtime at the Apollo dance competition with his ensemble Ghost Crew, Jon was still conquering audiences’ hearts with his soulful voice and artful footwork.

In recent years, Jon has continued to record as a solo artist, scoring heavy rotation on The Zeus Network’s reality show “Baddies East” with “Got Diamonds,” his collaboration with 3willmusiq. He’s also been working behind the scenes as a songwriter/producer for various artists, including Kenny Lattimore (co-writing “All In” on the singer’s 2021 Here to Stay album), Latin R&B artist Frankie J and members of B2K, and was featured on vocals on tracks by the Atlanta rap duo The Ying Yang Twins.  

Greatly inspired by his longtime mentor Herman Charles – who has choreographed for Frankie J, Solange Knowles, Tri-ni-tee 5:7, and Megan Thee Stallion – and famed choreographer Travis Payne (En Vogue, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson), Jon has also developed a career as a pro dancer and music video choreographer for many artists. Dance and choreography have been part of his life since his Stereo Hoggz days, and he has owned and run the Houston-based New Vibe Dance Studio for ten years. He was a popular hip-hop and jazz teacher at the original location of the studio, and when the owner retired, she transferred it to him. “I love teaching kids to dance,” he says. “One of my purposes is to motivate youth in the arts. Having them see me continue to make strides in the industry helps inspire them in their ambitions to be singers, dancers, and entertainers. Making music and dancing are my two greatest passions and they go hand in hand in my life.”

Jon is currently excited about the scheduled February 2024 release of “Something Different,” the first single from Velvet Rays, his duo with up-and-coming singer/songwriter Jayson De Buyl. One of the first songs they wrote together after deciding to launch the venture in 2022, the easy vibing track – a powerful showcase for both their songwriting/production and vocal talents - reflects the artists’ mutual love of R&B and soul music and the artists they love. The two met through a mutual friend when Jon was enrolled in a film class at Houston Community College and needed his editing help for a final exam. A personal and creative friendship blossomed and as they were collaborating on a short film, Jon listened to some of Jayson’s music and immediately liked his voice.

“The Velvet Rays concept developed organically working his Jayson’s home studio,” Jon says. “When we sat down to write the first song, it was smooth and easy and the process felt right. After we did that one, we wrote and recorded another and another, then looked up and realized we had three or four strong tunes, and maybe we should consider putting these out as a collaborative project. With Velvet Rays, I bring a lot of experience from having been in the industry longer, and he complements that with his expertise on the technical side, his great eye and ear, and engineering skills. I trust him as a production engineer, and he trusts me as a musician and songwriter. My forte is melodies and he’s amazing with lyrics.”

Growing up in Houston’s Third Ward, Jon was greatly influenced by his father, who taught private piano lessons in a structure on the side of their duplex and was a pastor and minister of music, conducting gospel choirs at church. Jon has fond memories of getting splinters from the wooden stairs he would sit on outside the room his dad taught in, listening to him and the students play. The Glenns only played gospel in the house, so Jon would order pop and R&B CDs and sneak them in his room to listen. Showing an early interest in and talent for music, Jon was accepted into Johnston Middle School, a major local music, theatre, and vocal school. Though he lacked confidence in his talent, he was inspired by the self-assurance of Beyonce’s younger sister Solange Knowles, a friend whose locker was next to his. He was greatly inspired by the performance a pre-stardom Destiny’s Child gave at the school. He also loved The Temptations, “The Five Heartbeats” film, New Edition, and its offshoot Bel Biv Devoe.

He began singing and songwriting in high school, and he remembers meeting friends who liked to sing in public and going around campus singing, enchanting some students and faculty and annoying others. The experience made him think it was something he could pursue in the future. Though he attended Lubbock Christian University on a baseball scholarship, he spent a lot of his time there participating in talent shows and singing in karaoke bars for money. Feeling homesick, he returned to Houston, where he took music and dance courses at Houston Community College. It was there that he gathered some longtime friends together to form Five Star, a large ensemble with five to ten dancers and four or five rappers performing at any time. During this time, Jon also put together Ghost Crew – the group with whom he played the Apollo. Jon then began auditioning members to turn Five Star into the more enduring entity Stereo Hoggz.

“While I pursue my various endeavors as an artist, songwriter/producer for other artists and dancers, I am most grateful that I am also able to give opportunities to young, talented dancers, and am grateful God put me in a position to help others realize their vision,” says Jon. “The way Paula worked with and encouraged Stereo Hoggz on ‘X Factor’ is exactly what I want to be for others.”