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Jackson Myles: The Dance and Music of J4ckson7
Known as J4ckson7 on socials, Jackson Myles is a multi-talented artist, dancer, and social media star. He’s famous for his viral “Jaywalk” dance, which showcased his smooth yet stuttering “animation” style. Jackson is also a talented songwriter and producer, having released multiple singles and his recent album, Myles From Home. With his dancing on lock and music career taking off, we can look forward to more great things from J4ckson7 in the coming months.
Let’s take a look at the life and works of Jackson Myles, from his performance background and online fame to his new solo music career.
The early story
Jackson Myles was born on September 12, 2000 — very much a child of the new millennium. He had a fairly normal upbringing, growing up in Charlotte and attending school while discovering the wonderful world of dance. While his family wasn’t particularly supportive at the start, they gave him unconditional love and helped him stay motivated. He remembers listening to his pop’s music at home, and he learned to dance at a young age.
The songs and dancing of Michael Jackson were a huge inspiration for him. The way he moved across the stage fascinated Myles, and his persona had an almost mythical status. “Seeing him shine sparked my interest in dance and the arts in general.” As he watched YouTube videos of Michael Jackson and other famous dancers, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
Jackson Myles fell in love with a new dance style called animation, which he practiced every day until it felt natural. After finishing school, he enrolled in college before his creative energy took over. With restless legs, he dropped out and started traveling around the country on his own dollar. During these formative years, he visited Atlanta and Los Angeles to collaborate with other dancers. He had made great connections on Instagram as a teenager, and he wanted to bring these relationships into real life.
After visiting the creative hotpot of LA, Jackson decided to make the big move. He packed up his belongings, said goodbye to his family, and traveled from North Carolina to the West Coast. Jackson was never afraid to take risks, and he was ready to break from the norm. LA was inspirational for the young dancer, with Jackson finding himself by connecting with the vibrant local community: “Dancing is part of who I am, in my mind it already was something I did full time before I ever actually took it full time.”
What is animation?
To understand the viral dance moves of Jackson Myles, you need to get familiar with “animation.” This style of hip-hop popping is full of jerky movements, simulating the static frame-by-frame motion of animated characters. These freeze-frame dance moves are heavily inspired by claymation and dynamation films, including The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and other early films by Ray Harryhausen.
Animation is characterized by jerky limbs, tense muscles, and deliberate limitations. When Jackson and other dancers move in this way, it creates a strobe-like illusion of stop-motion fluidity. While animation has been around the hip-hop community since the late ’80s, it gained prominence around 2012 with Boppin Andre and Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer. When Glitch became Male Runner-Up in the ninth season of So You Think You Can Dance, animation had become mainstream.
#JayWalkChallenge viral breakthrough
Dance has always been a powerful form of self-expression for Jackson Myles. As he got older and perfected his moves, the rest of the world started paying attention. In 2024, he created a new dance and achieved massive global fame. Called the “Jaywalk,” it quickly gained popularity on TikTok and other social media platforms.
The roots of this dance stretch back to the ’80s and ’90s, with influential dance trends like “bouncing.” It’s fairly simple from a technical perspective, but the rapid movements can take some time to master. This dance trend was perfect for TikTok, with millions of people around the world imitating Jackson’s moves and sharing them with others. #JayWalkChallenge went fully viral, with millions of kids around the world getting in on the action.
Creativity, energy, and loss
Being a viral sensation wasn’t enough for Jackson Myles, who wanted to take on the world through dance and music. Truly a multifaceted artist, he blends skills in dance and choreography with music and social media. According to him, “I like feeling dynamic and I am constantly engaging with my creative process, nonstop.”
Never happy to rest, he’s constantly visualizing new things and making new connections. Jackson is happy when he’s actively involved in something creative, whether it’s performing a dance, making a video, or laying down beats in the studio. As you might expect given his viral fame, he’s also very active on social media. Jackson is always responding to comments and engaging with fans, as he creates a community around his personal brand.
Jackson Myles recently moved back to Charlotte, leaving the manic energy of LA behind — at least for now. This move followed the sad death of his dad, which helped him put life in perspective. Carey Reid had traveled extensively with Jackson and even featured in several of his videos. While his recent passing was tough on the young man, he’s happy to be home surrounded by the people he loves.
Music releases
Jackson Myles is now active as a musician, having released one album and a string of singles since 2021. His musical output is slowly growing, with over a dozen tracks released in 2024 and 2025 alone. The following releases deserve special mention:
‘Dior Body’
“Dior Body” was released in 2021, when Jackson’s music career was just taking off. This track has an early ’90s hip-hop feel, with lazy beats joined by modern auto-tuned vocals and pitch-shifted harmonies. It’s a very light, floating song, which works well with Jackson’s vocals and vibe. The music video is also great, with Jackson showing off some of his signature moves against a stunning West Coast background.
‘Myles From Home’
During his dance career, Jackson Myles learned a lot and traveled across America. He drew from these life lessons when writing Myles From Home, his debut studio album from 2024. With 12 tracks across a number of genres, this album introduces his music to the masses. We get to hear the ups and downs of Jackson’s young life, from viral fame and dance floor unity to heartbreak and industry corruption. Young Jackson was even homeless for a while, with some of his lyrics referencing this traumatic time.
Jackson Myles also talks about finding peace in the presence of God and how Jesus Christ is the King of Kings no matter what game you’re playing. On the suggestive track “God’s My Choreographer,” he lays it all on the line. All in all, this album is an honest reflection of the negative and positive things Jackson has experienced over his young, frenetic life.
Summertime
“Summertime” is the latest single from Jackson Myles, and it’s a natural evolution from his album of last year. You can hear all his signature musical moves, with clean beats blended perfectly with auto-tuned vocals and tight production. This is a simple song about having a good time, and it’s absolutely perfect for summer. Jackson has been incredibly prolific in 2025, having released nine tracks already. Along with “Summertime,” he also released “On My Mind,” “She’s Mine,” “Silverado,” “Falling in Love,” “War,” “Can’t Stop the Grind,” “Locked In,” and “Halle Berry.”
If you want to learn more about Jackson Myles, check out his TikTok and Instagram accounts or put his music on your next playlist.
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