The Whales are a virtual rock group a la Gorillaz that Def Jam has signed as its first NFT act.
The cartoon whale-themed ensemble, which was signed to Def Jam in collaboration with The Catalina Whale Mixer, a group of 5,555 NFT avatars on the Solana blockchain, according to Billboard.
In December 2021, WAGMI Beach founded both the band and the collective. The Whales was the result of a meeting between DJ Mormile and Ryan Rodriguez of Def Jam, Ben Willis, Joshua Andriano, and WAGMI Beach.
“We pitched the idea of a community-grown avatar group to DJ and [they] just got it,” Willis told Billboard. “To be working with Def Jam on releasing this one-of-a-kind new music project is a dream come true.”
The NFT band will soon release its debut album, according to Def Jam, who declined to elaborate on the musicians in charge of the project other than to say it would have a “who’s who” of talent.
