Shattering the Fame Formula with Bret Jackson

How side-stepping expectations afforded the musician his own kind of perfect

When Bret Jackson first stepped into the limelight in 2010 as a bright-eyed 19-year-old from Dumaguete, nobody expected he would live a drastically different life less than a decade later. Shedding expectations and joining forces with his best friend, James Reid, Bret dreamed of turning the global music game on its head and giving young Filipino talents the platform they need to go global⁠—a vision that would eventually become a reality with Careless Philippines. “Careless was the first time I felt free,” confesses Bret.

However, this path to freedom was not one that came easily.

Catapulting to fame via reality TV has its fair share of positives. Thanks to his flair for music and his timely stint in Pinoy Big Brother, Bret reaped the benefits of having a foot through the showbiz door by getting signed to a label for a two-album record deal. However, his urge to create music didn't stop there. Time would later reveal that what Bret longed for went over and beyond recording a couple of tracks in the studio.

“I wasn’t able to express my creativity freely,” he admits, refusing to stay within the boxed-up persona that had been built for him.

Today, Bret makes the music he wants to make—on his own terms. With a platform for artists created by artists, he is shining the spotlight on those who need to be heard. Together with the rest of the Careless gang, Bret is shaking up the way we experience music—one track, mixtape and show at a time.

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