Careless Music, the independent artist agency co-founded by James Reid, has been making a lot of noise lately.
The fledgling talent management agency has been drawing a lot of media attention because of recent controversies surrounding the rumored romance between James and Issa Pressman, as well as career and management-related issues of former Star Magic talent Liza Soberano.
Liza and Issa are both signed up with Careless, and so are other amazing Filipino talents.
CARELESS MUSIC 101: THE HISTORY
Careless, formerly known as Careless Music Manila, is a record label founded by James Reid and Bret Jackson, aka KINGwAw, in 2017, in partnership with Viva Records.
It was the avenue that James chose to be an independent artist and be able to pursue his craft as a music artist.
In an interview with Reid through PEP Spotlight last December 2022, he spoke openly about it and said, "I just wanted to be able to be more in control of my music, in control of the creative direction, also just, yeah, in control of my career.
"That was [what is] important for me at that time. "And [that is] why I created it [Careless]. [It is] for me to be able to take risks [in] my career, which is what I wanted to do."
Aside from James and Bret, the record label's initial line-up of artists includes award-winning actress Nadine Lustre; Dubai-born model and rapper Luke Hassan a.k.a. AstroKidd; half-Ghanaian, half-Filipino Haissam “Massiah” Morton; Cristina Gonzales' daughter Sofia Romualdez; and rapper Mito “Curtismith” Fabie.
In 2019, Careless became entirely independent with Jeffrey Oh, a Korean-American businessman, assuming the position of Chief Executive Officer. James retained his position as the company's President, while Bret became the A&R representative.
Since then, Careless has undergone some changes in its lineup, with Massiah being the sole remaining member from the original group of talents.
In 2022, the record label expanded its scope to become a talent management company. In the same year, Careless welcomed new artists to its roster.
The goal, as explained by James, “Is to really break barriers, break boundaries in music both locally and, hopefully, globally."
Below is the full list of talents managed by Careless:
JAMES REID
In July 2017, James released his first studio album Palm Dreams which also marked the foundation of his record label Careless.
This was followed by Careless Mixtape with his fellow Careless talents in 2018. His latest album under his indie record label is Lovescene: which was released in October 2022.
In the concert scene, he recently took to the stage with Korean singer and rapper, B.I., during “L.O.L The Hidden Stage in Manila,” organized the Wavy Baby Music Festival in Cebu, and was invited to perform during the “Heal Together World Tour” of The Rose.
MASSIAH
Haissam Morton, better known as Massiah, is an up-and-coming rapper born in Dumaguete and raised in Ghana. He joined Careless in 2018 and has several songs on the YouTube channel of the label, including “Higher,” “Paid For It,” “Stay With Me,” and more.
AUGUST WAHH
Sabrina Augustine Haw, who goes by her stage name August Wahh, was a recent addition to the Careless family in late 2022 alongside Destiny Rogers and SOS.
Originating from General Santos City, she is a singer and songwriter who is into local R&B and neo-soul genres. Recently, Wahh performed at the Wanderland Music Festival, where she captivated and energized the crowd with her impressive performance.
DESTINY ROGERS
Destiny Rogers, an American R&B singer and songwriter, is widely recognized for her single titled, “Tomboy,” which has 119 million streams on Spotify, as of March 21, 2023.
She has previously collaborated with Im Nayeon on "All or Nothing," James Reid on “Lie to Me” (for which she also appeared in the music video), and B.I. and Tyla Yaweh on “Got It Like That," among other projects.
SOS
SOS, a Filipino rock band, is comprised of members, such as Roberto Seña, Andrew Panopio, King Puentespina, and Anjo Silvoza. The currently popular songs of the band on Spotify are “Favoritism,” “Good Company,” “Magic,” “Leave Me out of It,” and “Proof.”
LIZA SOBERANO
Liza officially joined Careless in June 2022.
During the press conference of the trade launch, Liza said that she is excited to work with the label's young creatives.
She said, "The fact that they work with young creatives—I’m currently 24.
"So, it’s very exciting and encouraging to see a lot of people pursuing their dreams and passion at a very young age in a way that they wanna do it."
Currently, she is pursuing an acting career in Hollywood and filming a horror comedy movie titled, “Lisa Frankenstein,” where Soberano is working with Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton.
Liza had been under the co-management of Ogie Diaz and Star Magic, which is the talent management division of ABS-CBN, for a duration of 11 years before she became a part of Careless.
She rose to fame for her roles in hit series and movies, including Forevermore, Just The Way You Are, and My Ex and Whys.
ISSA PRESSMAN
Issa Pressman was also introduced as a Careless talent in June 2022, alongside Liza Soberano.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Issa shared that it was James who encouraged her to join Careless, and her primary motivation for joining Careless is to further explore and develop her musical abilities.
She said, "I really wanna be known for myself, Issa, my own signature.
"You know, even with my art, it melts my heart when we see like a piece and then my friends will go like, oh my god, Issa that’s so you.
"I wanna create a vibe, I wanna create a style na parang when you hear me, you know that it’s me. So, that’s gonna be a process, once it’s there, I’ll make it sick."
Issa started her career in the entertainment scene as an influencer and actress portraying supporting roles. Some of her TV projects include the ABS-CBN teleserye Kahit Puso'y Masugatan (2012) and TV5's Wattpad Presents (2016).
Issa has also been involved in several movies, including Talk Back and You’re Dead (2014), Camp Sawi (2016), and Luck at First Sight (2017).
Recently, Issa has been the talk of the town due to the rumors surrounding her romantic involvement with James.
LESHA
Lesha, a rising electro-pop artist, is known for her flexibility, talent, and creativity, as she is not only a musician but also a content creator and producer. After signing with Careless in 2022, she released her first single with the label titled, “3:33,” followed by the second single called, “Demons.”
JOLIANNE
Jolianne, also known as Jolianne Salvado, is a rising singer and songwriter who gained popularity in 2015 when she joined The Voice Kids Philippines Season 2.
She was only 17 years old when she signed up with Careless. As of writing, her most-streamed songs on Spotify are “Halfway There,” “no point in resisting,” and “Irises.”
A-TEAM
A-Team is a street dance group recognized for being one of the leading crews in the Philippine dance hip-hop scene.
In 2014, A-Team was hailed the grand champion of the World Hip Hop Dance Championship's Megacrew Division.
In May 2021, 20 members of the group signed with Careless. They are: MJ Arda, Angelica Arda, Angel Datanagan, April Tamon, Chael Ablaza, Joshua Decena, Dean Gales, Jaja Bordado, Edd Vicente, Jana Mahusay, Ken Caliwara, King Mistica, Mae Mae Gomez, Nica Santos, Nico Angeles, Roco Sanchez, Ysai Castro, Nadja Concepcion, Freyja Kapangyarihan, and Aennon Tabungar.
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