Why Christmas is different for James Reid this year
For James Reid, Christmas this year will be all about snow, ugly sweaters, and fireplaces. This is because the singer-actor will be spending it with girlfriend Issa Pressman in England.
“Christmas is very important to me because it’s like a checkpoint. It’s when you come back to see your family and friends, and also check on how far you’ve come. For me, it’s also a reminder every year of what you’ve accomplished. It’s to check in with your loved ones and see where everyone is at,” the Filipino Australian told Lifestyle in a recent interview.
“Christmas is when I get to take a break. I’m now at a time in my life when I want to turn everything up to 100 percent,” said Reid, who will return to Manila to be with his own family for the New Year’s celebration.
Reid said that although he lived in Australia until he was 16, he doesn’t consider Australia his home anymore. Since he came to Manila, he has always celebrated the holidays here with his mom.
However, this Christmas will be different because of the weather. “Even in Australia, Christmas is hot. There, it’s spent on the beach, doing barbecue. This year is going to be a not-so-Filipino Christmas for me because there will be snow. It’s going to be all about ugly sweaters and fireplaces. I guess it will be a very traditional European holiday this time around,” he said.
Huge turning point
When asked to reflect on all the things that happened to him in 2024, James said, “The year had been a kind of coming back home. It was a very huge turning point for me. Everyone knows that I took a break from show business so I could go and experiment on things and really find myself. I think it’s good that I have, and that I’ve also gotten rid of all of the really toxic people in my life.”
He continued, “My music has also started to really take off. I’ve already been planning to do some TV shows, too. I feel like things are all coming together and making a lot of sense.”
Reid is also the founder of the independent record label Careless.
He had a lot of struggles in the past two years, he said. “A lot of things went wrong. A lot of mistakes were committed, but a lot of lessons were also learned. Things have started to heal—everything from my company to my relationships and to my career. I think 2025 is going to be the year of work. It will be the manifestation of all the things I’ve worked on in 2024.”
For Reid, success is measured based on the growth of the people he is working with. He explained, “We had no experience when we started five years ago. To see that some of them have grown so much in terms of running companies, that is success for me. This isn’t just about work, but also their growth as human beings. You see that they love what they do and are enjoying the fact that they are working together.”
Reid put up Careless in 2017. He recently partnered with Sony Music Philippines “so that I can focus on making music and managing artists.”
Through this partnership, Reid released in November a six-track record, titled “jgh,” that gives a glimpse into his past and present life and chronicles how mature he has become through the years. Short for “just got home,” the record is a blend of pop, R&B, and OPM sensibilities.
He has also put up an e-commerce company called Trendis, which manages livestreaming, content creation, as well as marketing and analytics for people selling their products on social media.
Reid will be starring in a drama series for TV and another one for a known streaming platform. He will be working on a big-screen project, too. “I’m excited. I’ve always planned to come back to acting, and I feel like now is the right time.”
