If it wasn’t obvious before, it definitely is now: 2022 is Careless’ year. And to prove our point, here’s a quick timeline of what went down over the past few months.

June to July

Liza Soberano and Issa Pressman were announced as the newest addition to the Filipino music label’s fast-growing roster of talents. Liza and Issa, together with founder and chairman James Reid, were seen hanging out (or maybe even cooking up collabs, who knows) with some of today’s most prominent K-pop and Western personalities—IVE’s Yujin, iKON’s DK, GOT7’s Bambam, Henry Lau, Bretman Rock, and Cole Sprouse to name a few.

August to September

Lesha released her debut album “3rd Eye.” The singer-songwriter initially planned to drop it independently—but “the unexpected happened” and she eventually got signed under Careless. “I’m really grateful they decided to release this album with me. They were with me throughout the entire process,” said Lesha in her vlog.

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Arthur Tan also released a tropical house track called “Follow the Sun” featuring Dumaguete-raised rapper Massiah. Infused with electronic pop elements and synths, the song exudes island vibes and a tinge of nostalgia.

October

James dropped his sophomore album “Lovescene.” In an exclusive interview with Preen, the multihyphenate revealed that the 10-track record was inspired by his personal experiences. It portrays the different stages of being in a relationship: “The first few songs in the album are about finding new love and how I deal with it; then, realizing a lot of things about the relationship and going through speed bumps and hard times—all the things that come with being in a relationship. And then, it kind of finishes with loss or a breakup and the things that I’ve learned in those relationships,” said James.

November

If you think Careless has already run out of pleasant surprises, think again. The record label is obviously on a wild roll and has no plans of stopping just yet. In a press conference on Nov. 21, Careless revealed that it recently took three new artists under its wing:

• Destiny Rogers is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Lodi, California. Prior to being announced as Careless’ new talent, she already had a couple of collaborations: one with James in “Lie to Me” and another with K-pop soloist B.I. in “Got it Like That.” (Fun fact: Lisa of BLACKPINK used Destiny Rogers’ debut single “Tomboy” in her dance vlog “LILI’s FILM: The Movie.”)

• August Wahh is an R&B singer who has been navigating the industry independently for almost her entire career until she met James through a mutual friend. While her signature sound is mainly neo-soul, August said she’s open to exploring jazz and synthpop.

• SOS is the first-ever band Careless has signed. Similar to August, the alternative rock quartet has been an independent act since the late 2000s. When asked why they decided to sign under a label this time, the band answered: “It comes down to the fact that [Careless’] goals are very aligned with ours. We’ve been indie since high school, so it [would be] cool to work with people who have the same energy as us and [those who are] willing to push the limits as far as we want to.”

“The entertainment game has been completely democratized. So, I would say what [people] can look out for [from Careless are] unexpected or outside-the-box collaborations [and] perhaps more visibility on the ground in 2023,” CEO Jeff Oh disclosed.

The year is about to end, but the journey has seemingly just begun for Careless. As the iconic Dr. Jill Illustre of “The Broken Marriage Vow” said: “Papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part.”

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Photos from Destiny Rogers, SOS, and August Wahh on Instagram