Whether in music, acting or fashion, James Reid continues his unstoppable rise as one of today&rsquo;s brightest stars.

Actor-singer James Reid needs no introduction. At 31, with 14 years of industry experience, he has firmly established himself as a multi-talented force. In music, he has released three albums, with his latest EP just dropped. In film and TV, his roles have showcased his versatility &mdash; from his breakout role as Cross Sandford in Diary ng Panget to Clark Medina in On the Wings of Love &mdash; while in fashion, he&rsquo;s become one of today&rsquo;s It-boys, frequently making waves at international fashion weeks and collaborating with a host of luxury brands. With a career that continues to evolve, James shows no signs of slowing down, solidifying his place as one of the most dynamic talents of his generation.
In celebration of his upcoming EP release and the arrival of the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2025 Men&rsquo;s collection in stores, we caught up with James to talk about his recent projects, his experience attending his second Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week, and more.

Hi James! How have you been since we last met in June in Paris?
Well, since we last met in June &mdash; oh my God &mdash; it&rsquo;s been incredibly busy, mostly with music. I&rsquo;ve been wrapping up an EP I&rsquo;ve been working on, which dropped on November 29. It&rsquo;s called &ldquo;JGH,&rdquo; which stands for &ldquo;Just Got Home.&rdquo; It features six tracks. I&rsquo;ve been releasing songs throughout the year, and now it&rsquo;s all coming together. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s been keeping me occupied for the most part. 
Congratulations on the launch of &ldquo;JGH&rdquo;! Can you share the story and inspiration behind the EP?
Thank you! Whenever I work on albums or EPs, it&rsquo;s usually not until I&rsquo;m almost done that I figure out where I am heading with it. My inspiration really comes from personal experiences &mdash; what I&rsquo;m going through at the time. It could be inspired by people I deeply care about, lessons from tough situations, or even heartache. 
The name &ldquo;Just Got Home&rdquo;&nbsp;reflects my journey in music. Over the years, I&rsquo;ve explored different places, like the U.S. and Korea, and collaborated with various producers and artists. But while working on this project, I felt like I was coming back to my roots. It blends the classic OPM sound from my earlier days with fresh influences I&rsquo;ve picked up along the way. It&rsquo;s all about that sense of returning home, creatively and emotionally. 
How did it feel to return to Paris for the second time for the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2025 show?
It was so much better this time because it was summer! Back in January, it was the middle of winter, freezing cold, and I was wearing the Spring/Summer collection from the previous year. That experience was unforgettable, though &mdash; it was my first fashion week. 
This time around, the weather was great, which I appreciated because I&rsquo;m not a fan of the cold. It was amazing to see familiar faces &mdash; friends I&rsquo;ve made across Asia and even back in the Philippines. It felt more comfortable this time, and the whole experience was just really cool.

What were your favorite looks or pieces from the Louis Vuitton collection, and why?
Let me jog my memory &mdash; it&rsquo;s been a while! But I distinctly remember being drawn to the travel luggage. As someone who travels a lot, those pieces stood out. The variety of travel cases in the collection caught my eye&mdash;they were stylish and functional, which is exactly what you want as a frequent traveler.
The collection focuses on worldly travel, especially with its bags and luggage. How does this theme resonate with your experiences as an artist who&rsquo;s often on the move?
For me, it&rsquo;s less about being an artist and more about enjoying the style of it all. Traveling in style just feels good &mdash; it&rsquo;s exciting and adds a touch of cool to the whole experience.
As an artist, what are your thoughts on Pharrell bringing a musician&rsquo;s perspective to a luxury fashion house?
I love it. Music and fashion share this unspoken connection. Certain looks or designs can exude an energy that resonates deeply, maybe even in a way only a musician would fully understand. Similarly, music can inspire fashion. Pharrell embodies this beautifully, blending art forms seamlessly.
As an artist myself, I admire how he draws inspiration and translates it into his work. It&rsquo;s something I aspire to do &mdash; art connecting across mediums. Hopefully, one day, I&rsquo;ll create my own fashion line. I just need to attend a few more fashion weeks for inspiration!

How has your personal style evolved since the beginning of your career?
This might sound a little cheesy, but my style has become more authentic and free. As I&rsquo;ve grown older, I&rsquo;ve gotten more comfortable with myself, which has allowed me to explore and experiment with different aspects of my personality, both in music and fashion.
At 17, I was far more insecure, and that was reflected in how I dressed and expressed myself. Now, I feel free to try new things, whether they&rsquo;re vulnerable, bold, or unconventional. That freedom has been the biggest evolution in both my fashion and my music.
With so much of your personal life often in the spotlight, what have been the biggest challenges and lessons you&rsquo;ve learned from living under public scrutiny?
The challenge is exactly that &mdash; being under public scrutiny. Most people don&rsquo;t experience what it&rsquo;s like to lose anonymity. It can feel overwhelming to live under constant pressure to meet people&rsquo;s expectations or perceptions.
But the biggest lesson I&rsquo;ve learned is to strengthen what my friend calls the &ldquo;fuck it muscle.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s about not caring what others think and being comfortable in your own skin. It&rsquo;s a tough lesson, but one that&rsquo;s been invaluable for me.
What&rsquo;s next for you?
Well, by the time this interview is out, my EP &ldquo;JGH&rdquo; will have just dropped. But I&rsquo;ve already started working on a full album for next year, with a bunch of demos already in the works. On top of that, I have some acting projects lined up &mdash; TV series and limited streaming series are in the pipeline. 2025 is shaping up to be a huge year for both my music and acting careers. I&rsquo;m excited for what&rsquo;s to come!

James Reid Reinvents His Path Forward

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