Fashionights

Interview | Brandon Pacheco

My initial thought when I met 13-year-old, Brandon Pacheco was, “this kid is too cute to take serious.” This was laid to rest, early.

Don’t let his height and wide-eyed demeanor fool you, Brandon Pacheco has talent, personality & spunk that’ll have you asking for more. And if his over 100K viewed videos on YouTube don’t sell you, his anticipated debut CD, Broke Up, will have you sign, sealed and delivered! The album which was co-produced & co-written by Rob Wells, who has worked with the likes of Mika, Backstreet Boys, Cyndi Lauper and Justin Bieber has hit written all over it!

While we’re on the Bieber topic, a lot of people and media are calling him the next Justin Bieber, and I really don’t want that falling on the boy, because really - asides the whole YouTube thing - they’re different and have a different outreach from one another. Pacheco has such a vibrant and dynamic voice!

I sat down with Brandon and his crew at Groovy, a Queen West hotspot for the latest and greatest in street-chic kicks and apparel. Since Brandon is all about high tops, we chatted amongst the PF Flyers and Chucks!

I asked him how it felt with all this buzz and if it’s nerve-racking following his win at the Hamilton Junior Idol Competition in 2010 and a Canadian National Anthem performance, “Interesting, it was just like, in order for me to get there, I had to win first place in the competition. I guess during the competition I was kind of nervous but afterwards I was like ‘Ahh, so much more experience.’” Clearly, practice makes perfect and alleviates things!

The rampant comparisons with Justin Bieber will only grow with continued success and I asked Brandon what he thought about these comments and if Bieber is an influence for him and his initial reactions from the success of Youtube.

“I saw Justin Bieber’s With You video, and I was like ‘Oh, I can do that,’ and then a couple months later I got a web-cam and started making videos - so I look up to him in that way.”

“It was amazing, I didn’t expect to get that many views, but now I have four, five songs out and it’s amazing… I want to keep making videos and keep making people, I guess send messages through music, just telling them that anything is possible. Two years ago, I didn’t expect this to happen, I was just a little kid in my living room recording covers of famous people songs and so I didn’t expect to like have MY OWN songs, being produced, having a music video, being on Much Music or being in an interview like this.”

Aw, I’m flattered, but look at yourself Brandon, you’re on the right track to being that famous person! You’re certainly on the right track.

Brandon’s debut single Broke Up hit radio stations earlier this week and his video is now live on YouTube. And while you’re at it his EP by the same title, is now available on iTunes so get yours now!

I caught up with his publicist a couple days ago and she told me how Brandon told her how he thought I was so cool, but honestly, this kid has the cool factor cranked up on high - keep your eyes and ears open for this little fire-cracker he’s destined for big things! You, watch!