W: Lulu Kennedy I: Joe Williams (@joewmss on Instagram)

Jackson. doesn’t just make music; he channels it. At just 22 years old, the Brighton-born, London-based solo artist is creating a sonic universe that thrives in the shadows, sitting somewhere in the ethereal, experimental space between the legendary art-pop of Peter Gabriel, the lo-fi urgency of Chanel Beads, and the fractured beauty of ML Buch.

With his massive new standalone single ‘O’ tearing up the rulebook, we sat down with the producer and multi-instrumentalist to talk ghost stories, creative confusion, and why the best art comes from pure, unfiltered emotion.

For Jackson., music isn't a career choice—it’s an inevitability. "Music is all I can remember in my life," he says. It’s an obsession that has led him to curate a sound that feels intensely familiar yet completely impossible to pin down.

"MY MUSIC IS FOR THE NIGHT. IT SPEAKS ABOUTEVERYTHING AT ONCE. IT WORDS ARE ABSTRACT, BUT THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SOMETHING "

This refusal to be neatly categorized is exactly what makes him one of the most exciting new prospects in the alternative landscape. He isn’t chasing trends; he’s chasing a feeling. "I think I’d call my music alternative because it feels familiar quite often, but you can never pinpoint where that familiarity stems from," he reflects. "It just becomes the listener’s music. It’s for people that really feel something when they listen to a song and want that feeling again and again."

"MY GREATEST STRENGTH IS BEING ABLE TO CREATE BASED SOLELY ON EMOTION AND THE FEELING THAT THE SOUNDS I'VE MADE CREATE IN ME."

His new single, ‘O’, is a towering testament to this philosophy. Written alongside close friends Lewis Foord and Jake Stainer, the track pulled inspiration from a completely unexpected source: the classic Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan.

"It was our first time writing together," Jackson. explains. "Lewis suggested we use the ghost story as inspiration. Because none of us had a personal connection to the story, we had to think about writing in a different way, which was really fun."

The result? A sweeping, visceral experience. Driven by a colossal drum part courtesy of Will Moore, ‘O’ marries traditional folk guitar tunings with experimental recording techniques, subverting expectations at every turn. It is a track fueled by layers of melancholy and anger—a standalone statement that places the listener in entirely uncharted territory.

‘O’ IS A BIG SONG. IT'S A STANDALONE STORY AND SOUND THAT FEELS NEW ... IT PUTS YOU SOMEWHERE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN

Jackson.’s creative process is heavily reliant on instinct. In a world of over-polished pop, he actively champions the flaws and the first takes. "Music is one of the only things that actually feels real to me," he admits. "Nothing else makes me feel so much. When I'm writing or producing, it really comes from somewhere else—a place of pure feeling. I often go with the first takes of things because they just came out right."

Yet, that commitment to deep feeling comes with its own hurdles. When asked about his weaknesses, he is refreshingly candid: "I struggle to say exactly how I feel sometimes, often using scenarios or objects to get there instead. I’m trying to get better at fishing what I really feel out of my own head."

That emotional honesty extends to his real life, too. When a long-term relationship ended, Jackson. chose to run toward the fire rather than away from it. "That was probably one of the most difficult things for me. I think I worked through it by just feeling everything instead of trying to ignore it."

"I WANT MY MUSIC TO SOUND AS SIMILAR TO MY BRAIN AS POSSIBLE."

Looking ahead, Jackson. is aiming to break down the traditional walls of songwriting. Influenced deeply by the likes of Caroline, Slint, and Joni Mitchell, his upcoming material promises to push boundaries even further.

"I want to experiment with a more loose song structure and create new sounds from normal instruments," he says. "I feel that leans more in the direction of my own thinking, and I’m constantly trying to get my music to sound as similar to my brain as possible."

What is driving that brain right now? Pure, unadulterated human chaos.

"Currently, I’m being driven by confusion. I think I’m just realising that I don’t understand most things, and I’m searching for new ways of seeing it all."

With another single dropping later this year that he promises "really shows who I am as an artist," the music world is about to get a front-row seat to Jackson. and his beautiful confusion. Get ready to feel it.

Instagram @jackson_.888