THE BRAIN - Key Persons
Rooted in gospel and classic rock and soul, genre-hopping singer and songwriter Charles Perry didn't grow up in the church - he grew up in several churches. The Brooklyn native was singing at the age of five, and as an adolescent was able to boast about appearing on Montel Thomas' Sealed by the Holy Ghost, an album that hit number 10 on Billboard's gospel chart. While still young, he appeared on-stage in a production of Mama I Want to Sing and performed background vocals for a lengthy list of high-profile gospel and R&B artists, including Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston. In 2010, Perry offered his debut solo album, the independently released The Genesis of Soul, on which he mixed throwback soul, synth funk, and contemporary ballads. He subsequently signed with the Universal-distributed Verve label and was put to work with several fellow songwriters, including Jason Evigan, Nate Fox, and Verve chairman David Foster; the results have included a thumping folk-dance hybrid "Stranger to Love," which was remixed separately by Tiesto and RAC, ahead of an upcoming album.
Every-so-often, a producer emerges with a distinct sonic identity. Such is the case with Dave Kuncio, NFL-bound kicker turned hitmaker. A guitar prodigy with a unique feel and extreme versatility, Dave's beats are all immediately identifiable. Dave's songs have been recorded by a handful of recording artists, including Dierks Bentley, Ty Dolla $ign, Selena Gomez, and Alicia Keys.
Eric Wortham II is a jazz and classically trained accomplished pianist, composer, songwriter and producer. He is best known for captivating audiences with his soulful rhythmic feel, innovative hand technique and precise hand speed. Eric has toured with grammy award winning artists such as Jill Scott and Adele and collaborated with Vivian Green, Aloe Blacc, Kindred The Family Soul, Music SoulChild, and Jeff Bradshaw.
Eric's reputation as gifted pianist beckoned him to Shanghai, China, where he was invited to the House of Blues for a three month residency entitled Jazz in Shanghai. He has graced the stages of the Grammy Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, the Marian Anderson Awards and performed on The View, Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael, The Ellen Show, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Saturday Night Live,
Eric's work with Jill Scott include co-writer, producer, keyboards and main personnel for several songs on "The Original Jill Scott from the Vault, Vol. 1" and "The Light of the Sun". He performed on Adele's live version of "When We Were Young (Live at The Church Studios)", and appeared with Adele on her NBC televised special, "Adele Live in New York City". Eric will be accompanying Adele on her global tour through 2017. Eric is a Yamaha endorsed artist.
Freddy Wexler has written hits for everyone from Justin Bieber to Kanye West, but the biggest challenge of his life was getting the Piano Man to finish his song "Turn the Lights Back On," and record it.
A man sits at a piano and regales you with tales of love and life. It's something that happens just as naturally in a dim-lit New York City neighborhood haunt as it does under the bright lights of Shea Stadium. It's a timeless tradition that doesn't occur enough in this day and age. It's something that Jackson Penn holds sacred.
At the end of 2017, the Manhattan-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and storyteller sat behind a piano and simply played. Without any expectations or goals, he quietly wrote throughout the year equally inspired by the everyman honesty of Billy Joel and the literary spark of J.D. Salinger.
"I didn't put out music until now, because I didn't think I had anything to say," he admits. "But the truth is, I was trying too hard. Self-expression isn't rocket science, but sometimes I get stuck in my head. It turns out I have a lot to say when I don't think about it."
Jackson unveiled his independent debut single "Streetlights On Mars." With its lithe guitar, glistening piano, and vivid lyricism ("She was a wild one, a dreamer, a wide-eyed believer, a rocket in the night"), the track immediately caught fire. It hit #12 on the US Viral and #17 on Global Viral Spotify charts; it's garnered more than 3 millions streams; and Fader called it "an addictive pop song." Clash Magazine called him "one of pop's true hidden talents." His follow-up singles only built on the momentum: 2019's "My Girl" racked up over 5 million streams on Spotify alone, and his feature on NEIKED's "Sometimes" cracked 10 million.
His real name is actually Freddy Wexler, and he's cowritten songs for BlackPink, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Lil Wayne, Post Malone, The Jonas Brothers, Martin Garrix, and Steve Aoki, to name a few. But Jackson Penn unlocks something special for Wexler, representing a childlike approach driven solely by passion. It's who he was always meant to be.
"I just want to be me," he leaves off. "Anything else is just too much work. The truth is, the only thing I can do better than anyone else is be myself. I spent too long quieting the kid inside of me. So, I decided to give him a promotion and name him Jackson Penn."
Freddy Wexler is a GRAMMY-nominated, multiplatinum award-winning hit songwriter and film producer with an expansive film, tv and animation slate. Wexler has multiple projects set up with Disney, Nickelodeon, Universal, Fremantle, Fulwell73/James Corden, the Estefans, Marc Platt, Westbrook, and Random House. He was recently named in Variety's Family Entertainment Impact Report List for Film and Television and included as one of the "World's Greatest Songwriters" in Music Business Worldwide. He was nominated for multiple GRAMMYs, including Album of the Year, at the 2022 GRAMMYs for his work on Justin Bieber's album, Justice, and is again a nominee this year for his work on Laufey's groundbreaking release Bewitched (Billboard #1 Jazz).
Wexler's songs have been released by Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Blackpink, Selena Gomez, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Post Malone, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Pink, Marshmallow, Laufey, Diana Ross, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Pusha T, Wyclef Jean, Celine Dion, Martin Garrix, Avicii, Zayn Malik, and DNCE, among others.
Wexler began his career as an A&R intern for Sony Music where he pitched an unknown artist, Stefani Germonatta, as "the next Madonna." Germonatta, whose early demos Wexler recorded, went on to become Lady Gaga. Wexler has contributed to 8 Billboard #1s, including Kanye West's "Wolves," and has his own Songbook on Apple Music.
Wexler cowrote the single "Stuck with U" by Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, which hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and broke streaming records. Wexler and others donated their fees, and proceeds from the song have already raised $5 million for families of first responders. Wexler penned the global hit "Be Kind" for Halsey and Marshmello and recently wrote "Mon Soleil," the only original song in Emily in Paris. Featuring series star Ashley Park, the which broke debut streaming records and garnered 30MM+ in record time.
Wexler has written for major brands like 7UP and his music has appeared in countless films and television shows, including Fifty Shades, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Grey's Anatomy, The Bachelorette, Wimbledon, and Emily in Paris. Wexler is also founder of The Brain Music, a 360 music company whose catalogue includes songs by Chance the Rapper, Alicia Keys, and Dierks Bentley.