Janesa Jaida "Nessa" Barrett[1] (born August 6, 2002)[2] is an American singer and songwriter. She has released one studio album, Young Forever (2022), and two
EPs, Pretty Poison (2021) and Hell Is a Teenage Girl (2023).
Early life
Barrett is of
Puerto Rican descent and was born and grew up in
Galloway Township, New Jersey, where she struggled as being the only Puerto Rican and, after her parents divorced, one of the few students living with a
single mother.[3][4] Her father, Drew Barrett (born 1980), is a rapper, actor, and
motivational speaker, who had a music studio at home. She has a younger brother named Julian.
Barrett said she has been writing songs "since [she] could walk and talk".[5]
In October 2020, she released her second single, "If U Love Me".[7] In December 2020, Barrett released a dark interpretation of "
Santa Baby". In February 2021, Barrett released the track "
La Di Die", which explores the downfalls of fame with
Jxdn, produced by
Travis Barker.[8][9][10] Barrett and Jxdn, along with Barker, performed the single live for the first time on the April 7, 2021 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and performed the song again on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 12, 2021.[8]
On June 25, 2021, Barrett released "Counting Crimes", a song said by Barrett to be "about moving on from something toxic."[11]
Her debut EP, Pretty Poison, containing seven new tracks, was released on September 10, 2021, coinciding with
World Suicide Prevention Day.[14][15]
2022–present: Young Forever
Barrett released the single "Dying on the Inside" in February 2022.[16]
In June 2022, Barrett released "Die First" as the lead single from her debut studio album. The song is dedicated to her best friend, Cooper Noriega, who had recently died of an accidental
drug overdose.[17] In the track, Barrett sings about hoping to never go through the pain of losing her mom, praying that she will be the first to die out of the two of them.
On September 9, 2022, she released "Madhouse", the second single on the album. The song addresses mental health problems along with
slut-shaming and
bullying.[18]
In October 2022, she released both "Tired of California", the third single on the album, and the entire album, Young Forever (stylized in all lowercase).[19]
In December 2022, she announced her Young Forever Tour featuring
Isabel LaRosa, playing twenty shows starting in February 2023.[20][21]
In February 2023, she released the single "BANG BANG!" [22] followed by "American Jesus" (which was previously performed on the
Young Forever Tour as an unreleased acoustic song) in April 2023 and "lie" in June 2023. All three singles ultimately became tracks on her EP titled "Hell is a Teenage Girl," (stylized in all lowercase) which was released on July 14, 2023.
On September 8, 2023, she released the single "Sick of Myself" featuring
Whethan.
On October 6, 2023, she released another single dedicated to Cooper Noriega, titled "Club Heaven."
On 8 December, 2023, she released the single "Girl in New York", which she had performed before as an unreleased single. On 18 January, 2024, she released “club heaven (Live from Spotify Green Screen)”. Speculation about Barrett's next album project includes the unconfirmed album title Church Club for the Lonely.[23]
Barrett has been open about her mental health issues, including
depression,
borderline personality disorder,
suicidal thoughts, and
eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia. She started therapy at age 6 and made her first
suicide attempt at age 14 by overdosing on an
analgesic, after which she was admitted to a
psychiatric hospital.[24] When she was 17 years old, after her parents objected, she ran away from home to live in
Los Angeles, where she expected more career opportunities.[19] When she was 18, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.[5][25] She attempted suicide again in 2022 following her best friend Cooper Noriega's death of an accidental
drug overdose on June 9, 2022. Her manager then admitted her to a psychiatric hospital. Barrett has since written & released the singles "Die First" in 2022 and "Club Heaven" in 2023 about Noriega. [26]
In an interview with
Zach Sang, Barrett proclaimed that her
Christian faith helped her through her mental health issues and the death of her friend.[27]
Barrett identifies as
bisexual.[28] She began dating fellow
TikTok star Josh Richards in November 2019; they broke up in March 2021.[29] She then dated
Jxdn and later confirmed engagement rumors before breaking up in May 2022.[2][30]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions shown
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.
Awards and nominations
Barrett was named to
Billboard's "21 Under 21" and was featured on
Ones to Watch's list of "25 Artists to Watch in 2022",
Uproxx's "Next Hitmakers List" and People's Emerging Artist List.[21]
"Pain":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 10, 2020.
Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
"La Di Die":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 1, 2021.
Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
"I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 16, 2021.
Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
"Dying on the Inside":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 7, 2022.
Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
"Die First":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 4, 2022.
Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
"American Jesus":
"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.