Janesa Jaida "Nessa"Barrett[1] (born August 6, 2002)[2] is an Americansinger-songwriter and social media personality. She rose to prominence onTikTok and began uploading covers as a teenager, which led her to sign a recording contract with Warner Records. She released her debut single,Pain, in 2020. In 2021, She released her debut EP,Pretty Poison, which combined elements of alternative pop and pop-rock. She then released her debut album,Young Forever, the following year. In 2023, she released another EP,Hell Is a Teenage Girl, and in 2024, she released her second studio album,Aftercare, which incorporated electropop and synthpop.
Barrett is ofPuerto Rican descent. She was born and grew up inGalloway Township, New Jersey. During adolescence, Barrett felt alienated, being the only Puerto Rican, and one of the few children being raised by asingle mother, following the divorce of her parents.[3][4] 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 withJxdn, produced byTravis Barker.[8][9][10] Barrett and Jxdn, along with Barker, performed the single live for the first time on the April 7, 2021 episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live! and performed the song again onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 12, 2021.[8]
Barrett released the single "Dying on the Inside" in February 2022.[15]
In June 2022, Barrett released "Die First" as the lead single from her debut studio album. The song is dedicated to her friend, Cooper Noriega, who had recently died as a result of an accidentaldrug overdose.[16] 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 withslut-shaming andbullying.[citation needed] In October 2022, she released both "Tired of California", the third single on the album, and the entire album,Young Forever.[17] In December 2022, she announced her Young Forever Tour featuringIsabel LaRosa, playing twenty shows starting in February 2023.[18]
In February 2023, she released the single "Bang Bang!"[19] followed by "American Jesus" (which was previously performed acoustically on theYoung Forever Tour) in April 2023 and "lie" in June 2023. All three singles ultimately became tracks on her EP titledHell Is a Teenage Girl, which was released on July 14, 2023. On September 8, 2023, she released the single "Sick of Myself" featuringWhethan. On October 6, 2023, she released another single dedicated to Cooper Noriega, titled "Club Heaven".
On December 8, 2023, she released the single "Girl in New York", which she had previously performed. On January 18, 2024, she released "Club Heaven" (Live from Spotify Green Screen). Barrett's second album,Aftercare, was released in November 2024. It was preceded by the lead single "Passenger Princess", released in July 2024.[20] Two other singles were on the album, "Disco ft. Tommy Genesis" and "Dirty Little Secret". The deluxe edition ofAftercare, containing six new tracks, was released February 7, 2025.[21]
Barrett has been open about her mental health issues, includingdepression,borderline personality disorder,suicidal thoughts, andeating disorders, includinganorexia andbulimia. She started therapy at the age of 6 and firstattempted suicide at 14 by overdosing on ananalgesic, after which she was admitted to apsychiatric hospital.[22] At 17, after initial objection from her parents, she ran away from home to live inLos Angeles, where she expected more career opportunities.[17] At 18, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.[5][23] She attempted suicide again in 2022 following the death of her best friend Cooper Noriega, a fellow TikTok star, of an accidentaldrug overdose on June 9, with her manager then admitting her to a psychiatric hospital. Barrett has since written and released her 2022 and 2023 singles "Die First" and "Club Heaven" about Noriega, writing the former initially about her mother but dedicating it to Noriega following his death.[24]
In an interview withZach Sang, Barrett proclaimed that herChristian faith helped her through her mental health issues and the death of Noriega.[25]
Barrett isbisexual.[26] She began dating fellow social media starJosh Richards in November 2019; they broke up in March 2021.[27] She then datedJxdn and later confirmed engagement rumors before breaking up in May 2022.[2][28]
Barrett was named toBillboard's "21 Under 21" and was featured onOnes to Watch's list of "25 Artists to Watch in 2022",Uproxx's "Next Hitmakers List" andPeople's Emerging Artist List.[citation needed]
"Pain":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 10, 2020.Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. RetrievedJuly 10, 2021.
"La Di Die":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 1, 2021.Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. RetrievedJuly 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. RetrievedAugust 13, 2021.
"Dying on the Inside":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 7, 2022.Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. RetrievedMarch 4, 2022.
"Die First":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 4, 2022.Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. RetrievedJuly 1, 2022.
"American Jesus":"NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 8, 2023. RetrievedMay 6, 2023.
