Nessa Barrett

Janesa Jaida "Nessa" Barrett (born August 6, 2002) is an American singer-songwriter and social media personality. She rose to prominence on TikTok and began uploading song 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. In 2026, Barrett released her EP, Jesus Loves a Primadonna. In July of that same year, she announced her third studio album Tough Love, set for release on September 25, 2026.

Early life Barrett is of Puerto Rican descent. She was born and raised in Galloway Township, New Jersey. During adolescence, Barrett felt alienated due to being the only Puerto Rican and one of the few children being raised by a single mother, following the divorce of her parents. Barrett said she has been writing songs "since [she] could walk and talk".

Career 2019–2021: Career beginnings and Pretty Poison In 2019, Barrett began posting videos on TikTok, which led to a recording contract with Warner Records. In July 2020, she released her piano‑based ballad debut single, "Pain".

In October 2020, she released her second single, "If U Love Me". In December 2020, Barrett released a dark interpretation of "Santa Baby". In February 2021, she released the track "La Di Die", which explores the downfalls of fame with Jxdn and was produced by Travis Barker. Barrett, Jxdn, and Barker performed the single live for the first time on the April 7, 2021 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and again on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 12, 2021. In August 2021, her song "I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead" debuted at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her first entry on the chart. Her debut EP, Pretty Poison, containing seven new tracks, was released on September 10, 2021, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day.

In June 2022, she 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 from an accidental drug overdose. In the track, Barrett sings about hoping to never experience the pain of losing her mother, expressing a desire to be the first to pass between the two of them.

On September 9, 2022, she released "Madhouse", the album’s second single. The song addresses mental health struggles, slut-shaming, and bullying. In October 2022, she released "Tired of California", the album’s third single, followed by the full release of Young Forever.

In February 2023, she released the single "Bang Bang!" followed by "American Jesus" (previously performed acoustically on the Young Forever Tour) in April 2023 and "lie" in June 2023. All three singles were later included on her EP Hell Is a Teenage Girl, 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", accompanied by a music video. On December 8, 2023, she released the single "Girl in New York", which she had previously performed.

2024–present: Aftercare, Jesus Loves a Primadonna and Tough Love 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. The album also included the singles "Disco" featuring Tommy Genesis and "Dirty Little Secret". A deluxe edition of Aftercare, containing six new tracks, was released on February 7, 2025.

On January 16, 2026, she released the single "High on Heaven", which she performed on Triple J on January 15, 2026. On February 27, 2026, she released "Stay with Me" and announced her next EP, Jesus Loves a Primadonna, which was released on March 20, 2026.

In 2026, it was announced that Barrett would be an opener for The Neighbourhood’s upcoming tour. The band has been cited as a major influence on her decision to pursue music.

In July 2026, Barrett announced her third studio album Tough Love, which is scheduled for release on September 25.

Artistry Barrett cites Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez, and The Neighbourhood as influences on both her sound and her aesthetic as a musician. At seventeen, after initial objections from her parents, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue career opportunities. She was diagnosed with BPD at eighteen.

She has also discussed the emotional impact of the 2022 death of her best friend Cooper Noriega, a fellow TikTok creator who died of an accidental drug overdose. Following his passing, Barrett was hospitalized again, and she later dedicated her singles “Die First” and “Club Heaven” to him. She has said that "Die First" was originally written about her mother but was rededicated to Noriega after his death.

In an interview with Zach Sang, Barrett stated that her Christian faith played an important role in helping her cope with her mental health challenges and with Noriega’s death.

Barrett is bisexual. She began dating fellow social media star Josh Richards in November 2019; the two broke up in March 2021. She then dated Jaden Hossler (also known as Jxdn) and later addressed engagement rumors following their breakup in May 2022.

After her breakup with Hossler, Barrett was linked to model Harley Solomon, who is reported to be the nephew of the owners of the fashion brand Chrome Hearts. The two were photographed together, leading to public speculation about their relationship, though neither confirmed it publicly.

Tours Headlining

Young Forever Tour (2023) Church Club for the Lonely Tour (2023) Aftercare World Tour (2025) Jesus Loves a Primadonna: An Intimate Evening with Nessa Barrett (2026)

Supporting The Neighbourhood – Wourld Tour (2026)

Discography Studio albums +List of studio albums, with selected chart positions shown Title Album details Peak chart positions US US Rock AUS BEL(FL) CAN IRE LTU NZ SCO Label: Warner Formats: Digital download, streaming

EPs +List of EPs, with selected chart positions shown Title EP details Peak chart positions USHeat. AUS SCO Label: Warner Formats: Digital download, streaming — — — Jesus Loves a Primadonna Released: March 20, 2026 Label: Warner Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming — 41 67"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Singles

MC: Gold "I'm Dead" — — — — — — — — — "Counting Crimes" — 46 — — — — — — — "I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead" 88 11 53 — 38 5 — 75 120 RIAA: Gold Pretty Poison "Dying on the Inside" 2022 — 23 30 — 5 — 14 3 — — "Die First" — 14 86 — 81 15 — — — RIAA: Gold — 41 — — — — 18 — — — "Club Heaven" — 47 — — — — 14 — — — "Girl in New York" — — — — — — 19 — — — "Passenger Princess" 2024 — 46 — — — — 17 — — — Aftercare "Dirty Little Secret" — — — — — — 26 — — — "Disco" — — — — — — — — — — "Mustang Baby" — 39 — — — — 39 — — — "Pornstar" 2025 — — — — — — 10 — — — "Does God Cry?" — — — — — — — — — — "Love Looks Pretty on You" — — — — — — 11 — — — "High on Heaven" 2026 — — — — — — 30 — — — Jesus Loves a Primadonna "Stay with Me" — — — — — — — — — — "Buffalo 66" — — — — — — — — — — "Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die" — — — — — — 18 — — —Tough Love "Bad Girls Never Die” — — — — — — — — — —"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart."*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time.

Other charted songs +List of other charted songs with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album or EP 2020Bree Shepherd & Nessa Barrett "If U Love Me" Emma Syndey Menzies "La Di Die" 2021 Andrew Sandler "Counting Crimes" "I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead" Hannah Lux Davis Pretty Poison "Keep Me Afraid" Lorenzo Diego Carrera & Alex Bordoni "Pretty Poison" "I Wanna Die" "Sincerely" "Dying on the Inside" 2022 JakeTheShooter & Hunter Moreno "Die First" Loris Russier Young Forever "Tired of California" "Bang Bang!" 2023 Hunter Lyon Hell Is a Teenage Girl "American Jesus" Loris Russier "Lie" "Hell Is a Teenage Girl" Andrew Donoho "Sick of Myself" John Rizkallah & Janelle Brosnan Life of a Wallflower, Vol. 2 "Club Heaven" Loris Russier "Passenger Princess" 2024 Aerin Moreno Aftercare "Dirty Little Secret" "Disco" "Mustang Baby" Nessa Barrett "Stay with Me" 2026 Kristen Jan Wong & Nessa Barrett Jesus Loves a Primadonna "Buffalo 66" Claire Bishara "Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die" Tough Love

Awards and nominations Barrett was named to Billboards "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 Peoples Emerging Artist List. +YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s) and nominee(s)ResultRef.2021iHeartRadio Music AwardsSocial StarHerself 2022 MTV Video Music AwardsPush Performance of the Year"I Hope Ur Miserable Until Ur Dead" MTV Europe Music AwardsBest PushHerself BreakTudo AwardsInternational Best New Artist Herself