TikTok has given birth to a new wave of stars this generation, and Nessa Barrett is one of the most popular stars on the social media platform. Originally born Janessa Jaida Barrett, this New Jersey native got famous at the young age of 17 after the app turned her lip-syncing and dancing videos viral in 2019. After her name gained some traction in the entertainment industry, she moved to LA.
In Los Angeles, she started to make YouTube videos with other well-known personalities on social media, including members of the TikTok house dubbed “The Sway House.” Now, she has almost 20 million followers on TikTok, almost 7 million followers on Instagram, and over a million YouTube subscribers. It’s evident from her newfound online success that she has natural star power.
However, Nessa’s talent lay far beyond lip-syncing, and she’s now making music her full-time career. She has released two EPs over the past couple of years. But what else do we really know about this social media influencer? Here are some little-known facts about this new star on the block.
Her childhood wasn’t easy
Although she lives what many would consider to be a dream now, she felt like an outcast as a child since she was one of the few Hispanic children in her area. She was also one of the only ones who lived in an apartment with a single mom. Money didn’t come easily to Barrett’s family, who grew up with financial issues. The celebrity admits that she was the victim of bullying as a child and suffered through ADHA and dyslexia, which made school work quite tricky. She left home at the age of 17 to escape their troubles.
Nessa Barrett got TikTok famous unexpectedly
While many young people make it their life mission to get views on TikTok, the fame of Barrett fell into her lap, and she was surprised by it. She never had the goal of being an influencer, and her little sister was the one who told her to make a TikTok account!
Although she continued churning out videos out of boredom due to her past experience with being bullied, she was skeptical. Still, she used that fame to move to Los Angeles, but it took Nessa time to adjust to the influencer life, ultimately realizing it was best to be herself rather than pretending to be someone the public wanted her to be.
Music has always been her outlet
Creativity was a savior for Nessa Barrett’s mental health, and it’s always been like that. This is why her songs are so personal—they’re like a journal for her real life, and she’s always done that since she was a child. Her parents had a recording studio at home, which she frequently visited from a young age. She said that music saved her life and still acts as a form of therapy today in challenging times.
She’s always struggled with mental health
Like many creative individuals, mental health has always been a journey for Nessa Barrett. She’s been in therapy since she was only six years old for anxiety, and when she was 14 years old, she was misdiagnosed with depression. Unfortunately, many of her emotional issues were dismissed by her very religious parents, who thought praying would solve everything. Nessa suffered from multiple concussions as a teenager and overdosed on pain pills in a tragic suicide attempt. Finally, she was diagnosed at age 18 with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Barrett has experienced body image issues
Along with very severe self-esteem and body image problems, Barrett is a survivor of the eating disorder known as anorexia. Although she was always open about her other struggles, she was secretive about anorexia, which she has suffered from since middle school, as well as her insecurity about her height since she is 4’11”. Fame only added more pressure since the critics always had something to say about her appearance, and she even admitted to abusing substances to curb her appetite. She did seek out treatment and now understands that being healthy is key to her performance as an artist.
She’s been in high-profile relationships
Like many it girls of the moment, Barrett has been with other high-profile stars that the media has documented heavily. First, she dated TikTok star Josh Richards in 2020. While the two are still friends, she moved on with another TikToker called Jaden Hossler, with whom she’s done a musical collaboration. However, both of her love interests were members of Sway House, which caused drama. Even though Barrett got engaged to Hossler, they broke up in 2022 due to external pressure and mental health problems.
After Cooper Noriega’s death, she found faith
Nessa experienced tragedy when her BFF and fellow TikToker Cooper Noriega passed away from an accidental overdose in 2022. They even had matching tattoos. After being devastated by the news, she attempted to take her life once more. However, after friends encouraged her to get help, she found God and used religion as a way to cope. Noriega was also a huge advocate for faith, and Barrett paid tribute to him by releasing a song called “club heaven” where lyrics talk about the late influencer’s afterlife.
She loves tattoos
One of her biggest passions outside of music is tattoos, and she has ink all over her body. Her ribcage reads “HEAVY SOUL,” and most of her tats have a special, personal meaning. One reads “little,” which is her grandma’s nickname for her, while another says “pure” because her voice was described as pure when she was growing up. She’s gotten matching tats with Cooper Noriega and her ex Jaden Hossler. Since Noriega’s passing, she’s gotten multiple tattoos in honor of him, and she still craves more ink in the future, like a sleeve tattoo that sums up how she’s overcome her struggles over the years.
Nessa Barrett has a unique style
In a way that’s reminiscent of Billie Eilish, Barrett loves loose-fitting clothes, like baggy tees and sweatshirts. However, she also likes to dress up in slightly more promiscuous outfits onstage and at fashion events. Feeling good in what she wears is the most important thing for Barrett, which is why she partnered with Kim K’s shapewear brand SKIMS, a natural confidence booster for the young star.
Barrett is obsessed with her cat
Nessa’s white Persian cat, who she called “Boo” or “Kitty,” is the love of her life. Although she has adopted dogs in the past, this feline is her main focus, and she’s explained how strong her bond with Kitty has always been. She felt the connection grow even stronger when she discovered that the cat was born on the day her best friend, Cooper, passed away.
