Barbara Teresa
Barbara Teresa was born with an innate love and talent for the arts. The Caracas-born, LA-based 18 year-old started singing and playing piano in primary school, writing songs in her early teens, and teaching herself how to play guitar and ukulele in recent years. Barbara always knew she wanted to dive into the world of music and entertainment, but her demanding studies and busy schedule made this nothing more than an out-of-reach dream. Set to head to Duke University in the fall of 2020, COVID travel restrictions along with many other factors persuaded the young musician to take a gap year, in turn kicking off her music career. Time in isolation helped Barbara explore herself as an artist. She spent most of her days writing songs, playing instruments, and teaching herself how to produce music. Raised listening to a melting pot of artists, genres, and music from different time periods.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?!
Emotional, dreamy, and nostalgic.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?) Tell us why. Definitely songwriting. It’s become an integral part of my identity. I don’t really see it as a chore or as a part of the process I have to follow to further my career as a musician anymore. I have a tough time being honest with myself and my emotions sometimes, and songwriting forces me to face my truth. Sharing that with others can be a little scary, but it’s part of the thrill of it! Seeing people relate to my words is very gratifying, too.
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you? I have a home set-up and do everything by myself! As a graduation gift last year, my extremely supportive parents transformed some old storage space we had at home into a mini studio. I may be biased but I think it’s the coolest room in the house, and when I’m home I spend about 90 percent of my time there. Sometimes I wish someone was there with me through the whole recording process, but I love working on my own.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love reading (mostly fiction) and writing! I try to journal most days and I love writing short stories. I always tell people that I consider myself a storyteller before anything else (musician, artist, etc), so I guess this hobby goes hand in hand with that. I also really like staying active, so any sort of workout is always fun for me. In middle and high school I was involved in theater and I would love to keep up with acting and directing once I get to college.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why? There are so many people I look up to in the music industry right now. At the moment though, I’ve got to say Olivia Rodrigo. She’s incredibly talented and I am obsessed with everything she’s put out so far. Her songwriting skills are insane, and she’s very well spoken and seems kind. I’d love to write a song with her one day! I feel like our styles are similar and could work well together. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it? I’ve lost count of all the songs I’ve written so I don’t know if I can pinpoint a specific one. I’ve also only released three tracks, so people wouldn’t know which song I was talking about if I mentioned it by name. I often find that my most emotional songs have to do with my own self image. Even though there are few things I enjoy more than writing love songs -- both happy and sad -- the songs I write about myself are way more introspective and emotionally packed. Maybe in the future a few of these songs will see the light of day and people will hear them.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year? So much stuff! I spent last October through this February/March working on a pretty big project that’s coming out this fall. I got to do a lot of on-camera work for it too which was a blast. I’m currently working on a summer release though, which I’m super excited about. There’s a lot I want to put out and even more I want to accomplish, but right now I’m honestly really grateful for what I have. Hopefully the future takes me to even better places!
Tell us where fans can access your music.
Follow on Instagram Listen on Soundcloud
Stream on Spotify
For more information on Barbara Teresa, please visit her website.
More about Barbara Teresa
Barbara Teresa has found inspiration in every corner of the musical scene, and she always tries to bring elements of what she loves into her work. With that being said, Barbara’s songwriting and musical style is heavily influenced by Taylor Swift, Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers, and Gracie Abrams — four artists she looks up to tremendously. Barbara’s songs can be described as genre-blending pop. Her different works often nod at r&b, folk, rock, and other styles of music. Her lyrics delve into the subjects of teenage struggles, ranging from heartbreak, to self-love, friendships and more. Her sound is soft, fresh, and simplistic; her words sincere, clever, and poetic, igniting nostalgia for youthfulness in her listeners.