Jade Barbara is an 18-year-old Sydney, Australia-based artist, blending contemporary R&B and dance pop. Her debut single, “i get so sick,” accumulated tens of thousands of streams within its first week on Spotify. A multifaceted performer, studying at Australia’s biggest dance school Brent Street, earning multiple first-place dance titles as well as taking the stage as part of duo act SILVER alongside Jesse Aerlic, Jade Barbara enjoys producing her own music, and continuously shaping her artistry with each release.
With “breathe (a little)” out now, we took some time to hear from Jade Barbara. Read below to learn more about Jade Barbara, the story behind “breathe (a little),” and what’s to come.
Hi Jade Barbara! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Hello! Jade Barbara is my first name and middle name. Barbara is my late grandmother, and I think it’s such a pretty name.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and I’m still here! I think Sydney is a beautiful and fascinating place, and I wouldn’t want to move anywhere anytime soon.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
My whole life I’ve always had a love for creating music. I think it was something that I always knew I was going to do, but always thought of it as “Oh, I’ll start to take it seriously one day when the times right.”
I’ve written song lyrics from as young as I can remember, but only began experimenting with production and DAWs early 2022. Ever since then I’ve been growing and learning lots about how to feel confident within my own music.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
There are people who have said my music is very Y2K inspired, as well as Pop fuelled. There’s a lot of different genres across my discography, most are a mix of Synth Pop, Dance Pop and Contemporary R&B. Think old school Britney Spears meets Ariana Grande type genre.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I’m actually a professional dancer, so most of the time you’ll find me training at Brent Street, or doing dance projects with my friends for major Sydney festivals. Other than singing and dancing, I love to bake and scrapbook!
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I’m very honoured to look up to so many different artists and music icons that it’s hard to pinpoint just one. 5 Seconds of Summer have really intricate lyrics that I love to reflect on for inspiration, but for “breathe (a little)” specifically, artists like Britney Spears and Jamelia were the influences.
Who would be a dream to collaborate with?
Too many. Yves has music all over my playlists, I love her.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
Just starting honestly. I was terrified for years about people’s perceptions of me, if my work was even good enough. I ended up with over 65k streams across Spotify and was still nervous to go public. I’m most proud of my first steps back when I was 15, and releasing my first song because small steps mean everything.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
That mixing and production within a song cannot be taken for granted haha. My past songs didn’t nearly have enough effort put into their creation other than putting vocals over an instrumental, and you can really tell.
Now onto your release, “breathe (a little).” What inspired this song? What is “breathe (a little)” about?
“breathe (a little)” was inspired from a story I was told. One of my friends had emotionally outgrown her partner, but was still attached. She’d forever complain about his immaturity, yet she said she felt as if she couldn’t “breathe” without him. As someone who’s in a positive long term relationship currently, I couldn’t imagine the idea of resenting my partner and it sparked a lot of inspiration into the “what ifs” of storytelling.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “breathe (a little)?”
Ariana Grande’s positions album was full of beautiful slim graphic liner, and I really wanted to put my own take on creative makeup. I drew the album cover in the corner of my Legal Studies notebook back when I was in high school, and bought a white graphic liner from Mecca the very next day.
What was the creative process like when making “breathe (a little)?”
After my last EP, ultraviolet, was released last September, I started working on new songs straight away. Initially, I’d intended on creating a 4-track EP aimed for late January release; until I realised how much I loved working and learning on music production instead. I took this time to further my skills instead, and work on a smaller amount of music at once, which I think really paid off.
How long did it take to complete “breathe (a little)?”
Around 4-5 months alongside a few other songs. It was a lot of creating random melodies, and seeing which ones were catchiest, and then how to approach editing it after that.
What is your favorite lyric in “breathe (a little)” and why?
I liked writing “But when push and push comes to shove, You pull me and I give you up,” in the bridge. By this time in the song, she’s laying out all of her emotions to a stripped back instrumental in a more honest tone, and I think It portrays the frustrated push and pull of the relationship well. I also love “That shoulder give you frostbite” as a little metaphor in the second verse because it’s a little easter egg into future music. I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to know what I’m talking about.
What do you hope fans take away from “breathe (a little)” and your music in general?
I hope fans take away “breathe (a little)” as a feel good track with some sense of playful depth. A lot of my songs have intricate lyrics over upbeat instrumentals, which is one of my favourite aspects of music.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
There is definitely more new music ready and coming soon. I don’t have any confirmed dates yet, but I can say that me and my duet Jesse will be performing as SILVER very soon across Sydney. Original songs, including “breathe (a little)” are confirmed for the setlist, so I’m very excited for the track to hit live stages.
Where can we follow you on social media?
My Instagram is https://www.instagram.com/jadebalmagro, and my TikTok is https://www.tiktok.com/@cherijade.
Before you go, let’s ask an off-topic question. What is your favorite food?
I’d have to say ice cream/ice blocks. It’s so cliché, but I could eat an ice cream anytime of day and never feel sick of them. And, homemade mango sorbet. Wow, why do people eat anything else??
Very much agree, haha. Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
