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Nessa Barrett’s debut album young forever is a long-held gaze into a shattered mirror, painting the dark pop “it girl" as both a star incapable of being dethroned and a young adult struggling to come of age in a fractured world. 

One of the few TikTok-bred stars to take her burgeoning music career to such heights, she could have played into the narrative, glamorizing her life’s spectacle. Instead, with the release of her debut album, she firmly turns the spotlight on herself a bit brighter, declaring that if we are going to look at her, we might as well see everything.

"Each and every song on this album is so personal to me," shares Barrett. "Music is how I cope and writing this album was my therapy. I’ve questioned why I had to go through so much pain in life and always felt like it was a curse. But now I’ve realized it was so I could make songs like these to help others go through theirs."

Opening up with “tired of california,” a song that proves even sunshine can burn you dry, she pours gasoline over everything that prying eyes may romanticize about her life, dancing in the casted light of its flames. From her personal relationships to her religious qualms, there’s no part of her brokenness she hides away from, and it feels sacred to be let into.

Surviving your own mental health while performing for the digital gaze is a feat anyone with an active social media presence faces, and Barrett is the first to wave a white flag on tracks like “fuckmarrykill” and “talk to myself.” But alas, the songstress isn’t totally destroyed. In fact, young forever is evidence she may be stronger than ever. There’s empowerment in giving your shadow the stage, which tracks like “too hot to cry” speak truth to.

Sharing that she’s felt cursed for her life’s suffering, Barrett has managed to weaponize it as her star factor. As if it was the missing elixir in her potion, the same eyes that feasted on her downfall will be the same to choke on her arsenic.

Listen to young forever below: