Barrett Baber shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Barrett, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Watching my kids grow up and mature has brought me a lot of joy lately. They’re both in their middle school years and my memory of that time in my life is pretty vivid so watching them navigate this time in their life has brought back a lot of memories for me. It seem like each week they’re becoming more confident in themselves and their people skills have grown in a way that makes me really proud to be their Dad. They both have unique talents and personalities and I love seeing them slowly become more mature and early versions of what they’ll one day become as adults
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Barrett Baber and I’m a Professional Songwriter and Artist living in Nashville TN. My “professional musician” journey started 10 years ago when I appeared on NBC’s The Voice. Before appearing on The Voice I was a High School Teacher at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville Arkansas. I spent several years “post Voice” working towards my Artist aspirations. I played hundreds of shows all over the country and released several recorded music projects that helped me along the way. After spending the bulk of 2016 and 2017 on the road, I decided to pivot towards becoming a professional Songwriter in Nashville. I just couldn’t bring myself to miss that much of my kids growing up years by being on the road so much. My dream had always been to “make a decent living making music”. The “how?” part wasn’t as important to me. So I put my head down and started to grind towards becoming one of the few remaining “professional songwriters” in Nashville. I signed my first publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing in 2019 after an Artist named Cody Johnson recorded a song I wrote called “Nothin’ On You”. I wrote songs at Sony for a year before signing a publishing deal at Sea Gayle Music where I currently work.
After spending several years solely focused on writing for cuts, I began working on a new recorded music project for myself. I went into the studio in June of 2025 and recorded 15 new tracks that I’m self producing and hope to release in early 2026
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was 9 years old my parents volunteered to serve as Southern Baptist Missionaries in South Africa. I spent my formative years overseas in Durban South Africa. Looking back on my life I recognize now what an immense gift that was in regards to my “world view”. I was a kid from South Arkansas that was suddenly shown the size and scope of the world. It exposed me to the multi cultural aspect of the world and also exposed me to various styles of music that began to shape the musician and songwriter that I am today
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
For many years, and even still today, I struggle with “self doubt”. For many years I performed all over Arkansas in dive bars and restaurants, and for many of those years people would say “you should be famous” or “you should do this for real!” For a long time I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that I was good enough to even try. It really wasn’t until I auditioned for and almost won The Voice that I leaned into music being my destiny in life. I still struggle with moments of self doubt. But the longer I chase my dream the more those doubts fall away.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My wife
My kids
My songs
As long as I’ve got those things in my life I’m good. And truthfully, I could live without the songs. My family has always been the thing that keeps me pushing forward. I take great pride in being a great father and loving husband. Those two jobs are more important than anything else and I think my friends would echo that sentiment.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would IMMEDIATELY stop giving a shit about what other people think. Honestly, I’m getting better at it year by year. I spent a lot of years worrying what people would think about my songs and artistry. In the last couple of years I’ve set that aside and started writing and recording songs that I think are cool. That’s the only requirement. Do I think it’s great? My writing and recording has gotten better because of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barrettbabermusic.com
- Instagram: @barrettbaber
- Twitter: @barrettbaber
- Facebook: @barrettbabermusic
- Youtube: @barrettbaber
Image Credits
I own all images submitted
