We had the good fortune of connecting with Barrie Rose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barrie, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Creating makes me happy! Doing things that make a positive impact on the world, as well as learning and growing makes me happy. Healthy relationships with family and friends is very important for me too. Making videos, acting, singing songs, and writing, as well as connecting with people. My intention in my work (which I’m obsessed with) is to create uplifting content and material that really creates value for the person who is consuming it. I do a Buddhist practice of chanting Nam myo ho renge kyo, that puts me in the flow of the universe, and brings happiness- which is super powerful and helpful in everything I create. Basically, I experienced major depression for much of my teenage and young adult life- so I am very passionate about things that bring people to have more clarity, ease and wellbeing in their lives. They are habits and ways of existing that improve mental, physical and emotional health and allow me to become the best version of myself, so I can in turn use my experience to possibly inspire or help someone else. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My goal is to bring more consciousness to the world through positive, uplifting videos and music that brings value to people in some way. I’ve been a singer, songwriter and producer for the past 10 years, but recently I’ve been pouring my energy into making Tik Tok videos about mental health, gender nonconformity, queerness, being your most authentic self, speaking your truth and also messages from my spirit guides and from source consciousness. During this quarantine, I started putting more energy into creating this video content, because I really want to give the most value I can, and maybe sharing my journey- from being a depressed alcoholic teenager to now being a truly happy, non-binary, queer, sober person, is helpful in doing that.

I also act and write skits and shorts- so storytelling is very important to me. As far as a current project, I have an album of just beats , that I produced when I took a break from singing, which I will release soon! I also have a podcast called “The Queer Empath”, which brings together a community of like-minded creators, and focuses on being a sensitive artist/empath and tools for navigating through the world as such a person. It has interviews with lots of fascinating, mostly (but not always) queer creators.

To be honest, getting where I am now was not easy (relatively, as I know I am so incredibly blessed to be born in this time and place and circumstances) but it was rocky because in this “artist career” thing, there was never a clear cut path and I feel like the only REAL path is being in alignment with my personal truth. I’m very much just getting started and still have a lot to learn and experience and create- but in the last year, I went through this vocal cord injury, which really put a hold on my singing/songwriting. However it has come SO far and I’m soo grateful for the experience because it showed me that I was quite literally not speaking/fully expressing my truth. When I started being more vocal about my queerness and then admitted to myself and the outside world that I’m non-binary, everything started really moving for me- cause finally I’m expressing from a truly honest place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would probably take them to a nice spot on Malibu beach! I also like to discover new places and things too, so I’d leave room for inspiration. But we could go to little Ethiopia and eat at a restaurant there or get some Thai in Thai town or even maybe Korean food in Ktown. It’s so cool to explore all the different cultures of food that we have available to us. Maybe we’d go to some thrift stores (like the goodwill on San Fernando in Glendale) and visit friends in all the various parts of L.A. so they could see a wide scope of the whole city. Every part of L.A. has a different vibe and I would want to show them that. We’d hang in Echo Park but also ride bikes in Venice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents – cause they instilled a basic goodness in me. They taught me to be honest and kind, and also always encouraged me to explore my creative passions. My mom even drove me to auditions and acting classes when I was a kid cause I begged her to. My dad for giving me a sense of humor in everything- for teaching me not to take things so seriously all the time. My brother!!! Who is my best friend but also has shot a ton of music videos with me and always has my back. The Buddhist organization- SGI, which is an organization of Nichirin Buddhism-for their endless efforts to bring real peace and happiness to the world. This is done through heartfelt dialogue, compassion and a practice that brings out your truest inner strength and wisdom.

Thank you so much for listening and creating a space for me to share and be open about my experience. I truly appreciate it!

Contact my Text platform: (310) 347-4997

Image Credits
Matt Friedman for 1-4

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.