The Los Angeles-based recording artist, producer, and singer-songwriter Barbara Teresa releases an endearing and romantic single entitled "just this one time."
Grown with love for various artists, genres, and periods, Barbara Teresa found her sound heavily influenced by staple acts like Taylor Swift, Lorde, Gracie Abrams, and Lizzy McAlpine. While her sound is best described as a blend of pop, r&b, folk, rock, and alternative, Barbara Teresa is also known for her sincere and poetic lyricism depicting teenage struggles.
Recently releasing her sweet-sounding single, "just this one time," Barbara Teresa expands on the bittersweetness of holding someone's hand for a final time. We can't help but feel similarities to Taylor Swift's Fearless era, as Barbara Teresa brings listeners deep into her lush folk-inspired grooves while serenading us with her soothing vocal stylings.
Sinking our teeth into the single, "just this one time," the song opens with gentle acoustic and electric guitars. As Barbara Teresa makes her breathy and delicate vocal appearance, she begins to elaborate on a romantic yet emotional scene of holding someone for the time being, even though they should be on their separate paths.
With the addition of dreamy background vocals and slow downtempo drums, Barbara Teresa makes her lyrical message all the more alluring and emotional with help from the blissful soundscapes. We must also highlight Barbara Teresa's lyrical and songwriting capabilities, as she paints incredibly relatable and poetic scenes of young love that's unfortunately not meant to be.
Relish the reflection of Barbara Teresa's recent single, "just this one time," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Barbara Teresa. We’re truly lost in the emotional and sonic bliss of your recent single, “just this one time.” What inspired the saddened and reflective lyrical message within this track?
Thank you so much! It was mainly inspired by personal experience. When writing this song, I put myself in my own shoes from a few weeks prior, when the specific moment I wrote about took place. I wrote about the experience through that lens, but with the knowledge of everything that ended up happening afterward. I guess I use writing as a form of self-therapy and this was just one more instance of that.
Could you take us through your songwriting process for “just this one time?" Is it easy for you to convert your thoughts into lyrics when writing songs?
“just this one time” was born at 2 a.m like ten weeks ago when I was trying and failing to fall asleep. I’d been trying to write about this instance and person for some time now, but nothing came to mind. The lyric “linger for a little longer” randomly popped up in my head and I really liked the ring of it, so I took my phone out and wrote it down in my notes. I ended up whipping up the whole first verse and chorus -- melody and chords included -- that same night. I finished the rest of the song as soon as I woke up the next morning. A lot of the time I do find it easy to convert my thoughts into lyrics, but that’s definitely because I have spent so much time practicing it. I remember I used to struggle a lot with this. Sometimes I still do, but I give things a rest for a couple of days and everything comes together smoothly afterward. I’ve written almost every day for over a year now; practice is key!
What was your sonic creative process like working alongside producer Danny Balentine for “just this one time?" What was your collaborative experience like?
Danny has produced all of my music to date, and we’ve spent the last 8-9 months working on a ton of material! I had been listening to a lot of Lizzy McAlpine in the weeks before writing “just this one time”, so sonically (chords, melody, etc), I was really inspired by her. I sent Danny a voice memo of the track as soon as I finished it, gave him a few Lizzy songs as reference tracks, and he came up with the most beautiful instrumental track ever in no time. We worked through a few revisions, and voila! I’ve really loved working with Danny on my music. He always seems to know what it is I’m going for. We’ve been able to communicate with each other really well despite working remotely -- I’m really hoping that future experiences with other collaborators run just as smoothly as things have with him!
For readers who are just getting to know you now, could you give them some insight as to what you stand for as an artist and what your music often represents and touches on?
As an artist, I stand for people speaking their truth and allowing themselves to be vulnerable. I think that’s one of the most important things I’ve learned since I started sharing my music with others. It’s really easy to live in constant fear of judgment, but life becomes way more fun when you let go of others’ opinions and start holding your own in the highest regard. I guess I stand for that as an artist because I’ve spoken my truth and allowed myself to be vulnerable through my music. My first three releases have been about heartbreak, but going forward I’m going to branch out and talk about other teenage struggles through my songs, whether that be self-image, friendships, or other aspects of our very digitalized society.
What can we anticipate next?
Lots of music (and more videos)! I’m currently working on a couple of singles, and I spent the first few months of 2021 wrapping up a pretty big project I’m hoping to put out in the fall. I don’t want to reveal too many details until everything is set, but I’m so excited!