Country singer Gabby Barrett opens up about financial and emotional struggles before fame
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Before the glitz and glamor of stardom, Gabby Barrett knew all too well the struggles of “being down.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the 26-year-old country star – who just released her latest single, “In On It” – opened up about her rise, opened up about the financial and emotional struggles she faced and explained how her faith carried her through the tough times.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Barrett was one of seven children and learned the importance of a strong work ethic at an early age.
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Gabby Barrett opened up about her rise to fame, including financial and emotional struggles. (Getty Images)
“My parents, growing up in Pittsburgh, always worked hard,” Barrett said. “Both parents worked. My mom stayed at home when we were young, which I really enjoy being a mom now. But she worked a long time. My dad worked several jobs at a time. My dad is very entrepreneurial, so that kind of bleeds into me. And he’s a business guy, and I’ve always seen him work really hard for me all these years and try to sacrifice himself all my life and try to sacrifice himself in Pennsylvania all my life my name is there.”
“There were times… he couldn’t pay the bill or the lights were pulled, and we had to pack sandwiches in the car because we didn’t have money to stop when we passed,” he continued. “When I was getting ready to go on ‘American Idol’ I remember we were all sleeping in the car. There were a couple of dogs in the car too. It was just crazy. So I understand, you know, what it’s like to be at the bottom and what kind of being at the top looks like. And I really appreciate my parents for instilling the goal of working hard in me because I understand it. And there are challenges ahead. But I’m very grateful for that.”
The “I Hope” singer began singing at the age of nine and found herself performing at local events and festivals before competing on Season 16 of “American Idol” in 2018 at the age of 18.
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“I was nervous,” Barrett admitted. “My dad was an inspiration, an inspiration, you know, he always helped me turn a bad situation into a good one for me, even when I was having a hard time at school … I was young on ‘American Idol,’ I was 17, 18, so I went in with that mindset because it was the first time I felt like I was going, ‘Okay, this is real pressure.’ Since that was my first breakout of something worldwide where millions of people are watching it at the same time, which is difficult. That was tough at 17, 18. So it was a challenge, but a good challenge.”
Barrett’s latest single, “In On It,” is out now. “The thing that inspires that song is that God has a plan for your life, no matter what your circumstances are,” he told Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)
When Barrett placed third on the singing competition show, she left with a full heart.
“I didn’t know what was going to come out of ‘American Idol,’ honestly. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know, at first I thought it was like a scam … I auditioned from a producer and I was emailed like, ‘Hey, “American Idol” wants to,’ uh, you like that thing. And I was like, this is not true. There’s no way it auditioned, it’s really over. The season, I can’t thank the way things went so well. It was fun but it felt like another world…
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Barrett appeared on Season 16 of “American Idol” in 2018. (Getty Images)
The experience changed her personal life: Barrett met her husband, Cade Foehner, when the two competed on “Idol.” The two have been married for a year after appearing together on the show and have three children together.
Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner have been married for almost seven years. (Getty Images)
“I think marriage makes you grow as a person, it also shows where your weaknesses are and where your strengths are,” said Barrett. “You will keep arguing. You will always disagree in the area, and the issue of identification, you know, will I still choose you in that?”
“I have been married for almost seven years, I got married when I was 19,” he continued. Everyone was saying, ‘No!’ Do you know? Because that’s right… you’re young and you’re still thinking about life. You’re just starting to ask all those big questions. ‘Who do I want to be? What do I want to be?’ There is a lot to understand. And I still think about that a lot at 26. I am not saying that I have covered everything because there are challenges. But it has taught me a lot about myself as a person, and it has taught me how grateful I am to the Lord for marriage and that a gift is truly a gift.
As a working mother of three, Barrett said she has learned one important lesson: there is no such thing as moderation.
The couple have three children together. (Getty Images)
“I like to throw the word balance out the window,” Barrett said. “There’s not really a balance. I’m a believer, so I put my family first and make sure they’re good. I also put the music first and make sure I’m really intentional about how I make music and what I put out … and something that I can connect to the fans. And so there’s no balance, but it’s really fun.”
“I’m on tour right now… and I take my kids on the tour bus with me, you know, some nights aren’t the best nights to sleep, but it’s really cold when you reverse the picture and put it in perspective. Like, I take my kids to work. I know there’s a lot of hard-working parents out there who don’t have parents to take care of their kids, or take care of their kids. It’s something I don’t take [granted]. I am very grateful for the life I live.”
With all the challenges life throws at him, Barrett remains steadfast in his faith. So much so, it was the inspiration behind his latest single, “In On It.”
“What inspired you with this song is that God has a plan for your life, no matter what situation you are in,” he said. “And this song was thrown at me. It was one that I didn’t really write. So I had to really feel it, and I wanted to push the message of the song. And so as soon as this song came to me, I was like, ‘Oh, I love it.’ And I could see myself writing and pushing it.”
Barrett leans heavily on his faith to get him through tough times. (Getty Images)
“And it’s just like, you know, the writer didn’t give us a script for everything,” Barrett continued. “We don’t have life plans in front of us. And so we just have to trust God even in those uncomfortable situations … I’ve had uncomfortable situations, I’m sure, as we all have. And I’ve gone through them as time goes by. And I look back, and I can actually peel back some important things, even though it didn’t feel right at the time, to have that kind of faith, and to make that trust again, and to have faith again. in your life that’s bigger than you can see right now.”
For Barrett, his Christianity is everything.
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“I am a Christian and I like to consider myself a leading Christian who is not afraid to talk about that part of my life because it is integrated in the way I live,” he said.
“My husband and I have three kids, so that’s something that’s really, really important to us. It’s woven into all of my music, really. So I find it really important to represent a message like this, especially in a world like we’re in right now. I think everyone could use something positive, encouraging, and a message that points back to the Lord.”
