Adam Steven Barta (born September 21, 1979) is an American actor, reality star,[1] and musician from the Bronx, New York. He has had four charting singles on the Billboard Dance Chart[2][3][4][5] and is known for his duets and viral videos with Alana Thompson (Honey Boo Boo) from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,[6] Farrah Abraham,[7] Margaret Cho,[8] Nadya Suleman (Octomom),[9] Tan Mom,[9] Eureka O'Hara,[10] Mariah Lynn[11] (from Love and Hip Hop New York), and Jonah Falcon.[9]

Adam Barta
Barta in 2016
Barta in 2016
Background information
Birth nameAdam Steven Barta
BornSeptember 21, 1979 (1979-09-21) (age 45)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
GenresPop, R&B, dance-pop
Occupation(s)Actor, musician
InstrumentVocals
Websiteadambarta.com

Barta is also known for his collaborations with Kathy Sledge (of Sister Sledge) and music videos featuring Lisa Lampanelli[12] that have landed him in TMZ.[13][14][15][16] In 2017, he starred on the WE tv series Dr. Miami.[17][18][19] In 2018 he released a single called "Peep Me Tonight" with hip-hop star Mariahlynn.[11][20][21]

In 2018 he released the viral hit, "Free 2 Be Me" with "Tan Mom" Patricia Krentcil that Howard Stern called an "earworm" and "the greatest song of all time."[22][23] In December, Howard announced the music video had hit over a half million views in the first few days, as one of their most viewed videos of all time.[24]

In 2022 he created, starred in and executive produced the series #THEDISH, with "Mama June" Shannon, and featuring Tammie Brown. It premiered August 30 on Apple TV and Vudu. On October 1, it debuted on Tubi TV.[25][26][27] In August, Shannon went on to sue Barta on a live televised appearance, and won credit as an executive producer on the series.[28]

Acting career

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Barta started his career doing off-Broadway theatre. He played Tash in Befriending Beau, alongside Eric Millegan.[29] In 1999, Barta appeared in the Comedy Central series Strangers with Candy.[30][better source needed]

In 2012, he filmed scenes for his music video "Q&A" with Celebrity Apprentice's Lisa Lampanelli at the Night of a Thousand Gowns, in NYC, where he also was a headliner with her.[31]

Music career

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Barta in 2012

Barta's first single, "I Wanna Hold You", was produced by Mike Rizzo and was picked up on Abercrombie & Fitch's official playlist.[32] It was Barta's first charting Billboard Dance Chart single and hit No. 55 on the chart.[5] EsNtion Records signed Barta to a record deal for which his first single was "Standing in the Rain," with DJ Russ Harris. His music video hit the Number 1 spot on Logo's Click List in August,[33][34][35] and was one of the top 10 videos of 2007.[34][35] He was named favorite Click List artist of 2007[35] and made No. 96 on AfterElton.com's Hot 100 for 2008.[36] His video was also picked up internationally on Canada's Only Dance Channel.[37] The music video for "Standing in the Rain" premiered October 1, 2008, on Logo network's new mainstream dance/pop show Pop Lab, hosted by Solange and Lady Gaga. Barta hosted the Spring Break episode of Pop Lab on March 11.[38]

In September 2009, his music video for "Standing in the Rain" was voted No. 1 on Logo's Ultimate Sexiest Music Video Countdown.[39] The music video for "VIP" was filmed in December 2009 and contains cameos from The Real World: Hollywood's Nick Brown, Project Runway's Nicholas Putvinski, Michael Musto, Reina, and Jipsta. It premiered on Pop Lab on Logo on April 13, 2010.[40] "VIP" was featured on the premiere of season 6 episode of The Bad Girls Club and also on The Real World: Las Vegas.[41][42] In January 2011, he was featured on the show Face to Face with Ke$ha on the HERE! Network, although the two were not filmed together.[43]

His next single was with Kathy Sledge (lead singer of Sister Sledge), a dance song produced by Mike Rizzo and Mr. Mig, called "Give Yourself Up (To The Music)." It was released on June 14 on Ingrooves/Universal Dist. Sledge performed it on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April to promote it.[44] In September, the song debuted on the Billboard club chart at #45*.[45] In August, Barta filmed a music video starring reality celebrities Kim Granatell of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Miguel Allure from Jerseylicious, Tonye 'Tone Tone' Albanese from Cake Boss, Jack Mackenroth from Project Runway, and Robin Kassner from Millionaire Matchmaker. The video featured Sledge's daughter Kristin.[13] In May 2012 he released the music video for his single "Q&A" featuring Lisa Lampanelli, Michael Musto, Ro Bear (from NY Ink), Hailey Glassman, Kerry Schwartz, Tone Tone (from Cake Boss), Harry Legg, JC Alvarez, Ryan Nikulas (from The A-List: New York on Logo). Shortly after in June, he signed with Gina Rodriguez of DD Entertainment. It was then announced he would be heading into the recording studio for a new single with Nadya Suleman (Octomom), after she appeared in an alternate cut of the "Q&A" music video where she was heard saying, "Let's do a duet...on my new album!"[46] He recorded with Suleman on June 20, at Audiomaxx Studios in Cherry Hill, NJ. The song was produced by Mr. Mig and Mike Rizzo.[47] Barta's song with Suleman was supposed to be called "Meet Me on the Dance Floor" and was slated to be released in August on Global Groove Entertainment. Barta went on "TMZ Live" in July 2012 to promote the song and talk about what it was like to record with Octomom.[48] In August, TMZ released a controversial CD cover featuring Barta holding Octomom's breasts while she was wearing a rosary on a bed, surrounded by crosses. The pair claimed they were inspired by Madonna. The new release date for the single was also announced as September 4, 2012, and the name was changed to "Sexy Party."[49] In October, he engaged in a heated debate for the online website deeyoon.com with Angelina Pivarnick from Jersey Shore in which he defended same-sex marriage.[50][51] JWoww came to his defense, slamming Pivarnick, who later made a public apology.[52] Then in December, he released a single with Pivarnick called "Serendipity," which the pair said was to promote equality. The song was produced by Billboard producers Majik Boys.[53]

 
Barta performing in Washington D.C. in 2013

In 2013 he starred in three viral music videos. He also starred in Tan Mom's music video which was also called "the worst [music] video ever."[by whom?][54] His music video with Jonah Falcon for their song "It's Too Big" was featured on VH1's Best Week Ever.[55] He appeared twice on the Howard Stern show, with both Tan Mom and Falcon, on which Stern declared he was "making a niche" for himself in entertainment.[56] In 2013 he released a parody of the George Michael & Aretha Franklin duet "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me," called "You Seemed Shady to Me" with Pandora Boxx from RuPaul's Drag Race, which hit No. 46 on the iTunes Comedy Charts.[57][58] He also released a song with Tan Mom on which he was featured called "Life of the Party," which E! News called "bad...really bad."[59] He then released a song and music video with Myla Sinanaj called "I'm No Angel."[9] Barta also released another controversial song with Sydney Leathers called "Weinerizer," which centered on Leathers' illicit sexting affair with NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner.[60]

In January 2014 he released a song "Justified" with Toby Sheldon, dedicated to Justin Bieber.[61] In February 2014, he released the single "See U Next Tuesday" with comedian Margaret Cho. It hit the top 75 on the iTunes comedy singles chart.[8] In February 2015 it was announced Barta was releasing a new song and music video called "Movin Up" with Alana Thompson (aka Honey Boo Boo) and her sister Pumpkin.[16] The song was released in 2016 and Barta was credited as creating the viral craze "the Honey Boo Boo bop".[6][62]

In 2016 he formed the group "The Pool Kids" with dance artist SK8, and the pair achieved a Billboard dance club charting single, "Heartbreak Hotline", peaking at No. 17 on the chart.[4] In 2017 he appeared on WE tv's Dr. Miami, where he got surgery, and also collaborated on a new song "Flawless", after the doctor told him it was his dream to be on the Billboard charts.[63][19] The single debuted on the Billboard dance singles chart in April and peaked at No. 24.[2] It also peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard dance club chart.[64] He also released a song and music video with RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 contestant, Eureka O'Hara called "Body Positivity"'. The music video featured Farrah Abraham, who he previously had been suing for music royalties.[65][7][66]

 
Barta in 2019

In 2018 it was announced he was releasing a single with Mariahlynn from Love and Hip Hop New York, with Dr. Miami, and featuring Reina, called "Peep Me Tonight".[21][11][67]

Later that year he released a new single called "Free 2 Be Me" with Patricia Krentcil (Tan Mom), and performed it live on the Howard Stern Show.[68][22][69] Later in the year, Barta appeared on the Stern Show playing Family Feud with Patricia and won. Howard announced the music video had achieved over 500,000 views in a few days.[24]

Chart singles

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Year Song U.S Club Play U.S. Dance Airplay U.S. Dance Sales
2006 "I Wanna Hold You"[5] 55 - -
2011 "Give Yourself Up"[3] 20 - -
2016 "Heartbreak Hotline"[4] (as The Pool Kids) 17 - -
2017 "Flawless"[70][64] 32 - 24
2019 "No Day Like Today" (with Lovari)[71] 28 - -

References

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  1. ^ "Adam Barta's Recovery". WE tv. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard.
  3. ^ a b "Dance Songs: Top Dance Music Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Dance Songs: Top Dance Music Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Chart Search | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Honey Boo Boo debuts 'Movin' Up' music video". Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Eureka O'Hara Drops Epic Music Video Featuring Farrah Abraham After Shocking 'Drag Race' Episode". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Margaret Cho and Adam Barta Record 'See You Next Tuesday' (VIDEO)". HuffPost.
  9. ^ a b c d Miller, Gregory E. (May 18, 2014). "How do D-listers stay famous? Ask Adam Barta". New York Post. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Eureka O'Hara Drops Epic Music Video Featuring Farrah Abraham After Shocking 'Drag Race' Episode". Entertainment Tonight. April 24, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Not A Drill: Mariahlynn Teamed Up with Dr. Miami for New Song Called "Peep Me Tonight"". VH1 News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Musto, Michael. "Lisa Lampanelli And I Cameo In New Music Video". The Village Voice.
  13. ^ a b "D-List Reality Stars Unite in Music Video". tmz.com. August 10, 2011.
  14. ^ "Octomom Releasing Dance Song -- From Dropping Babies to Dropping Rhymes!". tmz.com. July 9, 2012.
  15. ^ "Tanning Mom Becomes A Rapper". RumorFix. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Honey Boo Boo TV Show — Song To Be Released After Alana Called Obese". OK!. February 25, 2015.
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  19. ^ a b "Plastic Makes Perfect". WE tv. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
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  21. ^ a b "Dr. Miami Teams up With 'LHHNY' Star Mariahlynn on a New Track — and Her Verse Is Fire!". In Touch Weekly. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  22. ^ a b "AUDIO: Hear Tan Mom Team Up With Adam Barta on a New Single Called 'Free 2 Be Me'". Howard Stern. August 7, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
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  24. ^ a b "Wack Pack Feud: Tan Mom's Family Faces Off Against Medicated Pete's Family". Howard Stern. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  25. ^ "Mama June Wins $5K on Live Court Room TV Show After Suing Former Friend Adam Barta | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  26. ^ "Mama June's Ex-Friend Doesn't 'Agree' with Her Decision to Sue Him". People. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  27. ^ "Mama June Suing Former Friend Over YouTube Show On Live A&E Court Show". TMZ. August 17, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  28. ^ Mama June Awarded $5K In Live Court TV Show After Suing Former Friend | Access, August 18, 2022, retrieved October 21, 2022
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  31. ^ "LISA LAMPANELLI, ADAM BARTA & Gary Cosgrove Get OUTRAGEOUS ON Sirius!". BuzzFeed. March 23, 2012.
  32. ^ "Articles tagged with Adam Barta – A&F Playlists". anfplaylists.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
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  34. ^ a b "Homophonic video blog (Ep. 10): Living large with Adam Barta". LOGO News. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  35. ^ a b c Fitzpatrick, F. M. "Mike". "Wisconsin Gay News From Quest: Vol. 14 No. 15". quest-online.com. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
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  38. ^ "Adam Barta on NewNowNext PopLab". logotv.com.
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  40. ^ "VIP". logotv.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
  41. ^ "Real World XXV: Vegas | Ep. 2506 | Songs from the Show | MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011.
  42. ^ "BGC 6 Soundtrack: Episode 1 | Oxygen". Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
  43. ^ "Here! - out face to face - episodes". Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  44. ^ "Oprah.com". Archived from the original on April 17, 2011.
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  46. ^ "'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Mulling Career As Singer (VIDEO)". HuffPost. May 30, 2012.
  47. ^ "Nadya Suleman; Pop Star?". Y100.
  48. ^ "TMZ Live: Justin Bieber -- Too Fast, Too Young ... Too Dangerous?". tmz.com. July 9, 2012.
  49. ^ "Octomom -- The Topless Album Cover [PHOTO]". tmz.com. August 4, 2012.
  50. ^ "WATCH Which Jersey Shore Cast Member Opposes Marriage Equality". advocate.com. October 12, 2012.
  51. ^ "'Jersey Shore' Reject Angelina Pivarnick FLIP FLOPS -- Gays SHOULD Marry!". tmz.com. October 20, 2012.
  52. ^ "Angelina Pivarnick Makes Pathetic Argument Against Gay Marriage, JWoww Rips Her on Twitter". OK!. October 20, 2012.
  53. ^ "'Jersey Shore' Star Angelina Pivarnick Teams With Gay Pop Artist Adam Barta For New Single". HuffPost. December 14, 2012.
  54. ^ "Tanning Mom Music Video -- Quite Possibly the Worst Video Ever". tmz.com. May 19, 2013.
  55. ^ "It's The Penis Song". VH1. May 10, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013.
  56. ^ HOWARD STERN: Tan Mom returns & gets hit on by Sal. May 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014 – via YouTube.
  57. ^ "Pandora Boxx & Adam Barta Premiere New Music Video "You Seemed Shady To Me"". NewNowNext.
  58. ^ "Pandora Boxx, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star, Debuts 'You Seemed Shady To Me' Video With Adam Barta". HuffPost. July 23, 2013.
  59. ^ "Tan Mom Patricia Krentcil's Life of the Party Video Will Haunt Your Dreams—Watch Now!". E!. August 14, 2013.
  60. ^ "Adam Barta Wants To Sing A Song With Sydney Leathers, Every Other Pseudo-Celebrity". HuffPost. July 31, 2013.
  61. ^ Rees, Alex (January 23, 2014). "Justin Bieber Lookalike Releases Bieber-Themed Single". Cosmopolitan.
  62. ^ "She's back! 'Honey Boo Boo' debuts song, dance and music video". fox8.com. October 1, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  63. ^ "The Making of Flawless". WE tv. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  64. ^ a b "Billboard Dance Chart Upstarts: San Holo, Justin Caruso and Dr. Miami & Adam Barta". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  65. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queen Eureka O'Hara Promotes 'Body Positivity' on New Song: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  66. ^ "Farrah Abraham -- Accused of Low 'Blowin'". TMZ. April 2, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  67. ^ "Dr. Miami Teams Up with LHHNY Mariahlynn For New Song, 'Peep Me Tonight' | Mack in the Afternoon | Y100". Mack in the Afternoon. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  68. ^ "Tan Mom Patricia Krentcil returns to the studio to record new single". Radar. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  69. ^ "VIDEO: Tan Mom Sings Live, Sets Off a Metal Detector, and Meets 'Shuli Mom'". Howard Stern. September 19, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  70. ^ "Adam Barta Billboard page". Billboard.
  71. ^ "Billboard Dance Chart" (PDF). Billboard. November 2, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
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