A South African native, Barry Southgate moved with his family to New Zealand in his teen years before venturing on his own to Sydney, Australia, with the singing/dancing group, Jireh, in 2003.

With the group, Southgate performed at the annual Parachute Festival (the largest Gospel music festival in the southern hemisphere) for two consecutive years, and barely wrapped a seventeen-date New Zealand tour before the group disbanded, turning down a record deal.  The group’s split was a positive one, allowing its members to better pursue their individual goals, and Southgate wasted no time in doing so.

Shortly thereafter, Barry Southgate became widely known as a Top 24 finalist on the second season of Australian Idol.  His dynamic voice and striking good looks (Southgate is of African, German, Indonesian and English decent, and has modeled extensively) made him a clear favorite among judges and fans, alike.  He was chosen as the only non-Top 12 or Wildcard contestant to perform at the show’s grand finale at the Sydney Opera House, televised and viewed by millions.

Southgate’s time on Idol catapulted him from a virtual unknown to an in-demand singer, songwriter and on-air personality.  In addition to working on over a dozen recording projects, Southgate hosted a PR tour for Channel Ten, and was a celebrity guest alongside Neighbours star Dan O' Connor for Telstra's Australian Idol media presentation.  In one of his most memorable music experiences, Southgate performed before the Pope for World Youth Day '08, a televised event that reached half a billion people worldwide.

Locally, Southgate has worked with some of Australia’s finest artists, including Guy Sebastian, Stan Walker, Delta Goodrem and Paulini.  His songs have been featured on the debut album of Sasha-Lee (winner of South African Idol) and on LadyLike, the current album from German girl-band Monrose. Internationally, he continues to perform extensively with singer/songwriter/worship leader Darlene Zschech, and with Grammy Award-winning Israel & New Breed.