Lara Veronin, also known as Lara Liang (Chinese:), is a Taiwanese singer.
Career
Nan Quan Mama
Lara was born in California, United States in 1988, and she moved back to
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
with her older sister,
Esther Veronin
Esther Veronin (russian: Есфирь Майкловна Веронин, born 11 March 1987), is a Taiwanese director, singer, actress and CEO of entertainment startup Meimeiwawa Multimedia. She is the elder sister of singer Lara Veronin.
Career
...
, and her parents in 2001, where she graduated from
Taipei American School
Taipei American School (TAS; ; abbreviation TAS) is a non-profit private school, private international school with an American-based curriculum located in Tianmu, Shilin District, Tianmu, Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan. TAS serves students from ...
in 2006.
Having participated in music performances and music groups from a young age, Veronin was discovered in 2005 by Taiwanese pop star
Jay Chou
Jay Chou ( zh, t=周杰倫, s=周杰伦, poj=Chiu Kia̍t-lûn, p=Zhōu Jiélún, first=t, w=Chou Chieh-lun; born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, actor, and television personality. Dubbed the " King ...
and became the female frontman in Chou's second iteration of his band project: "
Nan Quan Mama
Nan Quan Mama () is a Taiwanese music group. The name is a phrase in Mandarin to explain having strength while being gentle as a mother. They are closely tied with the well-known artist Jay Chou, but it was revealed after Lara and Chase Chang wen ...
". That same year, Lara also skyrocketed to fame when she released a duet with
Jay Chou
Jay Chou ( zh, t=周杰倫, s=周杰伦, poj=Chiu Kia̍t-lûn, p=Zhōu Jiélún, first=t, w=Chou Chieh-lun; born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, actor, and television personality. Dubbed the " King ...
titled "Coral Sea" (). In Nan Quan Mama, Veronin acted not only as performer but often also as songwriter and/or lyricist, where she collaborated often with bandmate Chase Chang (Chinese:張傑, p=Zhāng Jíe) on creating tracks.
During this time, Veronin also made her first forays into acting, having starred in 2006 Taiwanese drama series ''Engagement for Love'' () with
Alex To
Alex To (born Alejandro Delfino on 10 February 1962) is a Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based singer and actor. He is the winner of the 4th annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1985. He has released numerous albums throughout his career and mainly ha ...
and Ambrose Hsu. She also was lead actress in 2012 Taiwanese drama series "Alice in Wonder City" ().
JVR Music
In 2009, Lara left
Nan Quan Mama
Nan Quan Mama () is a Taiwanese music group. The name is a phrase in Mandarin to explain having strength while being gentle as a mother. They are closely tied with the well-known artist Jay Chou, but it was revealed after Lara and Chase Chang wen ...
and started her solo career at
Jay Chou
Jay Chou ( zh, t=周杰倫, s=周杰伦, poj=Chiu Kia̍t-lûn, p=Zhōu Jiélún, first=t, w=Chou Chieh-lun; born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, actor, and television personality. Dubbed the " King ...
's label,
JVR Music. On December 6, 2010, she formally released her first
solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, "Hello Lara Liang" ().
On October 29, 2012, Lara released her second
solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
titled "Free Spirit" (), where she started participating in musical and creative direction, composing, and producing as well as in the styling and marketing aspects of album release. Her second album also boasted 11 songs, and she even collaborated with former
Nan Quan Mama
Nan Quan Mama () is a Taiwanese music group. The name is a phrase in Mandarin to explain having strength while being gentle as a mother. They are closely tied with the well-known artist Jay Chou, but it was revealed after Lara and Chase Chang wen ...
bandmate Chase on one of the songs, "Fragments"().
Meimeiwawa Multimedia
After much deliberation, Veronin decided to leave
JVR Music in 2013 and founded
Meimeiwawa Multimedia (; ''"Meiwa Media"'' for short) with her sister
Esther Veronin
Esther Veronin (russian: Есфирь Майкловна Веронин, born 11 March 1987), is a Taiwanese director, singer, actress and CEO of entertainment startup Meimeiwawa Multimedia. She is the elder sister of singer Lara Veronin.
Career
...
. Meiwa Media, while simultaneously doubling as Lara's record label and
talent agency
Talent has two principal meanings:
* Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value
* Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents
Talent may ...
, also operates as a creative platform putting out content in music, entertainment, and various other subjects. Over the years, the company has put out several visual ventures such as
short films
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
,
vlogs
A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...
, and an internet faux-reality web series, titled "Meiwa Diaries". Temporarily setting aside music, Lara joined her sister in the ranks of film production and co-wrote a
micro movie
A micro movie is a type of microcinema which refers to a short/micro film of any genre.
Micro movies originated in Hong Kong in 2010. Karen Mok (Hong Kong based singer/actress) and Adam Duke starred in " Cadillac," which is regarded as the first m ...
titled "TAWKI: Taipei As We Know It", where she also played Holly, the lead. Since then, the Veronin sisters have put out multiple
short films
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
and
micro movie
A micro movie is a type of microcinema which refers to a short/micro film of any genre.
Micro movies originated in Hong Kong in 2010. Karen Mok (Hong Kong based singer/actress) and Adam Duke starred in " Cadillac," which is regarded as the first m ...
s with Lara as lead actress, including the 2014 production ''"Who Killed Joanna Wang?"'' starring
Joanna Wang
Joanna Wang () is a Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, daughter of renowned music producer Wang Zhi-ping (王治平). Born in Taipei but raised in Los Angeles, California, Wang dropped out from Gabrielino High School when she was 16. Her de ...
as well as the 2015 productions ''"Still Better Than Love"'' and ''"She Wore Red"'', which won the award for Best Cinematography in the Tainan 39-Hour Short Film Contestival.
In 2015, Lara released her first single under the
Meimeiwawa Multimedia label, a song called "Dida". The accompanying music video was filmed in Taipei and directed by
Esther Veronin
Esther Veronin (russian: Есфирь Майкловна Веронин, born 11 March 1987), is a Taiwanese director, singer, actress and CEO of entertainment startup Meimeiwawa Multimedia. She is the elder sister of singer Lara Veronin.
Career
...
. The video was selected as the theme song to the "Fluid Sexuality International Film Festival" in 2015 due to the face that it touched upon
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
themes, something both Veronin sisters have publicly expressed support for. The song was also released in collaboration with
Red Cross Society of the Republic of China
The Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) () is the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The society is not recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) because it does not meet all the condi ...
where a limited amount of physical albums were released for sale, and all profits went towards donations for the Red Cross.
Over the next two years, three more of Lara's singles were released under Meiwa Media:
*2016《Where Do We Go》
*2017《Play/Turn》
*2017《Sunshine》
In 2018, the Veronin sisters decided to challenge themselves by making Lara's third
solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
, "Thousand-Faced Beast" into a
feature-length
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
film titled "Tomorrow's Star". While Lara takes her debut on the silver screen, once again, as lead actress, she and Esther do not forget to focus on their imperative of empowering females in the independent art industry. Other actors include known Taiwanese celebrities such as Mathilde Lin,
Johnny Lu
Johnny Lu (, born May 8, 1977) is an American-Taiwanese actor.
Life and career
Lu was born in Taipei City, Taiwan. His father, , was one of the founding members of the Bamboo Union triad in Taiwan. Lu's parents divorced, and then at the age ...
, Denny Huang, Phoebe Yuan, and Stephen Rong. All eight songs and their music videos from the album were woven into the movie in a manner akin to
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
films, and four of the songs ("Thousand-Faced Beast", "Watch Out", "Precious Pain", and "No Absolutes") were also released separately as
digital single
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
s.
NSMG
Since 2021, Lara has exclusively partnered with NSMG to release her latest album “Dear You”, a tribute to Mandopop love ballads. Focused tracks "Quitting U" and "No More U" have achieved chart-topping success across streaming platforms.
Personal life
Besides voice acting for
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, Veronin has dabbled in hosting for television and radio, as well as contributed articles to magazines. She stated that one of her first passions was, and is, writing and she hopes to pursue this in various ways in the future.
On May 29, 2015, Veronin's mother died after collapsing from a
cardiac stress test
A cardiac stress test (also referred to as a cardiac diagnostic test, cardiopulmonary exercise test, or abbreviated CPX test) is a cardiological test that measures the heart's ability to respond to external stress in a controlled clinical environ ...
due to complaints of chest pain.
Solo concerts
Since the release of her first album "《HELLO 梁心頤》" in 2010, Lara has been active in live performances. In 2015 she also took up a residency at Brown Sugar Jazz Club with sister
Esther Veronin
Esther Veronin (russian: Есфирь Майкловна Веронин, born 11 March 1987), is a Taiwanese director, singer, actress and CEO of entertainment startup Meimeiwawa Multimedia. She is the elder sister of singer Lara Veronin.
Career
...
. While sometimes she performs with a backing track out of convenience, she tries to perform with a live band whenever possible.
Lara also performs frequently at schools and commercial events around Taiwan, as well as in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, Australia, and North America. Oftentimes during her solo performances, she also invites friends to join her onstage. Some performers that she's collaborated with in live gigs include, but are not limited to:
Joanna Wang
Joanna Wang () is a Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, daughter of renowned music producer Wang Zhi-ping (王治平). Born in Taipei but raised in Los Angeles, California, Wang dropped out from Gabrielino High School when she was 16. Her de ...
,
Dawen
Dawen Wang (), known as Dawen, is an American singer and songwriter. He first gained prominence when he won Kollaboration Acoustic 4. Dawen's first single "Wake Up", deals with Asian American stereotypes and prejudice towards minorities, and is ...
, Maxine Chi, Alex Ni, DJ Noodles, and Haor.
Lara開唱找3嘉賓助陣 展現百變音樂風格
Mirror Media
Mirror Media () is a Taiwanese media company. It was founded in 2016 as an eponymous tabloid magazine, and also owns the subsidiaries , , , Mirror Voice (鏡好聽) and MBRAVO (鏡采創意).
Background
Pei Wei was chief editor and publisher of t ...
Work in Music
While she was with Nan Quan Mama
Nan Quan Mama () is a Taiwanese music group. The name is a phrase in Mandarin to explain having strength while being gentle as a mother. They are closely tied with the well-known artist Jay Chou, but it was revealed after Lara and Chase Chang wen ...
, Lara took part in the creation and performance of four albums, all distributed by Alfa Music and Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
. After leaving Nan Quan Mama
Nan Quan Mama () is a Taiwanese music group. The name is a phrase in Mandarin to explain having strength while being gentle as a mother. They are closely tied with the well-known artist Jay Chou, but it was revealed after Lara and Chase Chang wen ...
, Lara released two solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
s under JVR Music, and then one more solo album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
s under Meimeiwawa Multimedia after she left JVR in 2013. She has also received some accolades from competitions or general outstanding musicianship.
Albums
Non-Album Music
Apart from releasing music in albums, Lara also has physical and digital singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
, both released and unreleased. Three unreleased singles were written as spokesperson brand theme songs.
Awards and Accolades
Songwriting
Lara has taken on the bulk of her own songwriting as well as occasionally writing for other musicians on their works.
Filmography
Apart from being a singer and songwriter, Lara has also participated in many cinematic projects ranging from music videos to TV series and musicals before even starting her multimedia company.
Naturally once she established Meimeiwawa Multimedia, she started taking on the role of writer as well as producer on certain ventures. In her 2018 joint project with her sister of the 《Thousand-Faced Beast》and《Tomorrow's Star》 double feature, she also took up the role of lead actress in her first feature-length
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
film.
Musicals and Music Videos
Behind the Scenes
Brand Collaborations
Spokesperson Advertising
References
External links
Profile of Lara Veronin at JVR music
''Alice in Wonder City'' review
Helloasia article about ''Meiwa Diaries''
Helloasia Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veronin, Lara
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American musicians of Taiwanese descent
American women musicians of Chinese descent
Taiwanese Mandopop singers
Singers from California
21st-century American singers
21st-century Taiwanese singers
21st-century Taiwanese women singers
21st-century American women