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Kelsey Regina Byrne (born May 6, 1990), known professionally as Vérité (stylized as VÉRITÉ), is an American singer and songwriter based in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Her first single "Strange Enough" was self-released in July 2014, reaching number one on
Hype Machine Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin. History Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...
and becoming the #1 Most Viral Twitter Artist the week of release. Described variously as
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
,
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
or
alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, Liza Darwin of
Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
wrote that her 2014 ''Echo EP'' is "packed with crisp, delicate vocals, soaring melodies, and glistening production." Her second EP, ''Sentiment'', was self-released on June 8, 2015. The EP was praised by ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', who called her vocals "rich and ethereal". She has toured internationally and performed at events such as Neon Gold Popshop,
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, The Knitting Factory,
Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn Bowl is a music venue, bowling alley and restaurant in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2009, it is located in the former Hecla Iron Works Building at 61 Wythe Avenue. It is known for its high-tech green con ...
, the Firefly Festival and
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
.


Early life and education

Kelsey Regina Byrne was born on May 6, 1990, in
Orange County, New York Orange County is a List of counties in New York, county located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen (village), New York, Goshen. This count ...
, where she was raised. Introduced to music at a young age, her father was a rock musician, and Vérité began performing at small local venues while still in elementary school. She learned piano when young, and also grew up listening to 1990s alternative rock bands such as
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
,
The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ( ...
,
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
, and
Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
. In middle school she was in an all-girls punk cover band, and she started writing her own music around the age of 16. She supported her schooling at
SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by G ...
by waiting tables, and graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in studio composition.


Music career


2013–2014: Career beginnings

Circa late 2012 or early 2013, she began collaborating with producer Elliot Jacobson, after Jacobson reached out to her on
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. Vérité in turn started writing and recording music under the name Vérité, which translates in French to "truth". She eventually left her job in the food industry to work on her music full-time, after ten years waitressing, the last three of which were at
Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, ...
restaurant in
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
. She started promoting her first single "Strange Enough" in July 2014. It also reached number one on
Hype Machine Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin. History Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...
, with Vérité at the time keeping her real name hidden. The song was generally well received by critics, with ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' calling it a "scorching breakup anthem... whose scathing chorus could burn any bad relationship with a vengeance." Casey Lewis of
Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
called it a "haunting, euphoric piece of electro-pop." Her second track "Weekend" was a "Pick of the Day" for the CDS Music Chart on August 26, 2014. She described "Weekend" as "written to be a snapshot of a moment. It's caught between the nostalgia of everything that was exhilarating and the reality of how temporary that elation can be." ''
Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded by pop artist Andy Warhol and journalist John Wilcock in 1969. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop," features interviews of and by celebrities. Background In 1965, pop artist Andy War ...
'' called the track a "beautiful pop gem", where her vocals were "layered gorgeously into something that could perhaps be described as musical fairy dust.'"


2014–2016: ''Echo'', ''Sentiment'' and ''Living''

Her first live show as Vérité was at the New York Neon Gold Popshop. She went on to play a number of gigs promoted by
Neon Gold Records Neon Gold Records is a New York City-based boutique record label founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger. Initially operating as a vinyl-only singles label, Neon Gold has launched the debut releases and international careers of m ...
, including their showcase in March 2014 at
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
. In September 2014 the song "Echo", the title track from her then-upcoming debut EP, was released exclusively through ''Billboard''s website. ''Billboard'' wrote the song "positions the singer as an artist capable of delivering a sweeping hook while emphasizing the subtler details of her arrangements." On October 20, 2014, she self-released her ''Echo EP'', which includes four tracks: "Strange Enough", "Weekend", "Echo", and "Heartbeat." Liza Darwin of
Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
wrote that "the EP is packed with crisp, delicate vocals, soaring melodies, and glistening production..." After the release she performed a number of late October shows in Brooklyn, including an October 21 show at the BMI Showcase at The Knitting Factory, and shows afterwards at
Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn Bowl is a music venue, bowling alley and restaurant in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2009, it is located in the former Hecla Iron Works Building at 61 Wythe Avenue. It is known for its high-tech green con ...
, Santos Party, and Glasslands with
Kate Boy Kate Boy are a Swedish synth-pop duo from Stockholm. The group was founded by Kate Akhurst, from Australia, and Markus Dextegen, from Sweden, together with former Swedish members Hampus Nordgren Hemlin and Oskar Sikow. All members have participat ...
. She self-released ''Echo EP (The Remixes)'' on December 15, 2014, which included five remixes by artists such as Penguin Prison. She released her single "Wasteland" on February 25, 2015. ChartShaker.com described it as "exquisitely meshing Vérité's ethereal vocals with pounding, uptempo electro beats." Sean Moller of ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' magazine described "Wasteland" as having a "
Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
vibe that goes a long way." Her single "Colors", produced by Zach Nicita, was self-released on April 22, 2015. After being featured in ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' magazine on June 3, 2015, Vérité then self-released her second four-track EP ''Sentiment'' on June 8, 2015. Her previous singles "Wasteland" and "Colors" were included, as were the new tracks "Rearrange" and "Sentiment", About the overall lyrics, she stated "there's definitely a few brief themes that run through it: mainly, nostalgia, apathy and the exploration of how to connect." ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine praised the release, calling her vocals "rich and ethereal." She has performed internationally and opened for notable bands such as
Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
, whom she performed with at
Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...
in New York City. Early in the summer of 2015 she performed at the Westway with Gallant, the Firefly Festival in June 2015, and
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
's BMI stage. On March 3, 2016, she released "Underdressed" to serve as the lead single from her ''Living'' EP. ''Living'' was released on May 6, 2016 On September 9, 2016, she released a cover of " Somebody Else" by
The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in 2002. The band consists of Matty Healy (lead vocals, guitar, primary songwriter), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass), and George Daniel (drums, primary produ ...
; the song was a streaming success, attaining over 100 million streams on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
as of March 2019.


2017–2018: ''Somewhere in Between''

On January 13, 2017, Vérité released "Phase Me Out" to serve as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''Somewhere in Between''. She performed the song on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' show on January 25, 2017. The second single "When You're Gone" was released on March 31, 2017. ''Somewhere in Between'' was self-released on June 23, 2017, in partnership with Kobalt Label Services. The album was recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles, and features production from
Liam Howe Liam Coverdale Howe (born 29 September 1974) is an English record producer, musician and songwriter. Since co-founding electronic music band Sneaker Pimps in 1996, he has been a producer for Lana Del Rey, Marina and the Diamonds, FKA Twigs, E ...
, Tim Anderson, Peter Thomas, James Flannigan, and Zach Nicita.


2019–2021: ''New Skin'' and ''New Limbs (Vol. 1)''

On May 31, 2019, Vérité released a single titled "Gone". Her second studio album, ''New Skin'', was released on October 25, 2019. In 2021, Vérité released a four-track EP titled ''New Limbs (Vol. 1)''. The release was preceded by the single "Younger Woman." Other standouts on the album include the emotional "I'll Take The Blame," which Vérité describes as "a story, vaguely told. It's about loving someone so much you'll take on the hurt and the mess for them and let them walk away." In 2021, she released two singles: "By Now" on April 15, and "He's Not You" on July 23. She additionally collaborated with producer
Jax Anderson Jacqueline Dean "Jax" Anderson, formerly known as Flint Eastwood, is an alt pop musician from Detroit, Michigan. With wide-ranging influences from Spaghetti Westerns to Motown to mainstream dance pop, Anderson has built a reputation for her unc ...
on his song "Bigger Picture." She has said that while her next project may not be a specific ''new limbs (vol. 2)'' follow-up, the music will "continue to be extensions of where he'sbeen and experiments in where hecan go."


2022-present: ''Love You Forever''

In 2022, Vérité announced that work on her new album concluded. On September 22, 2022, she released "Are We Done Yet?" as the lead single off the project and announced special merch including a sweater with a code to information about the upcoming album. On October 19, she released the title track "Love You Forever" as the second single off the album. On January 5, 2023, Vérité announced that her album ''Love You Forever'' will be released on February 24, 2023. Shortly afterwards, Vérité announced the "Love You Forever Tour" and released "Temporary" as the 3rd single from the album. The tour took place starting on March 3, 2023, in Toronto and will concluded on April 8 in Washington, DC. On February 17, she released "Cry Cry Cry" as the fourth single to album.


Personal life

On February 6, 2024, Vérité announced via social media that she had married her boyfriend Nick Susi in a casual ceremony on their couch at home.


Musical style

Vérité's music has been described as
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
,
alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
, and
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
. About how she sees her own music, Vérité explains that when she released her single "Heartbeat" in 2014, "people called it pop. I was just like, 'OK, I guess it's pop.'" In 2020, she described her sound as "alt-pop" and cited artists like
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
,
Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
, James Blake, and
Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two 2 ...
as influences on her music. About her songwriting process, she states "when it comes to production and the overall sound I don't really have a lot of intentions with it. I start off with melody and a lyrical idea, and then build off of that story." About themes, she states that "people can really ascribe their own meaning, which I kind of encourage." Eliza Berman of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' opines that Vérité "writes songs about the human condition: what it's like to be here, to inhabit your own mind, to try to connect with others. If that sounds incredibly broad, that's because it is."


Discography


Studio albums


Remix albums


Extended plays


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Further reading

* * * * * *


See also

*
List of singer-songwriters This is a list of singer-songwriters who write, compose, and perform their own musical material. The list is divided into two sections to differentiate between artists categorized as singer-songwriters and others who do not fall under the defin ...


References


External links

*
Vérité
on
Neon Gold Records Neon Gold Records is a New York City-based boutique record label founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger. Initially operating as a vinyl-only singles label, Neon Gold has launched the debut releases and international careers of m ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verite 1990 births 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers American women singer-songwriters American indie pop musicians Living people Musicians from Brooklyn People from Orange County, New York Singer-songwriters from New York (state)