Raised in Charlottesville, VA and having grown up on the road with her parents jazz pianist Hod O’Brien and vocalist Stephanie Nakasian, Veronica began her performing and recording career at age nine. As a child, she headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, and appeared at major US festivals such as the Telluride Jazz Fest.
She went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Placing second in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition put Veronica on the map, contributing to her landing a weekly residency at the historic jazz venue Birdland. Her “…miraculous voice, musical ability and technique, as well as an innate gift for entertaining a crowd” (Wall Street Journal) captured the attention of jazz icons Chris Botti and Wynton Marsalis who featured her on their tours throughout the following years as Veronica also toured extensively with her own band.
Veronica’s second release, This Bitter Earth (2021), earned her critical raves: a five-star review in DownBeat Magazine and a spot on the front cover on their November 2021 issue; the JazzTimes December cover; and L’academie du Jazz Best Vocal Album award in 2021.
Her third album, TransGenre, comes out later this year and pays homage to greats like Janis Joplin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Duke Ellington. Veronica’s ability to transcend different styles, and fully embody them with authenticity to tell a story makes her one of the most skillful singers in any genre, and displays her theatrical approach as a performer and artist.
Raised in Charlottesville, VA and having grown up on the road with her parents jazz pianist Hod O’Brien and vocalist Stephanie Nakasian, Veronica began her performing and recording career at age nine. As a child, she headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, and appeared at major US festivals such as the Telluride Jazz Fest.
She went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Placing second in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition put Veronica on the map, contributing to her landing a weekly residency at the historic jazz venue Birdland. Her “…miraculous voice, musical ability and technique, as well as an innate gift for entertaining a crowd” (Wall Street Journal) captured the attention of jazz icons Chris Botti and Wynton Marsalis who featured her on their tours throughout the following years as Veronica also toured extensively with her own band.
Veronica’s second release, This Bitter Earth (2021), earned her critical raves: a five-star review in DownBeat Magazine and a spot on the front cover on their November 2021 issue; the JazzTimes December cover; and L’academie du Jazz Best Vocal Album award in 2021.
Her third album, TransGenre, comes out later this year and pays homage to greats like Janis Joplin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Duke Ellington. Veronica’s ability to transcend different styles, and fully embody them with authenticity to tell a story makes her one of the most skillful singers in any genre, and displays her theatrical approach as a performer and artist.
