Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Kelly.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up loving old-school 1940s and 1950s movies and jazz. My family is from Cuba so music, culture, and style come with the territory. My mother was raised in New York for schooling, which took her into Motown Records in LA, and thus my music love-affair began. I was never far away from music in the house or at school. I was always placed in a school full of diversity, art, and most importantly for me-music. How do you love music, culture, people and not run into Atlanta…Anything? As a Black Cuban on the West Coast loving Rosemary Clooney and Billie Holliday, let’s just say fitting in was never an option. I remember loving the idea of the jazz scene because everyone was welcome and as different as can be. The Red Light Cafe was always a venue I wanted to see in person, and created that for myself.
There was never anyone singing the way I wanted, with the things I wanted to see, until my family relocated to Las Vegas after the LA riots when I was younger. Everyone was always saying Vegas was a place where you go to slow down for a career, but for me all I saw was a place where what I wanted to do had space to breathe without anyone like me. It was perfect! Like anything that takes time, this journey was no different. Lots of “you should sing like this” or “you should sing like that.” You have to work your way around the scene, from singing riffs on rap albums (this is how I met so many ATL performers and worked in studios with them) back up work for headliners. Then finally, I created my own show with all the people I had worked with over the years. A 20-piece big band, 7-piece Latin Band (Shout out to my friend the incomparable Big Band Leader Michael Evans!), Burlesque Dancers, Back Up Singers, and well…your lead female entertainer of the evening….me! Please know I am laughing while I say this.
I sing Spanish songs (Thank you Celia Cruz), English Songs, originals, with the best swinging vibe to tap your foot to for any culture. I like to think it’s a nod to my very classic grandparents, cultured and brilliant mother, every movie musical that I inhaled as a child and of course, the muse The Atlanta Red Light Cafe.
I hope to keep classic music memorable and fresh. I also like to make sure no one puts black women in a box in any way when it comes to entertainment, appearance or expectations. Versatility is my foundation, and I’m sticking to it with every note my horn players can play.
I hope anyone interested in this kind of atmosphere stops by for my show and for an absolutely memorable evening. I hope this is NOT one thing that happens in Vegas and stays in Vegas but goes everywhere! It’s a show created and celebrated in absolute love, passion, and so much fun!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?What I will say is that by day- I work for an amazing International Technology Company that has not only its pulse on the future of Transportation, but also encourages the growth of Black Engineers, cultural diversity, creativity, and supports the community; which means a great deal to all of us.
By Night….well….I create a live representation of a moment that took place in yesteryear. I incorporated a modern time girl who loved old school music and style. If you were to watch a movie like “Singing in the Rain”, “Cabin in the Sky,” and “Carmen Jones”- then listen to Celia Cruz you could get a visual of what to expect on stage. But I grew up in the 90’s so I couldn’t escape Sade, Lauren Hill, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Babyface or Selena. My own original written music has roots that were based in R&B where lyrical integrity and musicality are a necessary foundation. I create a space for all of it. Let’s be honest, what artist is ever truly one-dimensional? It’s a musical journey for every age, every culture, and every experience. I am sincere in my attempt to display a standard of excellence, style, and expectation that reaches to a new place that gets people excited. What I’m most proud of with my show is that it’s LIVE, it’s Fabulous, and it’s for everyone! I try to get all my bases covered musically and with various genres. When it comes to a live show, I’m no different. You like jazz- got it. You like swing- got it. You want Spanish with a Cuban band-got it. Oh! and don’t forget amazing R&B originals, if I might say so myself. (shameless plug, I know lol.)
We’d love to hear; what do you think about risk taking?
The first risk would be betting on yourself to pull it off and hope the people follow suit and show up. The other risk is always adding people. But you have to do it. I have handled this journey with the grace of God and the audacity of this dream that keeps me going every day. You have to put your own money where your mouth is, and dreams aren’t cheap! You have to finance your dream until the dream finances you. Hopefully, you end up on the other side or find a way to be comfortable in the middle. My biggest risk has and always will be adding people to the team who love the vision as much as I do, and stick with it and me. Trust. That is always the biggest risk in the entertainment industry for me. When you find your squad, and you can trust them, count on them to keep their word, and they are ON TIME. KEEP THEM, and do NOT let them go!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/
veronica_kelly777/
Image Credits
BetterTogether Productions
