| VERONICA BALLESTRINI Bio
The face of Country Music was undergoing a profound shift in
direction the year Veronica Ballestrini was born. That year was
1991, and the country genre was rapidly evolving into a more accessible,
pop-friendly format in the millennium's last decade. A new generation
was growing up on a steady diet of superstars like Garth, Shania, LeAnn
and Faith. Now, nearly 20 years later, the guise of country is changing
once again, this time behind the youthful exuberance of female artists
like Taylor, Carrie, Kellie and... Veronica.
Veronica Ballestrini might not be the household name that our modern
American Idol-era industry is capable of producing overnight -- yet. But
there's no doubt that Veronica is well on her way to mastering the art
of our new media age and bringing a legion of fans with her in the
process.
"I spend about four hours a day answering messages from fans," she
reveals. "Every message I get, I answer myself." It's a formula that has
paid big dividends for the surprisingly down-to-earth young star.
With one modest dream and an Internet connection, the enthusiastic
yet mature-beyond-her-years teenager from Waterford, Connecticut has
raised more than a few eyebrows with her self-made success story. The
staggering numbers on her social network sites are proof that Veronica
has that special ability to connect with people. On Myspace alone, that
number totals more than 120,000 friends, 7.5 million page views and
11.5 million plays of her music. On country-lifestyle portal
DigitalRodeo.com, Veronica is one of the most in-demand artists on the
entire site.
"What Veronica has done without a label, without television and with
virtually no press is absolutely astounding," says Digital Rodeo
Director of Marketing and Promotions John Pyne. "She is one of the most
self-motivated artists I've ever seen and knows how to use the online
tools at her disposal exceptionally well. It just so happens that she's
also a very talented young singer, and I personally think there's no end
to what she can accomplish."
Those accomplishments first began at the innocent age of 13, when
Veronica first picked up a guitar and unknowingly logged on to a career.
The bubbly teenager, known to many simply as 'V', had modest aspirations
way back in 2005.
"My first goal was just to get to Nashville and record an album," she
says matter-of-factly. "Now that I've accomplished that, I want that
music to get heard by as many people as possible. I've had so many
people tell me that my music has helped them out or helped them to
achieve their own goals, so it means a lot to me to be able to affect
someone's life like that."
Part of Veronica's success comes from her undeniable pop-country
crossover appeal. She points out that while she considers her music
country, that doesn't mean that it can't have it's own spin on the
genre.
"It's just a different style of country music," she says. "Keith
Urban, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood - they all have their own style."
She continues, "It's important that people know that I'm not trying
to be anyone else. I'm just trying to be who I am. I'm writing from the
heart about issues and things I'm experiencing, and hopefully people can
identify with that."
website:
http://www.veronicaballestrini.net |
