Veronica Swift, daughter of Stephanie Nakasian, listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz as one of the world’s leading jazz singers, and the late bebop piano great Hod O'Brien, was destined to follow in her parents' footsteps. At just nine years old, she recorded her first album, Veronica's House of Jazz, and began touring with her parents. At age 11, she appeared in the Jazz at Lincoln Center series, "Women in Jazz," and continued her studies, earning a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Voice at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.
After graduation, the Virginia native moved to New York City, performing Saturday nights at the legendary club Birdland. She has continued to record her own material and collaborate and tour with such artists as Chris Botti, Benny Green, Wynton Marsalis, and Michael Feinstein.
Now a leading international vocalist, Swift dropped her third release, a self-titled 11-track album, which includes originals and covers. Combining elements of pop, bebop, swing, funk, rock, and jazz on the record, Swift pays homage to greats from Duke Ellington, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Ludwig van Beethoven to Queen and Nine Inch Nails. The first singles of the album include a rendition of Jerry Herman’s “I Am What I Am” and cover of the cover of NIN’s “Closer.”
The singer, knighted by France, stopped by the LifeMinute Studios to tell us about the new album, her unique sound, and how she keeps her instrument, her voice, pitch perfect.