Catching up with VÉRITÉ at Lollapalooza
VÉRITÉ (Kelsey Byrne) will play at this year’s Lollapalooza festival.
It’s been a busy year for VÉRITÉ (Kelsey Byrne). The New York-based singer-songwriter just released the follow up to her first EP in June, “The Sentiment EP,” and on Sunday she will hit the BMI stage at Lollapalooza. For Byrne, music has always been a part of her life. She started playing music when she was young, alongside her father who is also a musician, and by the time she hit middle school, she was in an all-girl punk band. Today, her sound is electro meets pop with strong melodies and powerful vocals, earning her rave reviews and a strong internet following. We caught up with the performer ahead of her set to talk about her dream collaborator, giving it her all on stage, and melt-proof makeup.
Alexandra Perron: You have two EPs under your belt now and here you are at Lollapalooza. Did you always envision this kind of path for yourself? Kelsey
Byrne: I’ve always been extremely focused without a lot of vision for what the end goal was, I think I’ve gone through a lot of different phases and have wound up hitting walls and thought this isn’t actually the right path. For the first time with this project, I don’t feel like there are walls. It’s just about developing the sound and getting more experimental.
You’re writing all of your own songs. What is that process like for you?
The writing process is different for every track, it’s different for who I’m collaborating with. I prefer to work with people who have different skill sets from my own — who I can trust to build and develop what they are good at on the production end, and who I trust to comment on the melody and the lyrics, which is what I focus on. We build things from the ground up, whether it’s a song I’ve written that I bring to them, or a production idea that I bring to them. Adding collaborators to the project is really fun and exciting and kind of scary. It’s just new territory.
Do you have a dream collaborator?
Donald Glover, by far. I feel like if I say it in enough interviews it will come true.
Music has been a part of your life for forever: Your dad was a musician and you played in a punk band in school. Have you always felt confident on stage?
I’ve recently just started chanting “I don’t give a f**k” before I go on. There is something about completely clearing your mind. I am here and want to exert as much energy as humanly possible. That’s the goal. I literally black out, I lose complete perspective. I look at my band, and my manager and I’m like, “Was that alright?”
I love that mentality. Now, it’s super hot in Chicago this weekend. What are you wearing that isn’t melting off your face?
Clarins Tinted Moisturizer. You put it on, it stays, it actually covers, it moisturizes, and it has SPF. For me, I’m very pale so I need all the sunscreen I can get.
Are you someone that likes a bold eye? A strong lip? What is your on-stage beauty look?
It really changes. With the heat, it’s really hard. I’m inherently more comfortable dressing for winter nights, hence the all black uniform. I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone. I’ll probably wind up doing a hot pink lip just because, why not?
Listen to “The Sentiment EP” below!
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