With a Greek mother and Danish father, Veronica inherited two unique musical perspectives and, to this day, she continues to embrace musical styles from a range of cultures, within and beyond the borders of her homelands.

 

After spending her formative years in Greece, Veronica returned to Denmark to pursue a career in music, starting out in soul bands, big bands and then joining the experimental jazz band, ‘Virtual Fantasy’. She gained a conservatory education in music and began performing on Danish TV shows and in musicals, including “Hair”, which had successful runs in Copenhagen and Paris.

 

Recognition of her talents grew and she released her debut album, ‘Pieces in a Puzzle’ via Sundance Records in 2003. This album married her acoustic jazz compositions with electronic programming and the album gained extensive critical acclaim. It became Danish National Radio’s ‘Album of the Week’ and enjoyed regular national airplay. International performances then beckoned and she was delighted to receive invitations to perform at major festivals, including the Bangkok Heineken Jazz Festival, the Beijing Jazz Festival and the Ladies’ Jazz Festival in Poland.

 

Her desire to continue finding new musical avenues led to a fruitful collaboration with the acclaimed bass player, composer and neuroscientist, Peter Vuust. She made a guest appearance on the album, ‘Image of Falling’, released in 2005 on Imogena Records, attracting a new Swedish following for Veronica. Peter and Veronica have since made a trilogy of albums together. Their second album ‘September Song’ was nominated “Danish Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” in 2014 and “Leaves of Love” was welcomed by fans and critics alike in 2017, again on Imogena Records.

 

Veronica released her second album, “Happiness is Not Included” in 2007, a collection of acoustic-led compositions and choice covers of some of her favourite songwriters, including Paul Simon, The Beatles, James Taylor and Tom Waits. In the same year, Veronica received an award from the Danish Songwriters’ Association, acknowledging her songwriting talents.

 

Always an active member of the local, grassroots jazz scene, Veronica has played with the Klüvers Big Band since her conservatory days and has performed several times with the Athens Big Band in Greece. She also toured the “Duke and Ella Sessions” around Sweden with the Bohuslän Big Band and appeared on their Christmas album, “Good Time Christmas”. This string of successful big band collaborations gave her the inspiration to make her 3rd album a live recording. “I’m The Girl” was recorded with the Klüvers Big Band at the Aarhus Jazz Festival and highlights Veronica’s unique ability to connect with both band and audience and convey the passion of her own material and interpretations of other artists’ works. The album gained an extra, international flavour thanks to guest appearances by American percussionists Dave Samuels (vibraphone/marimba) and Dennis Mackrel (drums).

 

In 2013, “Catching Waves” was released on Stunt Records, a return to original material. This release received another award from the Danish Songwriters’ Association, in the form of a unique funding opportunity to create new music (the ‘Kaj Møllers’ Grant). Riding on this creative energy, she then released ‘Presents Passed’ in 2015, also on Stunt Records. This album marked a return to her jazz influences and fulfilled a life-long dream for Veronica to curate an album of lesser-known gems from the Great American Songbook.

 

Besides regular live performances, Veronica Mortensen is currently working on material for her next album. While work is still in progress, fans can be certain that Veronica’s unfaltering style, class and irresistible vocals will be front and centre on the album.

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