VERONICA Romeo
Biography
Ten
years after Veronica Romeo first enchanted millions in her home country with
her powerhouse performances on Spain’s wildly popular reality singing contest Operacion Triunfo, the multi-talented
singer and songwriter—who has sold over 300,000 albums there--is gearing up for
the next phase of her career that brings her back to one of her first musical
loves: dance music. Having moved to Los Angeles in 2010, Veronica is set to
seduce listeners and club goers worldwide by admitting she has a seriously cool
addiction most women can relate to: chocolate. Her infectious track “Tastes
Like Chocolate,” set for release by Dauman Music, has been remixed thus far by
Dave Matthias (Rihanna, Paulina Rubio) and Jeff Barringer (Duran Duran, Cher,
Depeche Mode).
Over
the years, Veronica has built a passionate fan base across Europe via
charismatic live performances and the sultry yet frequently explosive pop/rock
vibe she’s cultivated on her top selling Spanish recordings, a discography that
includes La Fuerza Del Sol (2002), Lluvia (2003), Serotonina (2006) and her platinum selling 2007 single “Conectado a
mi,” which became the most digitally downloaded song in the history of the MSN
Spain music website. She also has the distinction of holding the “Golden Minute
of the Spanish television” – the night that 15 million viewers across the
country tuned in to Operacion Triunfo to
hear her sing “One Day I’ll Fly Away.”
While
Veronica has frequently cited her rock influences as Queen, U2 and Whitesnake,
the vibe on “Tastes Like Chocolate” draws more on the other great inspiration
of her formative years, Madonna. In the singer’s ever expanding musical world,
there are no limits. “I have always believed that uplifting inspirational
experiences are the key to creating great songs,” says Veronica, who penned the
playful and passionate “Tastes Like Chocolate” with Mher Filian (Selena Gomez,
Demi Lovato) and Rob Kleiner (Cee Lo Green, David Guetta, Flo rida).
“The
ability to reflect love, freedom, craziness, sadness,
joys, all your senses and emotions in your lyrics and music, allows making a
perfect song for each moment. That’s a good way to connect with people. The
real goal, as a songwriter and singer is not having just one hit wonder but
always sharing what you’ve got inside and letting people know you by who you
are and what you have to say. If you make someone else's life a little happier
and get recognition while doing that… What else could you ask for? That’s the
magic of music.”
Calling her new single a “happy song,” Veronica offers a glimpse
into her wistful romantic nature and a little of her past by using chocolate as
a metaphor for love: “I’ve been a big fan of chocolate as long as I can
remember, and everyone in my family knows I’ll eat it anytime I can. In high
school, when all my girlfriends had a boyfriend and I didn’t, they’d ask me,
‘When are you going to have a boyfriend?” I would tell them, ‘I will know he’s
the one when I kiss him, because that kiss will taste like chocolate to me.
It’s a dream come true to finally write a song about something I’ve loved all
my life.”
While
establishing herself as a pop/rock recording artist in Spain, Veronica has
taken some fascinating creative detours that reflect her versatility and sense
of adventure. She followed her first two hit solo albums in 2004 by appearing
as a vocal soloist with the Valenciana Baroque Orchestra on El Amor Brujo, an album featuring music
created by the late legendary Spanish composer Manuel De Falla. For her third
album Serotonina, she launched her
own label VK 48 Music. Veronica has also expanded into films over the years,
appearing in the Downs Syndrome documentary “Las Palabras de Vero” (2004) and
“Fin de curso” (directed by Miguel Marti, who also directed many of Veronica’s
music videos). She also became part of the “Puiu pilot,” an adaptation of the
American series “Heroes,” portraying sci-fi heroine Wings, who appears only in
Puiu’s dreams and nightmares. Two of her songs, “Someone To Think About” and
its Spanish version “Alguien en quien pensar” were used to record music videos
for the series.
In 2008, Veronica moved to
Miami, where she worked with Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum selling
producer Rodolfo Castillo (Santana, Bacilos, Chayanne, Julio Iglesias); four
time Grammy winning, multi-platinum producer Iker Gastaminza (Shakira,
Chayanne, Ricky Martin, Bacilo); and musicians like Emmy and Grammy winning Dan
Warner (Madonna, Rihanna, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Shakira,
Mika) and Lee Levin (Shakira, Barbra Streisand, P!nk, Julio Iglesias). She
later co-wrote and collaborated with Grammy nominees Elsten Torres (Luis Fonsi,
Julio Iglesias Jr), Jim Camacho (John Legend, Alicia Keys) and John M. Falcone
(Shakira, Gloria Estefan), and multi-platinum selling artist Nina Ossof
(Daughtry, High School Musical).
Veronica’s move to L.A. in
early 2010—after releasing her most recent recording EP Limited Edition,
featuring the popular single “Hola Mundo”--opened up more collaborating
opportunities. Among others, she worked with numerous other Grammy winners,
including Jon Paterno (Selena), Greg Wells (Mika, Katy Perry), C.J Vanston
(Prince, Nsync, Barbra Streisand, Ringo Star, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner) and Phil
Collen (Def Leppard). Other renowned songwriters and musicians she has worked
with include Billy Steinberg, Shelley Peiken, Steve Lukather, Waymon Boone,
Danny Cocke, Jesse Owen, Tova Litvin, Sami, Rob Kleiner, Mher Filian, Michael
Jay, Carsten Lindberg, Stephen Gage & Scala, Rafa Esparza, Alex Nicoforo,
Adia, Eddie Galan, Jeff Solomon, Nirvan Pistoljevic and Joan Pla.
Veronica has long believed
that music and philanthropy go hand in hand. Inspired to get involved by the
life of Mother Teresa, she formed her own charity Lluvia and has been involved
in numerous campaigns and with many organizations over the last decade. These
include an environmental campaign to preserve forests against burning;
traveling to Guatemala to visit Intervida-supported education, health and
nutrition projects; visiting children’s hospitals in Spain; becoming the
“godmother” of Fundacion Atletico de Madrid; the campaign “Gives Them Voice”
for Intervida to help survivors of sexual abuse; recording “Connected to Me”
for Microsoft in support of the Red Cross; and designing T-shirts and reusable
totes to raise funds for solar ovens in Africa and Latin America and to help
Haiti fight against deforestation.
Veronica has also donated
proceeds from the sale of “Hola Mundo” to environmental projects in Africa and
Latin America through Alfalit International, a nonprofit organization that offers
programs in literacy, basic education, preschool, health, nutrition, and
community development to the poorest in Central America, South America,
the Caribbean, Africa, Portugal, and the United States.
“Being surrounded by talented and generous people gives you the
confidence to explore your mind and share your ideas without problems,” says
Veronica. “I’m really excited about my new song and the opportunity to reach a
whole new audience with my music -- and through that, to let more people know
about all of the global issues I am so passionate about.”