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Veronic, singer
BY IAN MYLCHREEST -- Las Vegas has many impersonators and tribute artists, including a disproportionate representation of Elvis wannabes. But Elvis impersonators, like most tribute artists, stick to imitating one singer -- Britney Spears or Cher, for example.
Veronic has launched 50 different impressions in her show “Veronic – Voices,” which is now playing at Bally’s Jubilee Theater.
How did she build such a repertoire of styles from rock and pop divas to classic country?
“I was imitating, you know, voices like that just for my family and friends and at one point I was doing a sound check the musicians and my manager said at one point, ‘You should do this in your show,’ she says.
One of the impersonations is her boss – Celine Dion. The pair linked up when Veronic was Celine’s opening actin Canada. And now the Caesars Palace headliner is producing Veronic’s Las Vegas show.
She found mastering certain voices very challenging. Getting the little whisper of Nora Jones’ voice was difficult. She worked with her vocal coach to get the intonations right. She watched the singer’s physical presentation on YouTube. And then she put the impersonation together.
Tina Turner was hard to get. She put her highest high heels on and that’s when it happened. She had to be physical first.
And Barbara Streisand was also difficult because her career spans different eras. Veronic decided on the young Barbara for her show. “Once you get the voice, it evolves from there. And it gets to a point where, okay now I’m happy with these voices,” says Veronic.
“In this show, I don’t make fun of these singers,” she adds. “I like to imagine I’m having dinner with Madonna and if I had a good glass of wine, how would I imitate her in front of her.”
The initial season only runs through August. An extension of the season is possible, but Veronic would like to become a resident artist on the Strip. “It’s a privilege to have your show at one venue and just put your makeup and your pencils on the table and go back every night to your thing and they’re still there,” she said. It would, she says, “be a dream come true.”