Meet Veronica North, Bellingham’s rising pop singer-songwriter
Bellingham singer and songwriter Veronica North performed during the Northwest Tune-up on Friday, July 10.
Although she didn’t win Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest, the winner, Henry Mansfield invited her to perform during his set, making her the only Whatcom County Native to take the stage during the festival.
North sat down with The Bellingham Herald during the Northwest Tune-up to talk about her career and how she continues to grow her career as a well-known local musician.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: When did you start playing music?
A: I started taking piano lessons when I was five. I grew up in Point Roberts and it was a very small town. When our neighbor was moving in, my mother saw they had a piano, and she asked them, “Could you teach my kids the piano?” That was my and my brother’s Christmas present that year.
I played piano for about six years and I had all the basics down, all the scales and every key. Then I really wanted to take singing lessons, and my parents said they could only afford one at a time, so I had to choose between piano and singing. I chose singing.
At the same time, I started learning how to play guitar. That’s when I felt it all came together and clicked. I started writing songs and performing when I was 14 or 15.
Q: Talk me through the experience of being a musician in Bellingham. What does the booking process look like?
A: I think it’s a fine balance between squeaky wheel gets the grease and also not being insane. I just have to keep putting myself out there. The reason people know my name is because I keep saying my name.
I’ve had so much support, and I’m so grateful for it, but that always starts with me texting, calling or emailing them and simply being nice. That has been my biggest takeaway: you get farther in life by being kind to everyone. That sounds weird to talk about because it sounds like a scheme, but it’s not. I’m just trying to live my life, and being kind gets you so far in life.
Q: I've heard that some musicians use Whatcom County as a stepping stone before moving to Seattle or Los Angeles. Why do you want to stay here?
A: I love everything about Bellingham. I just love the place, the beauty, the people, the mountains, the ocean and the river. My family is still in Point Roberts, which is a perfect distance. I just love my life and I don’t really want anything about it to change.
Q: Let’s talk about the Opening Act Contest. Why did you decide to perform four hours after getting knee surgery?
A: It was a huge honor to be selected for that, and they had it in stages. When we applied, there were over 200 bands from Washington that applied for the contest. Then there was a top 10 it was narrowed down to a top five. Only the top five were the ones that got to perform. I just genuinely wanted to win, first of all. But I was also very committed to it and really excited about it.
Then four days before, I broke my leg and I needed to have surgery. It happened to be scheduled for the exact same day, five hours before performance time. I thought, “Well, 200 people wanted to be here on this stage tonight. It’s a disservice to them if I don’t at least try.” I know that is kind of a crazy thing to say. I’m a nurse, and I get that you need to rest after surgery, and you should do what is best for your body and your mental health.
At the time, for my mental health and my soul, I needed to do it. I told myself if I wake up from the surgery and I can’t do it, I won’t. But if there’s any desire when I’m coming out of anesthesia, and I’m ready to go, I’m just going to decide to do it and commit.
I asked my surgeon before, “Hey, I need permission to perform. Is that okay to do?” he kind of laughed and said, “You’re not going to want to, but, sure, you can.”
Honestly, I kind of blacked out. There are pieces of that night that I just don’t remember. I was very nauseous, but my vocal teacher growing up, Natasha, taught me you can sing through anything with proper vocal technique. It might not be your absolute best performance, but you can do it.
Q: How did Henry Mansfield approach you to sing with him on stage at the Northwest Tune-up?
A: Henry is so generous and kind. He had messaged me a few days after the contest and said, “Hey, I really think you should come up. No pressure, but if you’re down, and if you feel like you’re able to, because of your leg and everything.” I said, “Well I should be able to walk by July!”
Then we decided to write a song together for his set, and we wrote the entire thing over text. We would edit lyrics and melodies back and forth, and performed it for the first time on July 10.
Q: What would you tell your younger self if you could?
A: I think I would tell myself to just keep having fun. I just remember being a little kid and singing in front of the mirror and walking around in my backyard with my MP3 player and singing Hilary Duff, pretending to be on the stage. I think I would tell her, “You’re doing it, you’re having fun and just keep on doing this. Keep having fun.”
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m going down to Portland to work with a new producer that I haven’t worked with before to work on one song that I’m really excited about. It’s going to be a little different style than I’ve done before — more chill. I think that’ll probably be a single.
I have a bunch of songs that are ready to go, but studio time and making music is expensive. But I’m always writing, I’m always making new music.
In the long term, I just want to keep saying yes to the stuff that makes me excited. Who knows? The music industry is weird and trying to have a trajectory with it is so hard because it’s not like college, where there is a linear path. You just work on your art, you try to stay true to yourself and you try to balance everything that comes with it.
North will be playing live as a part of the Concerts in the Park Series on Friday, July 31 at Boulevard Park.