Veronica Ballestrini

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Veronica Ballestrini, also known as Veronica Vesely, is an Italian-American singer and songwriter born on October 29, 1991. From Connecticut, she plays guitar, keyboard, and sings, creating country-pop music. She has released two studio albums and built a self-made career that drew national attention.

Early life and rise to fame
Veronica was born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Waterford. She comes from a large Italian-American family. She started playing guitar and writing songs at thirteen and launched a MySpace page that helped her gain fans. Her song “Daddy” helped her rise in popularity, and at fourteen she won first place at the USA World Showcase in Las Vegas in 2006. Nashville producers noticed her work, leading to professional opportunities while she was still in high school.

First album and early successes
In 2009, Veronica started her own independent label and released her debut album, What I’m All About, on August 21, 2009. The lead single “Amazing” reached number 24 on Music Row, and its video debuted at number 3 on CMT Pure. Other singles from the album included “Don’t Say” and “Out There Somewhere.” Marie Claire named her one of six “Artists to Watch For.” Her song “Destiny” was featured in a movie soundtrack as well.

Key moments and touring
In 2010 she won the Mead Five Star prize, which gave her funds to work on new music. She also gained exposure through the If I Can Dream MySpace contest, visiting the Dream House in Beverly Hills and recording “Fascinated.” That year she began a period of growth and collaboration, including a relationship with artist Alex Lambert that ended in early 2010.

Gotta Make A Change and Flip Side
Veronica worked on a project called Gotta Make A Change, leading to a national tour with camps, festivals, and community events to share a motivational message. She released the single “Temporary Fix” in 2011, with a Malibu-shot music video. The song charted on the Billboard Social 50, and in 2012 she released “Don’t Give Up On Me.”

Personal life and later work
From 2011 to 2013, Veronica dated country singer Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay. They collaborated on music and co-wrote songs for her second album, then titled Gotta Make A Change and later released as Flip Side on June 17, 2014. During this period she toured with Secondhand Serenade and Juliet Simms and contributed duets to Secondhand Serenade’s album Undefeated (2014). She also appeared on their cover “Say Something.”

In 2014 Veronica joined Ford’s Fiesta Movement as an ambassador, receiving a 2015 Ford Fiesta. In 2015 she became engaged to John Vesely of Secondhand Serenade, and they married on April 1, 2017 in Vero Beach, Florida. The couple formed The Rebel Roads, a country duo, releasing their first single “First To Know” in 2016 and continuing to release more singles while working on a new album.