Veronica Mortensen - I'm The Girl (2010)

Born in Aarhus (Denmark), singer VERONICA MORTENSEN was raised by her mother in Athens, Greece. At the age of 20, she moved back to Denmark to pursue a singing career – a natural choice, being the daughter of 2 musicians. She started her own soulband, a mini-bigband playing Aretha Franklin covers and Motown-classics, and soon after joined the more experimental acidjazzband Virtual Fantasy.

Veronica Mortensen graduated from Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus in the summer of 1996 and took her Diploma exam from Rythmic Conservatory of Copenhagen in 1998. She has performed on several albums and TV-shows, both as a lead singer and as a background vocalist. She also has appeared in rockmusicals like “A tribute to the Blues Brothers”, “Another Brick In The Wall” and “Hair” playing in both Copenhagen and Paris.

Her 2 albums “Pieces In A Puzzle” (2003) and “Happiness Is Not Included” (2007) got very fine reviews by the press and were both chosen for “Album of the week” by the Danish national radio (DR). The albums generated concerts in Denmark and abroad, among them at Bangkok Heineken Jazzfestival (Thailand), Beijing Jazzfestival (China) and at Ladies’ Jazzfestival in Gdynia (Poland). Beside her own music and band, she has also appeared with Peter Vuust Quartet, with whom se recorded the cd “Image Of Falling” (Imogena Records, 2005).
In 2007 Veronica Mortensen received a prize from Danish Songwriters’ Association (DPA), acknowledging her work as a songwriter.

Lately she has been working with several Big Bands, among them Athens Big Band (Greece) and swedish Bohuslän Big Band, with whom she’s been touring a number of times in Sweden. She has been a popular guest with Klüvers Big Band from Aarhus (Denmark) for the last 15 years and among many concerts, they have played the Aarhus Jazzfestival, toured Estland and played “Sacred Concerts” of Duke Ellington.

Veronica Mortensens 3rd album “I’m The Girl” is a live recording with Klüvers Big Band from Ridehuset in Aarhus, released in April 2010 on Stunt Records. The album shows what a great live performer she is and contains not only her own material, but also interpretations of other well-known songs. Special guests are Dave Samuels (US) on vibraphone/marimba and Dennis Mackrel (US) on drums.