The anticipation for a concert to begin is the worst.

It was March 26, 2018, and it was my first time here at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit. We were excited to see EDEN, but we didn’t know who the opener was – or so I thought. To kill time and our curiosity, we looked up who the opener is and a couple of her songs. As it turned out, VÉRITÉ was opening: the artist whose songs I had been listening to all week! 

I sang along, jamming to the electronic beats paired with VÉRITÉ’s soulful vocals. Besides enjoying the music, my first impression was that she seemed shy yet caring. VÉRITÉ sings with such conviction that you can feel the emotion in the air with each and every line. It’s so raw and honest – which is fitting, as vérité is French for “truth”. The English definition of vérité is “a genre of film, television, and radio programming which emphasizes realism and naturalism.”

VÉRITÉ, born Kelsey Byrne, started waiting tables in Times Square while she was in school to help pay for classes and studio time. Byrne often talks about how she had to be her own advocate, especially for her music. The age of “being discovered” is over and, after a record deal fell through, she decided to take charge. 

“I had a stark realization that it was my responsibility to build my career,” Byrne said. “I needed to put my head down and push forward”.

After promoting herself on social media and then trending on Twitter with her single “Strange Enough”, she was able to quit her day job to focus solely on music. She even wrote an article about how she uses Spotify as a platform to promote herself and speaks on Spotify’s value rather than condemning it for its pay of artists. By being an advocate for musicians and paving the way herself, she is truly inspirational. 

a few more to the post office xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

love you <3 pic.twitter.com/VQogkG0BVu

— VÉRITÉ (@Verite) May 29, 2019

VÉRITÉ is more than a musician; she adores her fans and takes time to be an inspiration for them. She often discusses topics such as stress, depression, anxiety and politics. She also takes breaks from social media because it can be too much, just like it can be for anyone. Her interactions with fans appears to come from a place of authenticity as she asks for their opinions on topics such as playlists, songs to play at her concerts, and places she should tour. 

VÉRITÉ is real. She is an independent woman making her way through the world and doing what she loves most, which is truly inspiring. As that is the type of woman I want to be, independent, kind hearted, honest and doing work in a field of which I love most. 

After the concert I went to, I got to meet her and the next day she followed me on twitter! But more than that, her music is deeply relatable. It’s the type of thing where I put it on and either want to scream the lyrics at the top of my lungs because I believe in it that much, or I wanna lay on the floor and think about my life. 

Whatever mood you’re in VÉRITÉ will make you feel something deeply just like her new single, “Gone”, and the rest of the album which will speak to the not-so-glamorous parts of relationships. 

She is also about to go on tour with X Ambassadors starting this November.