The Veronicas are an Australian pop duo from Brisbane, Australia. They were formed in 1999 by identical twin sisters Lisa Origliasso and Jessica Origliasso. In addition to music the sisters market their own line of clothing which debuted in 2007.
In 2005 The Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled The Secret Life of... which peaked at No. 2 on the Australian charts and gained an Australian ARIA certification of 4x platinum for 280,000+ sales. The album spawned five singles, led by "4ever", three of which were top ten singles in Australia.
In 2007, the duo released their second studio album, Hook Me Up, which also peaked at No. 2 on the Australian charts and earned an Australian ARIA certification of 2x platinum for 140,000+ sales. The album garnered four Australian top ten singles. The album's title track, "Hook Me Up", was The Veronicas' first No. 1 single in Australia, while "Untouched" was an international top ten hit.
Following a lengthy hiatus (broken only by the July 2012 release of the Top 40 single, 'Lolita'), The Veronicas released "You Ruin Me", the first single from their self-titled third album in September 2014. The song debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts, becoming the girls' second chart topping single and their first to debut in the top spot. The Veronicas was released online and in CD format on 21 November 2014.
Background
In 2001, the identical twins made their first recordings with Brisbane producer, Stuart Stuart at Analog Heart Records. Stuart produced an EP in a more electronic style, and a year later, a second batch of songs in the pop rock style that the group initially became known for. In 2004, Lisa Origliasso and Jessica Origliasso were introduced to the Music Director of The Bell Hughes Music Group (BHMG), Hayden Bell. Bell invited them to sign a publishing agreement with Excalibur Productions (a subsidiary of BHMG). Bell took them to meet the executives at Engine Room (a subsidiary of PBL (Packer) Group) and they were immediately signed to a production deal. To further develop their song writing skills, Bell connected them with several internationally acclaimed songwriters and producers including Clif Magness (who has written with Avril Lavigne), Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Cyndi Lauper), Max Martin (Britney Spears, Katy Perry, P!nk), Eric Nova, Dead Mono and Vince DeGiorgio, where they created a catalogue of over 50 songs.
Meetings were then arranged with Warner Bros. Records in the USA. Seymour Stein and senior executives recognised that Bell had indeed discovered and developed a musical talent, signing them quickly to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records/Sire America, for a reported sum of 2 million dollars.
Band name
Regarding how they chose their name, Jess Origliasso stated: "The name is something we thought about for a short time and we wanted it to be a girl's name, but we didn't want it to be 'the Jesses.' We were very conscious of not wanting to make it a twin thing, because we don't think that's really cool." "We didn't want it to be called 'the Lisas,' either," singer Lisa Origliasso added. "So one day we saw the movie Heathers, and there's a line where Christian Slater asks, 'Are you a Heather?' and Winona Ryder's character [Veronica] answers, 'No, I'm a Veronica,' and so we went with that, because she was this kind of cool, unique chick with an attitude."
However, Archie Comics launched legal action against the group for trademark infringement in relation to the character Veronica Lodge, in an attempt to stop them from using the name. Archie comics had asked Warner Music Group to hand over all publicity rights and to pay US$200 million in damages. Of this amount $20 million was for damages and $180 million as a penalty against Warner. In a statement with The New York Times Michael I. Silberkleit, chairman of Archie Comics Publications, Inc. stated,
The importance is the image of Archie, which everybody knows is good, clean, wholesome stuff,[...] Preventing unauthorized use of the name will protect both the characters and customers who have paid for licensing rights[...]"
A settlement was reached that included a cross-promotion deal, including an appearance in an issue of Veronica Lodge's comic book. The issue (No. 167) featured a card with a code allowing a free download of their single "4ever" in MP3 form. A few months later, Archie and Friends (No. 100) featured The Archies meeting The Veronicas. The next issue of Archie and Friends (No. 101) also featured The Veronicas, with Archie as their biggest fan.
Music career
2005â€"2006: The Secret Life of...
The Veronicas performed at the 2005 NRL Grand Final days before their debut album, titled The Secret Life of..., was released in Australia on 17 October 2005, entering the ARIA Album charts at the position of No. 7. Since then, it has peaked at No. 2 and gone 4x Platinum. Due to the success of the album, five singles were released in Australia: "4ever", "Everything I'm Not", "When It All Falls Apart", "Revolution" and "Leave Me Alone".
The Secret Life of The Veronicas spent a year in the ARIA album charts without leaving the Top 40. In September 2006, the album was nominated for three ARIA awards including; "Best Pop Release", "Highest Selling Album" and "Best Breakthrough Album". They won "Best Pop Release" but lost the other two to other nominees. The girls also performed their 2nd single "Everything I'm Not" on the night.
The album was released in the US on 14 February 2006; it debuted at No. 133 on Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Only two singles were released in the United States off the album. A special DVD was released with the US version as a limited edition exclusive. The limited edition included two extra songs and videos, and was only available online. However, copies have been found to have been shipped to several stores in Australia as well. Other releases in the US include Sessions@AOL which features their songs "Heavily Broken" and "Revolution" live in the AOL studios, also released was The Veronicas: Mtv.com Live EP which also features live performances of their songs including a new song, titled "Stay".
The album has also had success in other countries such as New Zealand where it debuted at No. 5, No. 75 on the Dutch Album Charts and No. 11 in Belgium. Due to their chart success in Belgium, they won the award for Best International New Artist at the TMF Awards of 2006. "When It All Falls Apart" spent a record of 17 weeks of MTV Asia's Pop 10 Chart, in which 7 of them were at the number 1 spot. The song was recorded in Simlish and is featured in the Sims 2 expansion pack Seasons.
Lisa and Jessica are the faces of Choice Calvin Klein and Australian hair product company nu:u. Blender magazine included them in their list of hottest women in rock in 2006. The sisters sang the title song on the short-lived television show Related which had featured songs from their debut album. They appeared in an episode that aired 6 February 2006. In March 2006, their debut single "4ever" was featured in the Amanda Bynes comedy She's the Man. It was featured in the promotional television spots, the film itself and the soundtrack. Their song "Revolution" appeared in another Amanda Bynes film, "Sydney White", in 2007.
The girls also appeared on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody episode "The Suite Life Goes Hollywood" as guest stars and performed their song "Cry". The twins have also created a fashion line called "The Veronicas for Target" which was released in stores on 25 August 2007 in Australia.
On 2 December 2006, The Veronicas released a CD/DVD, titled Exposed... the Secret Life of The Veronicas in Australia which features live performances from their Australian 2006 Revolution Tour and a DVD featuring parts of the sisters' live performances throughout 2005â€"2006, including footage that had previously not been seen, and their music videos. The album debuted at No. 6 on the ARIA DVD Charts accrediting platinum in its first week. The second week it rose to its peak of No. 3 and was accredited Double Platinum.
2007â€"2009: Hook Me Up and worldwide expansion
In early 2007, The Veronicas began work on their second album. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles, California, with Toby Gad, Billy Steinberg and John Feldmann.
Hook Me Up was released in Australia on 3 November 2007. The album debuted at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 9,531 copies in its first week, and was certified Gold. It has since gone 2x platinum. The album became the twenty-eighth-highest selling album in Australia for 2007. Hook Me Up was released in the UK on 12 October 2009 and has peaked at number thirty-five.
The lead single from the album, "Hook Me Up", was added to Australian radio on 27 August 2007, but was physically released on 22 September 2007. It debuted at number five, eventually reaching number one after seven weeks on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it their first number one hit in Australia.
"Untouched" was the first single to be released from their album in the United States, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. The song reached number 2 in Australia, eventually reaching platinum accreditation. The song became their first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 debuting at number sixty-two and eventually peaking at number seventeen making it their first top twenty hit in the United States. They became the first Australian artists to have a single certified Platinum in the U.S. with over 1,000,000 paid downloads. It was also their debut single in the UK, peaking at number eight and in Ireland peaking at number one, their first international number-one single
Their third and fourth singles, "This Love" and "Take Me on the Floor", were both top ten hits in Australia and were both certified Gold. "Take Me on the Floor" was released as their second single in the U.S. but only peaked at number eighty-one. On 11 October, their fifth single, "Popular", was released digitally in Australia. It has only gained heavy airplay and peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Airplay Chart.
Their debut single "4ever" was re-released as their second single in the UK and Ireland on 21 September 2009 and has peaked at number 17 in the UK and twenty in Ireland.
In support of the album, The Veronicas embarked on their third Australian tour, The Hook Me Up Tour, in 2007. The tour, which began on 30 November and concluded on 12 December, was held in eight major cities around Australia.
On 16 October 2008, The Veronicas announced their second tour for the album, Revenge Is Sweeter tour, which was their first tour to extend into New Zealand, United States, Canada, UK and Japan beginning on 13 February 2009 in Newcastle, Australia and ending on 25 September 2009 in Manchester, UK as well as a European promotional tour which included France, Germany and Italy. As part of their tour in Japan they released a two disc compilation album called The Veronicas Complete featuring all their songs from their first and second albums as well as three bonus tracks on 18 March 2009. In September 2008, the nominees for the 22nd annual ARIA Awards were announced, with The Veronicas receiving four nominations. Hook Me Up received two nominations for Best Pop Release and Highest Selling Album and "Untouched" and Hook Me Up (single) received a nomination for Highest Selling Single each. The Veronicas performed their hit single "Untouched" at the event, but left with no awards.
"Untouched" was featured in the popular computer game FIFA 09.
2010â€"2013: Delayed third album and split from Warner Music
Writing for their third studio album had begun in December 2009, and recording began in January 2010. The album, which cites influences by classical music, classical rock and pop genres, would have been their first release in over three years. Jessica Origliasso stated that the album was to be inspired by artists The Subways, The Dead Weather, Mazzy Star, Ladytron and Peaches. Lisa and Jessica Origliasso described the album as "[...] a little different from [...] the last two records" and "[...] a pop record [with] different undertones."
Lending their vocals elsewhere, Lisa and Jessica also collaborated with Michael Paynter to record a song called "Love the Fall" for his homonymous EP. The song peaked at number nineteen on the ARIA Charts. They also revealed in February 2011 that they had recorded backing vocals for Cherie Currie's new album. Additionally The Veronicas recorded a cover version of the song "Grown-Up Christmas List", by singer Amy Grant, for the Christmas compilation album The Spirit of Christmas 2010.
Lisa also started a group called the Dead Cool Dropouts with her friend Tyler Bryant, mostly done using GarageBand on Mac. They have released an EP of songs, these songs are called: "Write You Off", "Green Eyes Make Me Blue", "Blame It On Me", "Shallow", "Playing For Keeps", "Ju Ju Ya Ya" and "Criminal Heart". In 2013 on Instagram Tyler Bryant and Lisa Veronica revealed that they were both in the studio working on some new music.
In February 2012, it was announced that a release date for the album was "coming soon". LOM was tagged on their Twitter feeds as an important phrase on 15 May 2012. They also indicated the album was due for release in late 2012. On 2 June 2012, The Veronicas revealed the name of the album to be Life On Mars (Working title was; 'The Awakening' and they played with various titles like Death On Mars and Skeleton), and that it was to be released in September or October 2012. Warner Music then delayed the release of the album until 2013, as stated by the Daily Telegraph on 2 September.
The first single off the then promised album was titled "Lolita". The lyrics music video was released on 27 July 2012 and the official music video was released on 30 August.
The Veronicas co-wrote and recorded backing vocals for song called "Back to Life" which is included on EP 16 & Unstoppable by Christina Parie who finished 6th on third season The X Factor Australia.
Due to label conflicts, The Veronicas embarked on a process of making many changes to the album. The release date was postponed, and the content and theme of the album was changed. The girls also explained that "Lolita" was not an official single promoting the new album "It was just a single release for our Australian fans, as it's been such a long time since we have had anything new over there".
On 26 October 2013, The Veronicas announced via their official Facebook page that they had split from Warner Bros. Records.
2014â€"present: The Veronicas and record deal with Sony Music Entertainment
In March 2014, The Veronicas started an internet series documenting the last few years of their journey titled "Did You Miss Me?". It was later announced that a record deal had been struck with Sony Music Entertainment, and the long anticipated third album was to be released late in 2014.
The girls announced via Twitter on 5 September 2014 that their lead single for their third album was titled "You Ruin Me", and would be released 19 September 2014. Pre-order was made available as was a short teaser clip. The song premiered on Australian radio on 11 September 2014. On September 27, the song debuted at number one the ARIA Single Charts, The Veronicas' second number one single after "Hook Me Up" in 2007.
Billboard announced that the third album is to be self-titled, The Veronicas. It was later confirmed by the Daily Telegraph that the album will be released in November.
On October 21, The Veronicas held a private showcase of their upcoming album for fans. The girls confirmed a number of tracks which will be on the album, including "Cold", "Did You Miss Me?", "Mad Love" and "Sanctified". They also stated that future shows will be more intimate, “very theatrical†and interactive. On October 24, pre-order of the album was made available on iTunes, with the track "Line of Fire" available as an instant download with the preorder.
On October 31, during a special album release secret show, song "If You Love Someone" was announced as a second single. The song was premiered on Australian radios on Wednesday November 5 and it was released on November 21. The song became a success in their native Australia, charting at number 5 and was certified gold with sales upwards of 35,000.
On January 1st, The Veronicas announced that their Sanctified Tour would extend to the UK in March, with 5 shows across the country. The tour will then visit the U.S., South America & the other territories later in they year.
Philanthropy
In 2006, The Veronicas joined Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, a charity that deals with the protection of animals and their natural environments. The band was also featured in an Australian public service announcement campaign against music piracy targeting schools, labeled Australian Music In Tune. Other successful Australian artists included were Powderfinger, Jimmy Barnes and Silverchair.
Work for this charity has included a texting competition to reach two-thousand text messages in the hopes of raising one thousand dollars. In January 2009, it was announced Jess would pose nude for PETA after getting attention from a member of the organization.
Lisa also marched alongside Drew Barrymore, Pete Wentz, Janice Dickinson, and other celebrities in support of gay marriage in California at a May 2009 March in Los Angeles protesting 26 May 2009 decision of the California Supreme Court ruling upholding Proposition 8. They also joined a "Wear it with Pride" campaign to reform same-sex laws in Australia for the 85 legislative changes made in 2010 to overturn discrimination against same-sex couples and their families. The campaign involved them wearing numbered T-shirts representing each legislative change. In 2010 Lisa and Jessica were honoured as Wildlife Warriors of the year for their efforts in publicizing animal protection and conservation on a worldwide scale.
Products and endorsements
The Veronicas range of endorsements have included Australian hair products Nu:U and were also chosen to be the faces of the autumn 2005 promotional campaign for Choice Calvin Klein range. In 2006 they entered into a co-marketing deal with shoe brand Keds for their first US tour. The deal included web promotions and in-store acoustic performances at selected stores. On 27 January 2010 they announced via Twitter that they had signed a deal with cosmetic brand Flirt!, a division of Estée Lauder, to be the faces of their "Rock-n-Rebel" fragrance. They became ambassadors for the fragrance with the deal to including a multi-million dollar promotion during mid-2010 which also included giving make-up tips via the Rock-n-Rebel website and judged a beauty contest where young women were asked to submit photos of their "ultimate rock star style".
On 25 August 2007, The Veronicas launched their self-titled fashion line at Target Miranda store and is available in stores around Australia. According to the girls the fashion line was created to reflect their style which had been sought after by their younger fans and what they would like to see younger girls wear. Aimed at seven-fourteen year old girls Lisa described the fashion line as "[...]punk princess, mixed with rock 'n' roll," and Jess described it as "[...] princess and cute." The colours used for their fashion line include black and white and also features cherries, pirate motifs and love heart details. The current clothing range includes day-wear and pyjamas.
Discography
- The Secret Life of... (2005)
- Hook Me Up (2007)
- The Veronicas (2014)
Awards and nominations
Tours
- Revenge Is Sweeter tour (2009)
- Sanctified Tour (2015)
References
External links
- Official website
