Growing up making music, it became clear to Fedri that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, telling herself at seven years old, “I’m going to be a rock star.”
Although she’s come a long way from those early days of learning, her spirit and drive are still just as intact. Fedri said her musical style has progressed over time, eventually fitting who she is now. She credits her producer, Junius Karr, for helping her leave behind a “sterile, indie rock” sound and move into a more boundary-pushing guitar-electronic hybrid.
Fedri said she draws inspiration from The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith and Joan Jett. Her ultimate inspiration, however, is The Strokes. She cites them as her personal One Direction growing up, and even has a Strokes-themed bathroom.
She said their band and the scene they cultivated were one of her main musical influences to push her out of Arizona and into New York City. Fedri also said books like Patti Smith’s “Just Kids” and Kim Gordon’s “Girl in a Band” were big influences on who she wanted to become.
“The cool girls that live in these dirty, gross cities and do whatever they want are a huge inspiration,” Fedri said.
Fedri has opened for musical groups like The Hellp, going on tour with them and even making friends with the guys in the band. Karr produced Noah Dillon and Chandler Lucy in the early days and still works with The Hellp now, which bridged a relationship between them and Fedri.
She said being friends with The Hellp and Dillon, in particular, has “done a lot to get us on another level.” Their bringing her on tour and to future shows, or even just being a creative helping hand, she said, has pushed her into their niche.
Although she said labels like “indie sleaze” annoy her, it’s just a word to describe the particular music scene she and her friends are in. She said that it’s almost necessary and something that naturally happens when people try to define and categorize movements.
Just like The Strokes had Interpol and LCD Soundsystem, Veronica Everheart has The Hellp and The Dare alongside her musical journey.
To be around artists like this is a reason she’s excited to move to New York City, but this excitement doesn’t come without bittersweet feelings. She said she’s grown to love Arizona, despite having a rocky relationship with it in the beginning.
She said growing up in Scottsdale was tough, not just because she had this “brooding” energy as a kid and wanted to be part of a non-existent art scene, but also because she was the poorest kid in her school.
“There’s a superficiality, especially in the early 2000s in Scottsdale (where) everywhere there’s a mom and the daughter wearing the pink Juicy Couture tracksuit,” Fedri said. “I couldn’t afford it, but deep down I wanted to have a matching pink tracksuit with my mom.”
Fedri got her taste of exploring culture outside of Arizona when she moved to New Jersey for college, which she said was because she was 17 and planned to get out of Arizona and never come back.
But after returning from college, she said she realized the beauty of Arizona.
“When you’re young, you want to just move away from your problems,” said Fedri. “You think it’s your hometown, but then you realize that’s not the case, and you kind of have to love where you’re from and love yourself before you can make that jump for your career.”
Although Fedri’s personal aesthetic is very black and white with moody, artistic undertones, she said she doesn’t want to be taken too seriously. She said she has fun while making music and has a goofy side that maybe most people wouldn’t expect.
This can be seen in some of her merch, which includes bright pink underwear with the word “Everheart” airbrushed into the back with little pink hearts bordering it, or a souvenir-style shirt made specifically for her final Arizona show.
Veronica Everheart will perform at 8 p.m. on July 26 at Rebel Lounge. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show. Slug Bug and Fay Logique will also perform, along with a DJ set from Belgium Tree.
