Introducing Verity Rae: Orlando's Up-and-Coming Jazz Rock Artist

Meet Verity Rae, a 19-year-old musician with roots in Washington, D.C., now carving out her path in Orlando, Florida. With a lifelong passion for singing—starting at the age of five—and a background in theater, Verity is bringing her unique artistry to the forefront. She’s a regular performer at Orlando’s local venues, where she captivates audiences and connects with fellow musicians in the area.

Verity is currently pouring her heart into her debut album, Veritas, a project inspired by her name that reflects her vibrant spirit and passion for music.

We had the pleasure of getting to know Verity to introduce you to an artist you’ll want to keep an eye on.

UPTIGHT:  So first, I just want you to introduce yourself and give me all that fun background information like how old you are, where you're from, etc.

VERITY RAE: Okay, awesome. I am Verity Rae. I am 19 years old. I am originally from DC, but I moved to Florida when I was about 10 years old. 

UPTIGHT: What first inspired you to make music? You mentioned that you've been singing since you were five years old, so I'd love to hear more about that.

RAE: Yeah, I started singing when I was five. My dad always sang to me when I was little, so that was a big part of it. I did musical theater from first grade all the way up to my senior year of high school. I started writing music in about eighth grade, but nothing ever really stuck—it was just something I did for fun. By my senior year of high school, I decided I wasn’t going to pursue music in any way, shape, or form. I hated it. It didn’t speak to me in a way that fulfilled me, and I realized I was doing it for other people, not for myself.

But then, I started making music again this year. I took a songwriting class, and my professor said, 'Hey, you kind of have a knack for this.' And I thought, 'I think so too.'

UPTIGHT: Where do you go to school?

RAE: I go to Rollins College, but I am leaving here at the end of this semester to pursue my music.

UPTIGHT: That’s so exciting! I’d love to know—what does the music scene in Orlando look like?

RAE: It's actually amazing. You wouldn't think that, but especially in this little area where we live, Winter Park, it's fantastic. There's a lot of EDM, a lot of DJs, but also a strong presence of alternative, emo, metal, and punk music. I probably see about two live shows a week. There are great open mics in the area where you get to meet people. Just last night, I was at this place called Stardust, and I met three new people. Now I have a writing session with one of them next week because that's just the kind of place it is. Everyone is trying to help each other out, and if they see your potential and recognize your dream, they want to support you.

UPTIGHT: That's really cool—sounds like a great place to network. How would you describe the sound and music you're creating right now? Is there a particular genre you feel most connected to?

RAE: I'm classically trained in jazz, and I've always loved jazz music. Artists like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald are what I grew up with. I love the idea of creating music that captures that vibe but has a wider appeal to broader audiences. I want to make what I call jazz rock and roll—rock that has more soul to it.

UPTIGHT: That’s fun!

RAE: Yeah, it's really a unique sound. I have a lot of people who compare me to Amy Winehouse. I think it's because of the long black hair.

UPTIGHT: Yeah, I was kind of thinking that too.

RAE: Yeah, I get that. I just want to make music that people can connect with in a real way and have fun with. I'm currently working on an album scheduled to drop in the summer of 2025. It's called Veritas, which means 'truth' in Latin—the same root as my name, Verity. It's super exciting. I have some amazing partners collaborating with me, and I think it's going to be a really whimsical project.

UPTIGHT: I'm looking forward to hearing it. Can you share any particular influences or experiences that have shaped your style or songwriting? 

RAE: I'm a big Fleetwood Mac fan. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham changed the game. And, this is going to sound crazy, but Panic! At the Disco—their music is revolutionary. They really brought back the idea of a concept album. David Bowie is another big influence of mine. Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, that's where I get my folk sound from. I think I'm very drawn to lyrics because I started by writing poetry. It was just something I began jotting down. I remember in third grade, my parents were called in to meet with my teacher because she said, 'Verity is writing some really dark poetry.' It was something I’d written about a graveyard. I went to a Christian school at the time, so they were scared. It’s really funny, and it’s just interesting how those things fester and grow into other life forms. I'd say my music has taken on a life of its own from my poetry.

UPTIGHT: What does your songwriting process look like?

RAE: I think this might sound a little crazy, but I find my songwriting process to be very spiritual. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and it’s like I’ve heard a melody in a dream, and it just comes to me. And, again, I know this sounds crazy, but when I write music, I see colors. It’s a full-body experience when I’m writing music, and I can sit down and say, 'I’m going to write a song,' but it usually comes to me in the moment. I always have my notebook on me, so I have to stop what I’m doing and write something down because it’s very powerful. I’m also usually a 'lyrics-first' kind of person. Like I said, poetry, it either comes to me as lyrics or as lyrics and melody at the same time. The words just fit the melody in my head. I also have a songwriting partner, Jeffrey Glatting, who writes all the chords because I don’t play any instruments. I just sing and have an ear for music. I’m starting to learn how to play instruments, but yeah, it’s a joint effort between him and me. We write together, and it’s really awesome. He’s super supportive and has really helped me find my sound as an artist.

UPTIGHT: What instruments does Jeffery play? 

RAE: Piano is his main instrument; he's a piano major and actually graduating from Rollins this year. But he wants to be a music producer, so he works a lot with MIDI instruments. Another one of my writing partners, who comes in for more of the rock stuff, is his roommate, Andrew Rueda, and he plays guitar. I have my boys, Jeffrey and Rue, and we make music together. Jeffrey handles the piano and fine-tuning, and Andrew plays the drums and guitar.

Photo by OLIVIA MCCOY - @oliviasimonee._

UPTIGHT: Do you think a lot of the instrumentals in your music will feature a lot of piano and guitar because of them?

RAE: I do think so, but I also want to change some of it. Horns are my favorite; if I hear a saxophone in a song, I go crazy—especially in a rock and roll song. If you hear electric guitar and saxophone at the same time, it just makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I love it. So I want to have a lot of horns and strings, but yes, I will say that most of my music has either guitar or piano at its core because of them. With that, I love their input. I always say that when the music is in me and I haven't fully gotten it out, it's still mine. But the second it comes out of my mouth, onto paper, and to other people, it becomes theirs. And I can't control that. I can't control how people interpret music or how they're going to take it from me. I can just put my best foot forward. So once other people hear it, it's theirs. That's a big thing for me.

UPTIGHT: Awesome, makes sense. I want to know more about you performing live. I know you mentioned going to a lot of open mics. What's that like compared to some of the other live performances you've done, and how has that experience been for you?

RAE: Like I said, a lot of my background is from musical theater, so I learned how to command a stage from a very young age. People always talk about star power, and I never mean this in an egotistical way, but it's like I learned how to do that sort of thing from musical theater. Performing live is one of my favorite things in the entire world. Yeah, I go to a lot of open mics. I actually have a show coming up for my school that we were asked to perform at, and I'm excited about that.

I'm waiting to do more booked live gigs until I have everything straightened out. I like doing the open mics because I can get feedback. I want to start doing gigs when I have the full album done, which we're close to—10 songs out of 12 are done so far. But people ask, “Oh, do you think you could just write music and do it without performing live?” And for me, it's a deal breaker. I don't think I could ever not be on stage.

UPTIGHT: Are there any specific venues, cities, or festivals where you dream of performing one day?

RAE: I'd love to perform at Austin City Limits – it's this music festival in Austin, Texas – or Music Midtown in Atlanta. That's a dream for me. Oh, God, I forget what it's called, but it's the one theater that's like in the round, in the mountains. I think it's in Colorado. Red Rocks is what I think it's called. Yeah, that's a dream for me. I'd love to perform there one day.

My goal as an artist is not necessarily to have millions of people screaming my name. It's that I want to wake up every day and know that one person started their day with my song. I'm so motivated by music, and the songs that I've picked to start my day with really set the tone. I'd love to write music that people feel can get them through their day.

UPTIGHT: Who are those artists for you? 

RAE: Electric Light Orchestra. Their song “Sweet Talkin’ Woman.” I started my day with that song. The violins just made me feel like, 'Okay, I can get up. I can get out of bed this morning.'

UPTIGHT: Yeah, I love ELO so much. Such a great discography. 

RAE: Oh, a hundred percent. Or anything by Boston. “Like Peace of Mind” by Boston. If it has a really good intro, yeah. All through middle school, though, I started—this is awful—I started my day with “Slim Shady” by Eminem. And I'd be like, 'Okay, I’m out of bed.'

UPTIGHT: I love Eminem too. 

RAE: Yeah for real. 

UPTIGHT: As you look ahead, what are you most excited about in your musical journey? And are there any dream artists that you would want to collaborate with in the future?

RAE: I'm just excited for all of this to finally be happening. Progress isn't linear to me, and at this point in my life, I'd say I feel like the finger on the trigger of a loaded gun because I'm just waiting for it to happen. I feel it's starting to happen. I'm excited for next year to see what happens and where it takes me. The beautiful thing is I'm so young—I'm only 19—and I know this journey is going to take me to so many different places. I'm already having so many big things happen for me. Like, I'm speaking to a couple of record labels right now, working on the demo, and collaborating with the people I love. It's beautiful to me. 

My dream artist to work with is Lady Gaga—she’s my number one. I'd love to sing with her sometime. That would be really special to me. Stevie Nicks, Chappell Roan—she is fantastic. I'd also love to collaborate on a song with SZA at some point.

UPTIGHT: Good choices. 

RAE: Yeah, that would be so cool. Also, Greta Van Fleet, a hundred percent. That's a big one for me. Those are just off the top of my head. But yeah, I'm just very excited to see what happens in the next year because I'm always growing, and we're always changing as people.

UPTIGHT: It seems to me that your songwriting is very personal. How do you approach storytelling in your music? Do you mostly draw from your own life, or do you imagine different perspectives?

RAE: That's a really good question. My music is very personal. A lot of it comes from my own life and the things I've dealt with. Something I've discovered this year is the difference between truth and fact, which is what my album Veritas talks about. Truths are based on emotion, and there are two sides to every story. That's really what I want to express with my music. Maybe how I'm describing things isn't exactly how they happened for someone else, but it's how they happened for me, and this is how I feel because of it. It's just my truth.

I'm writing this song right now called 'Jade' about my best friend, Jade. I showed it to her, and she was like, 'This is really cool that this is how you see me. I just don’t see myself like this.' That’s really interesting to me because the opening line of the song is, 'Oh, sweet lady Jade, you’d think with a name like that, the chick would be as hard as her stone.' She told me she wants to get that tattooed. Another line is, 'I see your fairy figure, I see your pink silhouette,' and she said, 'I love all of that.' I tell her that, to me, she’s like cotton candy.

UPTIGHT: That’s so sweet. 

RAE: She's the sweetest person ever. I adore her. It's a very powerful thing to have that medium to share the way you see your world. Yeah, and trust, I have songs where I'm not kind in the way I describe people, but it's better for me to talk about the nice stuff first. But yeah, it's very personal.

I'm also working on writing more songs that are just straight-up stories. I wrote this song, 'What a Time to Be Alive,' which is going on my album. It's pretty much a description of how music influenced life in the late sixties. It talks about things like Bob Dylan, Woodstock, and how music changed lifestyles. It's cool because I wasn't there for that, so I'm just going off of what I've read in history books, doing research. That was a really interesting project to push myself because it wasn't something that happened in my life—this is something I’ll never get to experience. It’s just a unique experience.

UPTIGHT: Did you get into classic rock and soul through any of your parents, or is that something you were just drawn to?

RAE: Yeah, my parents always had music playing in our house, and we still do. It's not a quiet house. My sister will kill me if I don't say this, but she's the one who got me into rock and roll. But my dad introduced her to it, so he'll kill me if I don't mention that. But, yeah, I’m so grateful for them exposing me to new music.

UPTIGHT: Is there any particular theme or story that's emerging in your upcoming music that you're excited for people to hear?

RAE: Definitely the truth element. I feel like that's a unique perspective and something that deserves to be heard. In our world right now, I feel like what we're missing a lot of is empathy for others. I'd really like to put that into my album – the idea that you have to be able to listen to a conversation and hear both sides.

UPTIGHT: Absolutely.

RAE: I wrote a political song called 'Worth' after the election results were announced, but I wouldn’t say I want my music to be necessarily political. However, I think that its personal nature has become political, which is interesting to me. But what can I do about it except write a song?

UPTIGHT: Especially at this point in time. 

RAE: Yep. 

UPTIGHT: What do you hope listeners feel or experience when they hear your music for the first time?

RAE: I hope they see the colors that I saw when I wrote them. Each song has a specific color behind it that I was aiming for when I wrote it. It will be interesting to see how people react to that and whether they feel the same things I felt.

UPTIGHT: If you could send a message to anyone who's just discovering you, what would you say?

RAE: First, thank you, and you were there when it all started. That's my biggest message to people right now. I hope my music speaks for itself. I talk a lot, I really do, but I'm trying to talk less and sing more because I think I say everything I need to through my songs.

UPTIGHT: And this is kind of a similar question: How would you want to introduce yourself to new listeners? If you could sum up what you plan to bring to the world of music in a few words, what would you say?

RAE: Flair. Flair. Flair. I'm a fun person. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a force to be reckoned with. I am one of the most in-your-face people, always saying the craziest stuff you've ever heard. And that's what I want my listeners to know about me: all of this is real. It's not like I'm putting on some sort of act. This is who I am—I am my authentic self. And that is what I want people to hear in my music. It's raw. And that's where the jazz-soul part comes from for me. That's where soul meets rock and roll. Because soul and jazz music is about tapping into this raw part of yourself and digging down into the depths of things you didn't really want to talk about. That's where horns, scatting, and all that stuff come into play—you don't even have real words to express the things that you find. Then rock and roll is this crazy, high-energy anthem. Finding a way to combine the two of those has been the most exciting thing in the entire world for me. That's how I want people to know me. And I'm crazy. Like, I'm straight up gonna own it: I am a crazy person, but I make crazy good music too.

Verity’s passion for music and her unique perspective are sure to make an impact as she continues to develop her sound. Though her music is still on the way, there's already a lot to look forward to in her journey. Be sure to follow Verity on social media to stay up to date with her progress and be the first to hear what’s coming next. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok. Exciting things are ahead!