V.C.R (Veronica Ratliff)

Join V.C.R for the live gathering on Wednesday, March 19 @8p EST with author Prentis Hemphill.

V.C.R, born Veronica Camille Ratliff, is a three-time Grammy-nominated multidisciplinary singer-songwriter, composer, violinist, and published author. The Memphis-bred recording artist blends cathartic lyrics with powerhouse vocals that entrance listeners and leave them breathless. As a storyteller, this transcendental soul singer fuses her rich Southern gospel roots with classical orchestral training, crafting songs rooted in vulnerability and truth.

Born into a distinguished musical family in Memphis, Tennessee, she was academically nurtured from an early age. By the age of five, her musical training had already begun, encompassing gospel choir, classical violin lessons, and piano. Homeschooled during her formative years, her mother taught her to read and write, while her father introduced her to music theory and choral vocal production at the age of four. She played in symphony orchestras, studied at prestigious conservatories like Phillips Academy Andover, and sang in gospel choirs until graduating in 2017 with a music degree.

After college, she moved to Los Angeles, working tirelessly as a session violinist and an Art Docent at The Underground Museum under Karon Davis and Kahlil Joseph. There, she befriended artists such as Mndsgn, Sudan Archives, Swarvy, Kelsey Lu, and Pink Siifu, who became creative catalysts for her music career. Since 2015, she has released several singles, including "Lilli Lotus" and "Butter," which became instant fan favorites. Her name caught fire in 2019 with the release of her self-produced song "Minnie Lives" featuring Pink Siifu. Since then, she has performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden, at Afropunk, and at the Super Bowl LVI Honors, among other major events. That same year, she published her first book, The Creative Black Woman’s Playbook, which sold out its first 300 copies internationally within months.

Much like her love of cooking, V.C.R blends her eclectic musical background to carefully conjure songs that are not only healing and one- of-a-kind but also direct tributes to her musical influences, including Minnie Riperton, J Dilla, Chaka Khan, and Tchaikovsky. Thehybridization of her inspirations—gospel, soul, funk, and classical music—gave birth to her signature genre, Cinematic Soul. Her dreamy, filmic approach to music transports listeners into their own universe. V.C.R recently announced her collaboration with André 3000 on his highly anticipated album, New Blue Sun, contributing to the track "Ninety Three ’Til Infinity and Beyoncé." The album has since been nominated for Album of the Year, marking a pivotal career milestone—one that foreshadows the greatness still to come.

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