Check Out Veronica May’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica May.

Veronica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started writing songs on the piano at 3 in my home by the Jamaica Bay in Queens, New York. Then, as if by complete 180, moved to a farm town in Colorado where I learned to fall in love and explore music in Byers, Colorado, population (almost) 1000.

Both my parents were in a band together in the 70s. Dad on guitar and vocals and mom on keys and vocals. Growing up with my mom in Colorado, I learned most about piano, dynamics, and how important they are in music. When my sis and I would visit my dad in Queens for summer breaks, I would attempt to play his guitar but always stopped once it started hurting my fingers too much. Until our last visitation at 17 when he handed me his guitar and said, “Take it.”

That’s when I fell in love with the guitar and have never stopped loving it, even winning San Diego’s Top 12 guitarists in 2019. Oh yea. I moved to Cali for 15 years. I’m 41 lay off me.

I also played percussion from 5th grade through college at Colorado State University where I got my Music Therapy degree with a focus on Neurologic Music Therapy, which is how music affects the brain–The science behind music.

I think the two biggest things that have affected the way I perform and write are my music therapy background and my bipolar 1 diagnosis.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest struggle has also been my greatest triumph: My diagnosis. I was diagnosed 16 years ago with bipolar 1 at the age of 25. It changed things I never thought it would, like how I perceived the world through my own eyes. It changes if I’m manic or depressed now. It’s like I have multiple lenses to look through depending on where I am at mentally.

The triumph: After my second hospitalization, I started writing a book about the experience titled, “The Book of bipolar according to Veronica”. During my writing, I ended up having a third hospitalization. The book has taken 10 years to finish and in May of 2024, I will be releasing it. It started at about 600 pages and is now at about 220.

I interviewed 19 people including my psychologist and psychiatrist. I went through 7 years of therapy notes. It’s a book for people who have the diagnosis, for caregivers, and mental health teams. A book of some hope and a lot of real-life events that changed the course of my life.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do music full-time, which means I wear a lot of hats. Music performer, music instructor, choir accompanist, and more. I think the work that may set me apart is when I give talks on mental health in school systems, as a part of keynote speeches, or in hospital settings.

During my speech, I perform songs about what it’s like to live with a hefty diagnosis that can have some risks. I try to touch the mind and heart, urging the listeners to feel and remember. And to smash the terrible misconceptions of bipolar.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My brain. That is what I owe my success to. I am quick with a joke or a chorus melody.

There are days I would tell you a different story though. If you were to have caught me in a moment of depression I might have cursed my mind and told you that I’m not successful at all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://veronicamay.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/veronicamaymusic
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/veronicamay
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/veronicamay
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/veronicamay

Image Credits
Sharisse Coulter Backstage Flash