The Beast You Feed
Featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence
Available to stream/purchase now, here:
https://onerpm.lnk.to/TheBeastYouFeed
Nashville-based pop/rock/electronic band VERIDIA have released their new live video for “Numb” today. Just yesterday, the band partnered with LADYGUNN to unveil the footage a day early along with a Q&A with vocalist Deena Jakoub. LADYGUNN raved “Veridia…transcends category. Their music sets out to inspire awakening in the listener, whether they’re battling inner demons or dealing with loss.” In addition to the new video, the band’s debut full length-album The Beast You Feed has landed on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart (peaking at #14) and Independent chart (peaking at #38). Watch “Numb” now, here: https://youtu.be/CZstrmGcP7s.
Of the track, Jakoub said: “‘Numb’ was the last song we wrote before hitting the studio. I was in shock over some great recent losses, and every time I would come out of it, start to feel again, it was so excruciating that I’d find ways to physically/emotionally/mentally detach and get numb again instead of giving myself permission to feel everything I was supposed to in order to get through it.
It’s so important to talk about what we’re going through. I learned that numbing is a natural response to a crisis that can help you catch your breath, which is what this song is for me, but eventually, you have to feel all the feelings so that you can experience love and joy again. Otherwise, whatever you ended up using to numb might become an addiction that will not only block out the bad, but also every good moment too, and I don’t want to miss living this incredible life.”
Veridia have made quite some waves in the scene with their two previous EPs also hitting the Billboard charts, a smash hit with Matty Mullens of Memphis May Fire, and they were handpicked by Amy Lee to jump on Evanescence‘s tour in 2016. Lee later collaborated with Jakoub and the band on “I’ll Never Be Ready,” lending her talent and raw emotion on piano for the ballad which premiered on Alternative Press. The trio partnered with Live Nation’s Ones To Watch to share the 10-track record, who called it “powerful” and an “emotional journey.” Prior to that, the band also teamed up with Billboard during Suicide Prevention Month to share the deeply personal and heart-wrenching story behind their single “I Won’t Stay Down.” The Beast You Feed is available to stream/purchase now, here: https://onerpm.lnk.to/TheBeastYouFeed.
A derivative of the Latin word veritas, meaning truth; VERIDIA was founded in 2014, after years of musical experimentation from the interconnecting paths of Deena Jakoub and Brandon Brown. Within the same year, they debuted a #1 radio song “We Are The Brave” and top hit “Furious Love,” from their Inseparable EP. Their next release hit the Top 20 iTunes Alternative Albums Chart, with track “Pretty Lies (feat. Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire)” in the top spot for six straight weeks. Their success on the charts was supported by hundreds of tour dates and festival performances, including an electrifying experience in 2016, when VERIDIA joined Evanescence for their US tour.
The Beast You Feed, produced by Matt Squire (Ariana Grande, Bea Miller, Plain White T’s, Underoath), is their first full-length album. It manifested itself as the band plunged into vulnerabilities, professing delicate realities. “I want the audience to start feeling the emotion before hearing the music or engaging with the lyrics,” Deena says. She’s intentional with her writing, and she wants each song to live and serve a purpose. Take a collaborative piece with musician Amy Lee of Evanescence, “I’ll Never Be Ready,” for example. Heart-wrenching but beautiful, the words spilled onto paper as Deena emotionally processed the illness of her father, a year before his passing. Originally recorded with Kyle Levy laying a soft percussion foundation and a cellist bringing a somber but sweet component to the track, Deena knew it was missing something — the raw and intense piano style of Amy Lee. The two faced a divine reunion in the studio, as they exchanged stories of recent losses, intrinsically mixing their sounds, cultivating both the healing and intimate elements the album calls upon. The song “exists as a reminder to live solely in our gifted moment,” and it was before missing from our world.
The Beast You Feed is both a sonic and artistic breakthrough for the band. Symbolically, themed in black and white, it’s broken up into two parts: the first is a confessional, while the second is a declaration. It’s a journey of realizations, filled with multiple metaphoric expressions. VERIDIA’s music is masterful and a byproduct of exactly that – tracks giving us light in darkness; a place to feel less lonely.
VERIDIA believes in endlessly telling our stories to save lives. “I can’t write a superficial song to just nod your head to, I’ve tried that and it felt meaningless,” Deena reiterates, overflowing with her own recounts of personal hardships while fighting an adrenal disorder, dealing with grief and wearing something she calls a “Cheshire Smile” — the title of another universally relatable song on the album. She’s cognizant of her platform, and she doesn’t take it for granted. “I Won’t Stay Down” is an incarnation of extreme vulnerabilities, encompassed in a strong melody, intended to influence change as it reveals lines relevant to mental illness awareness and suicide prevention. The song is a turning point on the album, shifting gears to evoke hope. Subsequent pleasures follow as the track “Dopamine” urges us to declare love, and the lead single “Numb” grips the coexistence of good and bad. VERIDIA offers their hand, straight from playlists, inspiring groundbreaking strengths.
As an activist, Deena beats to the rhythm of ‘staying true to yourself.’ Of Egyptian descent, she’s got the hypnotizing look and art pieces to honor her roots. “I want to write about the hard places because they exist, and these are our stories.” VERIDIA strives to be interactive, providing visual and explanatory components to accompany the release of each new song. The band is prepared to go the hard ways with us and push through adversities, providing braveness in melodies that we can sing along to. “It still isn’t enough, but if it can inspire a change of heart, mind, or empower someone to walk into their next moment with a sense of confidence and less fear, then it’s a good start.”
VERIDIA is Deena Jakoub (vocalist), Brandon Brown (guitarist), and Kyle Levy (drums).
For updates on Veridia, please visit:
Website: https://veridiamusic.com
Facebook: https://twitter.com/VERIDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VERIDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veridia
Apple: https://apple.co/2D7z9y6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2D64Ckc
