Veronica’s finding her unique voice

By Lethbridge Herald on August 27, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A local singer-songwriter has released her first single which shares her experience of turning 20, something which seemed like a daunting milestone in her life.

Veronica Raine has always had a passion for writing and sharing stories, and eventually went from essays and short stories to music.

When she was 13, Raine picked up the ukelele and began putting her stories to music. Although it didn’t come naturally at first, Raine says she stuck with it.

“I finally put a song to music and I was so embarrassed,” she recalls. “I was like ‘oh my God this is so silly, what am I doing here?’”

Eventually she became more comfortable, learned guitar and began playing as a solo artist.

Last year she wrote a song which would later become “August,” her first single, in less than 10 minutes.

Raine says she wrote the song via a voice memo on her phone and in October she reached out to Russel Broom, a music producer who brought her song to life.

“Until very recently I was a solo artist, so what I thought I could do with my music and what I thought I could do in production was quite limited and he’s the one who added the drums (and) more like a full band sound to the record, and he really brought lots of life into it.”

Recently she created a band with Austin Schipper on guitar, Cale Lundsted as drummer and Tel Sillito on bass guitar.

In the weeks since the single came out, Raine says the reception to the song has been phenomenal, with it being added to about 35 playlists on Spotify and even being picked up by a radio station in Nova Scotia.

Raine says it’s a surreal feeling when she realizes how the song is affecting people.

“Every time something like this happens it’s really surprising and I’m really grateful for it and it’s so much fun.

While outsiders may not see Lethbridge as a music hub, Raine says it’s a thriving scene and it continues to grow.

“If (someone) is coming in from another province or another place, if you tell them we have such a great scene, some people would be quite surprised, But it’s only growing.”

While bars such as the Owl and The Slice are well known for supporting up-and-coming artists, Raine says local folk clubs also provide opportunities for newer musicians.

Raine is currently working on more singles and will be performing at the Lethbridge Public Library’s Word on the Street festival in September. She’ll also be playing next week in Frankenfest at Creepy Hallow.

“In this game it’s so much comparison and with social media, followers and streams, everything is so aligned for you to compare yourself to everyone,” she says. “So in those moments, it just reminds me who cares what everyone else is doing because I can look back and think ‘wow that’s how far I’ve come in five years.’”

Raine’s single August is available wherever you stream your music.