North Shore Native Rocks Her Biggest Dreams Alive In Nashville

SWAMPSCOTT, MA – Giuliana Mignone admitted she had a job that many young people starting out in the music business would have considered a dream.

The Swampscott High alumna, who moved to Nashville in 2016 after graduation to attend Belmont University with hopes of a career in music, was working for the powerhouse record label Big Loud Records. She was in the radio department and one of her artists – country superstar Morgan Wallen – was lighting up the charts with his latest album.

"A lot of people would have killed for this job I was working at," she told Patch. "It was the epitome of what people who go to that school want to do."

But something wasn't quite doing it for Mignone in the way she had always hoped it would. She grew up as a performer as a Swampscott theater student, who won awards at Swampscott High, sang at Big Blue football games and at venues across the North Shore, and sang at an event for former Gov. Charlie Baker.

After four years of college, and working 70 to 80 hours a week in the promotion part of the business during the pandemic, she felt there was still something more for her on the stage that she could not fulfill while crunching the numbers.

"I realized that I wanted to do my own music," she said. "I decided to full on pursue being an artist because you can't really do both. It’s too much and I wouldn't have had the time. I was thinking that if I don't do this now, I'm never going to do it.”

"But it was very, very scary."

She said the 18-year-old Giuliana — who goes by "G" while belting out her lyrics — would not have had the confidence in herself to take that leap of faith, but the 21-year-old version of herself did. Now 25, she is basking in the validation of her band V3RN's first five-song EP release "girls r scary" on Friday after the single "End My Night" hit more than 3,000 streams since its March 31 release.

"We're so, so excited," she told Patch in advance of the EP release this week. "We've been pushing this for a year. We've been playing out so long without any (recorded) music that people have been really looking forward to it."

While Mignone now lives deep in the heart of country music, V3RN is a hard-driving pop-punk act reminiscent of the alternative and college radio heyday scene of the 1990s. Mignone fronts the band of "best friends" Tommy Marshall (rhythm guitar), Gabe Sanchez (lead guitar), Rose Savage (bass) and Hunter Curry (drums).

"The best thing I have ever done is surround myself with people more talented than me," Mignone said. "I start all the songs with my writing and they make them what they are."

Of course, it is Mignone's driving vocals that bring home the themes of coming-of-age, self-esteem, breakups, doubt and resilience woven throughout the tracks.

"I know the music we are making it will resonate with those who listen to it," Mignone said.

Right now, she said, getting people to listen to the songs is her primary mission. While she works in the health care business as a day job, she said her passion is all about the music with hopes that going all in on that passion will ultimately pay off for her and her bandmates.

"We're grateful for anyone who listens to our music on any platform," she said. "Anyone who focuses on making money at the beginning of a career is going to lose. Our only focus is on getting our records out and streaming.

"We are in a valley money-wise but we are in a peak exposure-wise. It's just going to take time to get where we need to be. One song takes off, it can change your whole life."

Mignone said the band is looking to tour off its EP and has been in talks about being the opening act at some larger venues. She said she hopes that tour will include the Northeast and a trip home to perform on the North Shore — perhaps this fall.

"There was a time that I was playing things safe," she said. "But now this is everything for us.

"There is no other option than success."

V3RN's EP can be found streaming on Spotify here as well as other popular streaming services. The band is also on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)