Gersten

**Labels** | Juniperia ∙ Nylon Music Resha

**Gersten Alexandra Veffermann** (born 1 June 1998), better known as simply **Gersten** (stylized as **GERSTEN**), is a Reshan singer, songwriter, model, and dancer. Veffermann first began her career in 2015, and was signed to Nylon Music Resha and Juniperia Sounds the following year. She released her debut single, "Fake Friends", in December 2016 which has went on to be a continent-wide chart-topping single. Her debut studio album, *Mind of the Beast*, will be released in July 2017.

Veffermann has received critical acclaim for her autobiographical synthpop songs, which have been hailed as "teenage anthems". She has been affectionately hailed by the Reshan media as the "New Princess of Pop" and "Baby Danika".

## Life and career

### Early life

Veffermann was born in Dane, Finsdark in Northern Resha to parents Arvik Veffermann and Inge Marie Jamluck. Her father owns and manages a lumber company, while her mother is a speech-language pathologist who runs a private practice. She has an older brother named Filip, and a younger sister named Elena.

Veffermann grew up surrounded by music; her father is the bassist of a 1970s rock cover band, while her mother sang semi-professionally during university and is a fan of 1980s music. She recalls listening to Angela Tomalsk "nonstop" as a child, and claims that she's her biggest influence. Veffermann attended elementary school in Dane, where her interest for music heightened as she began singing in her school choir and learned to play the piano. After graduating from elementary school in 2014, she began studying at a music high school. However, she was dissatisfied with the education she was receiving at music school, and dropped out in her second year. After dropping out, she moved by herself to Hederhelm to pursue a career in music.

### 2015–present: Breakthrough and *Mind of the Beast*

Shortly after arriving in Hederhelm, Veffermann moved in with a friend from music school and her mother, who had recently dropped out of school as well for the same reason. Veffermann began working at a supermarket to support herself, while she wrote songs and created demo tapes in her free time. In 2016, one of her demos caught the attention of record label Juniperia Sounds, and she signed recording contracts with Juniperia and Nylon Music Resha.

After signing a recording contract, Veffermann began devoting herself entirely to music and lived in Kypa for a month to write and record for her upcoming album. Her debut single, "Fake Friends", was later released in December 2016. The song became a massive success, peaking at number-one in nine countries and reaching the top twenty in seven additional ones. The song was also praised by critics for its autobiographical lyrics and slick production, hailing the song a "teenage anthem" and naming Veffermann the "teen idol of her time". Her followup single, "Plot Twist (Shots Fired)", reached the number-one position in Resha, East Resha, Kypa, Titovania, Zornia, the Velkanian Isles, and Berats. Her debut studio album, *Mind of the Beast*, will be released in July 2017, and she will embark on her first arena tour, *The Mind of the Beast Tour*, beginning in September 2017.

## Personal life

After moving to Hederhelm, Veffermann settled in the Mino borough, but she has since moved to Hammalukka. She has identified herself as a "feminist" and "politically active", calling Prime Minister Stefania Chulgrol "a badass powerful woman". She supports the Social Democratic Party.

## Discography

*Main article: Gersten discography.*

* *Mind of the Beast* (2017)