<TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The Veronicas are an ARIA Award-winning Australian group led by identical twin sisters Lisa Marie Origliasso and Jessica Louise Origliasso.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Born to Italian (Sicilian) parents on the Christmas Day 1984, they grew up in Albany Creek, (northwest of Brisbane, Australia) where they attended Ferny Grove State High School and Wavell State High School. At an early age the girls expressed interest in performing; they participated with small local papers in shows on television, radio and horses.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Jessica and Lisa also performed in small parts on various television shows including a recurring role in the short-lived 2001 Australian children&apos;s series &quot;Cybergirl&quot;, where they portrayed twin sisters: Lisa played the character &apos;Sapphire&apos;, while Jessica appeared as &apos;Emerald&apos;. On their 18th birthday Jessica received her first guitar, with this the girls began writing and singing songs. They became Teal which they formed with friends Tracy Woods and R.Viknes and began to experiment with different sounds and genres, releasing a song &quot;Baby It&apos;s Over&quot;, this only received very minor airplay in Brisbane.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In 2004, Lisa and Jessica were introduced to the Music Director of The Bell Hughes Music Group (BHMG), Hayden Bell. After producing some demo recordings with the twins, Bell invited them to sign a publishing agreement with Excalibur Productions (a subsidiary of BHMG). In the process, Bell helped facilitate their progression in musical style from acoustic pop to the more rhythmic rock pop approach that is now their trademark. On the strength of these demos, Bell took them to meet the executives at Engine Room (a subsidiary of PBL (Packer) Group) and they were immediately signed to a production deal.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">To further develop their song writing skills, Bell connected them with internationally acclaimed songwriters and producers including Cliff Magness (who has written for Avril Lavigne), Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Cyndi Lauper), Eric Nova, Dead Mono and Vince DeGiorgio, where they created a catalogue of over 50 songs.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Meetings were then arranged with Warner Bros. Records in the USA. Seymour Stein and senior executives recognized that Bell had indeed discovered and developed a unique musical talent, signing them quickly to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records/Sire America, for a reported sum of 2 million dollars.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Bell then took one of The Veronicas songs titled &quot;All About Us&quot; and placed it with t.A.T.u, the Russian girl group, and it became a massive hit in Europe. In Australia, he placed their song “What’s Goin’ On” with Casey Donovan and the song “Faded” for Kate DeAraugo. Both of these artists were winners of the Australian Idol Competition. Another track was also placed by Bell on the Japanese pop singer MIz’s album.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>The Name</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Their name came from Archie Comics character Veronica Lodge; when Archie Comics found out, they sued the duo for trademark infringement over their band name, but the two parties settled and have agreed on a cross-promotion deal. The Veronicas dislike being called a female duo, however, and everyday they work to separate themselves from the music business. &quot;We like being called a band or group. We don&apos;t want to be a pop duo group with two girls singing about relationships, we have everything that a rock band would have, so we are a band,&quot; says Lisa.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The group was featured prominently in an issue of their namesake Veronica&apos;s comic book as a result of their cross-promotion deal with Archie Comics. The issue (#167) featured a card with a code allowing a free download of their single &quot;4ever&quot; in MP3 form.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">A few months later, Archie and Friends (#100) featured The Archies meeting The Veronicas. The next issue of Archie and Friends (#101) also featured The Veronicas, with Archie as their biggest fan.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">They also appeared in the Free Comic Book Day Comic &quot;Archie&apos;s 65th Anniversary Bash!&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>2005-2007: The Secret Life of...</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The Veronicas debut album, entitled The Secret Life of..., was released in Australia on October 17, 2005, entering the ARIA Album charts at the position of #7. Since then, it has peaked at #2 and gone 4x Platinum. Due to the success of the album, five singles have been released in Australia.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">&apos;The Secret Life of...&apos; spent a year in the ARIA album charts without ever leaving the top 40. In September 2006, the album was nominated for 3 ARIA awards including; &quot;Best Pop Release&quot;, &quot;Highest Selling Album&quot; and &quot;Best Breakthrough Album&quot;. The Veronicas won &quot;Best Pop Release&quot; but lost the other two to other nominees. The girls also performed their 2nd single &quot;Everything I&apos;m Not&quot; on the night.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2006; it debuted at #133 on Billboard 200 and #3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Only two singles have been released in the United States off the album. A special DVD was released with the US version as a limited edition exclusive. The limited edition included two extra songs and videos, and was only available online. However, copies have been found to have been shipped to several stores in Australia as well. Other releases in the U.S. include Sessions@AOL which features their songs &quot;Heavily Broken&quot; and &quot;Revolution&quot; live in the AOL studios, also released was The Veronicas: Mtv.com Live EP which also features live performances of their songs including a new song, entitled &quot;Stay&quot;.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album has also had success in other countries such as New Zealand where it debuted at #5, in Switzerland a peak of #61 and it also reached the position of #75 on the Dutch Album Charts. In Belgium the album reached the peak of #11 and the girls won the award of Best International New Artist at the TMF Awards of 2006. &quot;When It All Falls Apart&quot; spent a record of 17 weeks of MTV Asia&apos;s Pop 10 Chart, in which 7 of then were at the number 1 spot. The song was recorded in Simlish and is featured in the Sims 2 expansion pack Seasons. In early 2007, The Secret Life of... was released worldwide. 4Ever is also a very famous Girl Power song in the US, played at many parties and special events.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Lisa and Jessica are the faces of Choice Calvin Klein and Australian hair product company nu:u. Blender named included them in their list of hottest women in rock in 2006.The sisters sang the title song on the short-lived television show Related which had featured songs from their debut album. They appeared as The Veronicas in an episode that aired 6 February 2006. In March 2006, their debut single &quot;4ever&quot; was featured in the Amanda Bynes comedy She&apos;s the Man. It was featured in the promotional television spots, the film itself and the soundtrack.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The girls have also appeared on The Suite Life of Zack &amp; Cody episode &quot;The Suite Life Goes Hollywood&quot; as guest stars and on that episode they performed their song &quot;Cry&quot;. The twins also have a fashion line in the making to expand their empire and because of their interest in fashion, which was released at Target (Australia) stores on August 25, 2007 in Australia. The range will be called The Veronicas for Target.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">On December 2, 2006, The Veronicas released a CD/DVD, entitled Exposed... The Secret Life of The Veronicas in Australia. This release features live performances from their Australian 2006 Revolution tour and a DVD featuring parts of the sisters&apos; lives throughout 2005-2006, including footage that had previously not been seen, and their music videos. The album debuted at #6 on the ARIA DVD Charts accrediting platinum in its first week. The second week it rose to its peak of #3 and was accredited Double Platinum. There is no word on whether or not this album will be released overseas.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>2007-present: Hook Me Up</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The duo&apos;s lead single &quot;Hook Me Up&quot; from their second album was added to Australian radio on August 27, 2007. &quot;Hook Me Up&quot; was produced by Greg Wells (Timbaland, Mika, OneRepublic). The Veronicas second album, also titled Hook Me Up, was released on November 3, 2007, containing 12 tracks. The album in its entirety was leaked on the internet 8 days before its initial release. &quot;Untouched&quot; is the second single off the album, and was made available in stores and online on December 8, 2007.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">According to their site on February 14, 2008, they are planning on releasing Hook Me Up in the US some time in May 2008.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album was released to iTunes on May the 13th 2008 with a bonus track, Goodbye To You.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In their track-by-track album interview, they stated that their favourite song on their new album is &quot;Untouched&quot;.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">It was announced on Aussie Radio Night-show The List, that This Love would be the third single from the album.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The Veronicas have toured Australia showcasing their latest album and performed live at Australian Open 2008, at Melbourne Park to kick start the Men&apos;s Final game at Rod Laver Arena.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The twins spoke to The Bulletin in 2007 about what they had learned from being in the spotlight, with Jess saying, &quot;We&apos;ve learned that our opinions matter as much as anyone else&apos;s. We should stand up and express ourselves at all times.&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>Personal Life</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The Veronicas currently live in Los Angeles, California in America. Lisa has previously dated singer Ryan Cabrera, but is now engaged to Australian Idol contestant Dean Geyer Jess is currently dating Azaria from The Follow.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT>