When Vera Farmiga steps to the microphone, you don’t just hear a voice—you hear New Jersey. It’s in the confidence, the grit, the unapologetic emotional punch of every lyric. Farmiga, who grew up in Irvington and Flemington, has already conquered the worlds of film and television as an Oscar-, Emmy-, and Golden Globe-nominated actress. For more than a decade, she terrified and thrilled audiences as Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring franchise, and her résumé also includes acclaimed turns in Up in the Air, Bates Motel, and even a battle alongside Godzilla.
But now, the Clifton-born artist is channeling her energy into a new creative frontier: music. As the frontwoman of The Yagas—an atmospheric, genre-bending rock band—Farmiga has found a way to merge her artistic instincts with her deep-rooted Jersey swagger.
“I’m a bona fide Jersey girl, Garden State kinda gal,” Farmiga says with a laugh. “Exits 54 and 24 off I-78. You can always sniff out Jersey swagger in actors and musicians. It’s a no-nonsense attitude and humor that’s learned to cut through traffic on the Parkway.”
From Irvington Streets to Hunterdon Fields
Farmiga calls herself a “total Jersey mashup.” Born in Clifton, she spent her early years in the tight-knit Ukrainian diaspora of Irvington, pogo-sticking through gritty, multicultural streets before her teenage years brought her to the wide-open calm of Hunterdon County’s farmland. That duality—urban energy and rural quiet—shaped her worldview and, as she tells it, her music.
“I definitely pull from the diversity of my experience,” she says. “Our sound blends genres the same way Jersey blends cultures. It’s bold, a little sarcastic, full of raw emotion—gritty yet melodic.”
A Debut That Demands Attention
With the April release of Midnight Minuet, The Yagas announced themselves as a serious new voice in modern rock. The band’s name draws from Slavic folklore’s Baba Yaga, and their music matches the mystique—Gothic textures, razor-sharp guitar riffs, a rhythm section that pushes forward like a freight train, and Farmiga’s lush, magnetic vocals front and center.
The record is a cathartic journey, with each track acting like a self-contained short film. Not surprising, given Farmiga’s cinematic background.
“I don’t think of myself as a singer,” she explains. “I’m a feelings factory. Every song is a story where I play the protagonist. Sometimes it starts with a riff from the band, and before words even exist, I’m singing gibberish into the mic. The words reveal themselves later—subconsciously. It’s not a science. It’s art in its weirdest form.”
Heavy Music with a Different Kind of Weight
Farmiga’s entry into hard rock brings something rarely heard in the genre: female perspectives on subjects most rock frontmen wouldn’t dare touch. While the genre has long been dominated by male voices, she’s not afraid to sing about experiences like menopause, which she calls “a hormonal uprising” and “super metal.”
“What’s heavier than menopause?” she jokes. “Heat, mood swings, attitude. It’s rebellion, just like rock.”
Her influences range from Joan Jett to Amy Lee, Lzzy Hale, Emily Armstrong, and Shirley Manson, and she’s quick to point out that male rock veterans are also exploring personal struggles, recovery, and self-reflection.
“Life is hard—full of pain, loss, hormone imbalance, and inner battles,” she says. “We send our songs out like arrows, hoping they hit someone right in the heart.”
Jersey Roots, Global Impact
The Yagas aren’t just making music for themselves—they’re using it to help others. The band recently teamed with Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz to support Support Action Ukraine, a nonprofit helping Ukrainian orphans and children affected by the war.
To raise funds, they’ve recorded a cover of the Ukrainian pop-folk classic “Chervona Ruta” and are selling themed shirts on their website, with proceeds going to the cause. For Farmiga, whose heritage runs deep in Ukrainian culture, the project is personal.
“Any little way we can stand in solidarity with our extended families in Ukraine is important,” she says. “It’s about freedom, justice, and identity.”
Building the Future
The Yagas came together in 2023 after meeting at Rock Academy in Woodstock, New York, and played their first live show in March before dropping Midnight Minuet a month later. The band’s lineup—Farmiga, husband Renn Hawkey on keyboards, Mark Visconti, Jason Bowman, and Mike Davis—has already clicked into a creative rhythm.
Their music videos, including the Farmiga-directed “She’s Walking Down,” have helped them carve out a visual identity as compelling as their sound. And they’re already eyeing album number two.
“Next, we’ll head back into our sonic laboratory,” Farmiga says. “We’ll create in fits and starts, balancing kids, careers, and life—but we’ll make it happen.”
For a Jersey artist who’s already conquered Hollywood, this is a new chapter that feels entirely her own. Farmiga has found a way to bring the unfiltered, fearless spirit of the Garden State to stages far beyond its borders. And if Midnight Minuet is any indication, The Yagas are just getting started.
Explore more music stories from the Garden State at Explore New Jersey Music.
