Overtime: How Valyria Lewis Juggled Work, Family, Music And Grief

Vee Lewis (R), her mom, Bettye Billard and Lewis’ dog Chuckles are reunited after over a year of the pandemic. Credit: Alli Fam/NHPR

For Valyria Lewis, the music didn’t go away when she wasn’t able to perform in public during the pandemic. She’s always sat at her piano to sing, practice and play.

“Being on stage is great and having the light and the energy from the audience is awesome,” said Lewis, who goes by Miss Vee when she’s onstage. “But sitting at my piano at home is just as great.”

Lewis lives in Berlin, New Hampshire, and the pandemic made almost all aspects of her life more complicated. She needed to balance music with work, staying healthy and parenting.

She’s one of millions of women who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has made all the labor women do inside and outside of their jobs more apparent.

Click here for the rest of the story from New Hampshire Public Radio. This article is part of NHPR’s “Overtime” series, which explores how six women have been getting through the pandemic and how they’re moving forward as the pandemic fades in New Hampshire.