WHITNEY FENIMORE - Leaving Ashwood (LP)
(2022)
Label : Dandy Records

Credits : Produced, co-engineered, mixed, played drums, some synths & ornamentations.

Info :

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Whitney Fenimore knew she was destined to be a performer ever since she picked up an old plastic toy guitar at her grandmother’s. She’s already released several albums, landed a publishing deal with Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac, Colbie Caillat), was a semi-finalist on Season 13 of NBC’s “The Voice,” had her SXSW debut showcase in 2018, and has opened up for GRAMMY-award winner Lori McKenna, Julia Michaels, The Brilliance and Jake Scott, among others. This year, she brings us her brand new album, Leaving Ashwood — a memento of self-discovery, representing self-love, growth and embracing change — slated for release Friday, September 23.

Born and raised in The Bible Belt of America (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Whitney was engulfed by Christian music; coming from a very religious Christian family, she grew up in the church and attended a Christian high school and college. Although that style of music shaped much of what she knows about music today, after college she ultimately decided Christian music wasn’t what she wanted to pursue. “I really wanted to do music that would relate and reach more people than just the Christian community,” Whitney explains. “My faith was changing and I wanted to dig deeper into my songwriting and felt like I couldn’t if I continued down the path I was on.”

Her experiences and influences from being immersed in music-heavy cities such as Los Angeles and Nashville, have greatly shaped what her forthcoming album, Leaving Ashwood, is all about. Since moving to Nashville four years ago, Whitney explains, the city “has pushed me to be a better musician and songwriter, since everyone here does the same thing, you have to keep up! You’re a small fish in a huge pond, but it’s really great because it challenges you.”

“It’s Not Me,” the lead single off of Leaving Ashwood was born from a chord progression and a slight melody, in which turned into a conversation with co-writer, Nick Kingswell about “our personal lives and different stories about people we had encountered, who were narcissist and toxic,” Whitney confides. The faint guitar picking alongside Whitney's airy vocals that build throughout the song, highlight the realization and self-acceptance illustrated in the lyrics. “It's pretty different sonically than anything I’ve ever done and it’s one of my favorite songs on the album” she admits.

The second single from the LP, “Holding Hands,” is a charming melody laying bare pieces of pent up frustrations felt throughout her life that stemmed from unwarranted shame surrounding her sexuality. One of her most personal messages on Leaving Ashwood, Whitney shares: “I don’t know that I’ve ever written a song like this that made me feel so vulnerable. It’s a bit nerve-racking to release if I am being honest, but I’m excited to share it with the world.” Ultimately, she placed her heart on her sleeve, and delivers this song about unashamedly loving who you love.

“I know it can be cliche,” Whitney recognizes, “but music is that one thing that universally connects us all. It’s so powerful and at times when I feel like giving up on it, it keeps pulling me back.” There’s a lot to divide us in the world and now more than ever we all need that closeness with the ones we love. “The feeling I get when I’m connecting with people through music is pretty magical – I don’t wanna lose that feeling.”

Music is a huge part of who Whitney Fenimore is. “It’s really an extension of me,” she states, “I’d feel pretty lost without it. It helps me cope and makes me feel understood like nothing else. I do my best to live authentically and I hope that comes through in my music as well.”

www.whitneyfenimore.com