INTERVIEW: Jacob Whitesides On Debut Album 'Why?'
By Nicole Mastrogiannis
September 8, 2016
At only 18-years-old Jacob Whitesides has released three EPs and several singles, and now, the singer/songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee is releasing his debut full-length album Why?. The record features fourteen tracks, including previously released singles like "Lovesick" and "Focus." We recently caught up with Jacob when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ in New York City during an exclusive interview. He opened up about the record's title, his favorite songs, and what fans can expect to hear.
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Once we heard this album's title, we couldn't help but ask Jacob, why Why? Jacob tells us that he was inspired by one of the songs on the record of the same name. He says "Why?" was a breaking point for the album, and summed up what the record is about.
On why he named his album Why?
"I think 'Why?' is my second favorite song on the record besides 'You Told Me So,' which was kinda long for the album title. I've always done self-titled stuff, so I really love that song as well. It was just kind of a breaking point in the situation I was in, the kind of situation that the whole album's about. That was just kind of the breaking point for it. So I felt like it was a good title for the record."
Jacob revealed that his favorite song on the album is "You Told Me So," and was inspired to write the song after he went on a hike by himself. He tells us it's one of the more self-reflective songs on the album, and had a lot of time to think while on this hike.
On his favorite song on the album "You Told me So"
"Definitely, 'You Told Me So,' is a song I actually just performed, and it's one of the more self-reflective songs. It's just one of those really odd moments in my life, where I kinda took a step back, actually went on a hike, which I never do, I don't exercise much. And I went on a hike by myself and just did a lot of thinking, and came back to my hotel room that day, wrote like half the song, and brought it into a session the next day, and we finished it. But it's definitely one of my favorites. I've never done anything like that. Never really thought that hard about a song before, and it was just really, really cool."
Jacob Whitesides Reveals 3 Things Fans Can Expect From Why?
Now that you know the stories behind Jacob's two favorite songs on the album, check out what else you can expect to hear when you listen to Why?
1. Self-reflective songs
"A lot of self-reflecting. I feel like, I feel like my music in the past wasn't as self-reflective. I feel like a lot of times in arguments and in relationships in general, you become so one-sided, and you can only see from your perspective. So, I kind of stepped back, and really took a lot of alone time, and overanalyzed myself."
2. More upbeat songs
"[There are] a lot more upbeat songs in the past. I kinda drifted more towards the slow stuff, because that's the stuff I like to listen to, so we're gonna add more fast songs, that'd be great for the set."
3. Personal songs -- he co-wrote every song on the album
"I wrote every song on the album, so that's really cool. I co-wrote every song on the record. It was really awesome for me because, I feel like it really brought the story together. We wrote for a month straight, and almost every single day for a month straight, and it was all just real-life experiences. We never had to force anything, we never lacked inspiration, so it was definitely a really special process."
Photos: Rachel Kaplan for iHeartRadio