Have you listen to Holding Hands from Whitney Fenimore? Let's fix that
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Whitney Fenimore is getting ready to deliver her most personal project yet, Leaving Ashwood (out September 23). The seven-song album serves as a memento of self-discovery, representing self-love, growth and embracing change. Following the release of “Its Not Me” — which exclusively premiered with PEOPLE — Whitney is giving us another taste of what’s to come with the second single off the project, “Holding Hands” out today.
Accompanied by a home-video style lyric video — shot and directed by notable photographer and LGBTQ+ advocate Shannon Beveridge — Whitney continues to build the full picture for the upcoming album, immersing us into the stories behind each song.
With Whitney’s signature ethereal tone and lofty vocals, the song’s melody glides over soft guitar picking and lyrics that tell the story of someone who is learning to embrace their truth and arrive at a place of complete self actualization and self acceptance. “I haven’t talked much about my sexuality but this one is pretty obvious,” shares Whitney. “It’s about wanting to love who you love and not feel shame for that. It’s about wanting to be out in the open just like everyone else gets to be. I don’t know that I’ve ever written a song like this that felt so vulnerable.”
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), 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.
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.”
“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.”
