Whitney Tai – Lexington

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

A) I used to think this was a hard question to nail down since I have many influences that spill into my sound and write in a few sub-genres of both rock and pop, but I’ve come to discover, after growing along with my discography, that there’s a thread running through my sound. Regardless of the style I am writing, there’s elements of cinematics, cosmic atmospheres, lush harmonics, lyrical introspection, three dimensionality and dreamy melodies that guide the listener to a point of self-reflection and liberty. I’ve always written songs and poetry as a means to better understand time, space, psyche and how that relates to the human condition. It seems as though the sound has just evolved to become a starry physical manifestation of this.

Q) Who are your top three musical influences?

A) I have too many to count, especially at the different stages in this musical journey. Naming three is not realistic at all or complete in the representation of what I create but the most obvious few I can fire off are The Beatles, Portishead and Stone Temple Pilots.

Q) Your new single “Lexington” tells the story of you finding your calling to music while you were studying architecture, how did your previous career in architecture help you with crafting your musical style?

A) Not so much of finding the calling but awakening to answer the call. I’ve always known music was the siren of my life, I just grew up without the sort of support system or tools to embrace it. I lived in a widowed household, working and supporting myself my entire young adult life to stay alive. The arts always felt very natural to me, so I put myself through fine art school and fought for my first design job in Manhattan. I finally began acquiring the tools outside of trauma and survival mode to tether myself back to my dream. Being able to speak in an emotional language that felt native to me and express myself artistically with incredible means is what I sorely needed. Lexington represents transformation and re-discovery. The song is a metaphor for a moment or place someone experiences that is mandatory for them to come full circle. Studying fine art with some of the most amazing professors in the country gave me a broader understanding in approaching not just composition of our environment but in the composition of music. Music appears as 3D in your mind once you understand the forms and waves which constitute its makeup, and I cannot approach writing without building something you can hypothetically feel you’re walking inside of.

Q) Tell us the story behind the single “Lexington.”

A) It’s funny you ask this because after the song was released and entrusted to the hands of others, I noticed something that even I couldn’t see after being so zoomed in. I initially wrote this story to express the magical feeling of being a fledgling student, blossoming into a career that was very cathartic while simultaneously nudged with a cold nose to abort and chase what makes one truly happy. But…when you really peel back the overarching theme, the narrator’s language is communicating something far richer. It begins with a person who is reluctant to change, they don’t want to thrust into this uncharted territory and have no clue what’s waiting for them. They’re resistant, more-so subconsciously, to walk out on the plank. The more the narrator self-assures and talks to themself throughout the song, the more the realization sets in. All this unnecessary suffering from social constructs and expectations can dim someone’s light and shift you off track if you aren’t paying attention. The jubilance of realizing you are headed where you belong, facilitated by the roads you choose, is a profound state of being.

Q) You also recently released a music video for “Lexington.” How did you come up with the concept and style of narrative for the music video?

A) I recently revisited some old home videos that my late uncle filmed of my first talent show. He was the video guy of the family and a very talented photographer. My uncle Joel was always there to document the family’s most precious memories from his emotional and quirky point of view. My dad cherished this video of me playing on stage with him for the first time. It was this clip that inspired me to create a montage of my own observations of places or moments that crack a window into the soul of my perspective. It hit me just before the release that “Lexington” was a far bigger prospect than just the street it sings about. It perhaps represents something even bigger, like a perpetual state of motion and how we respond to that. As a teen into my 20s, I was on what felt like a long, traumatic and straight road that appeared insurmountable. We all have different roadmaps, but we can either decide to let the surroundings define our life as to who we become or we can take the wheel and define it by veering off-sides.

Q) Since its release, what has been the overall reaction from fans and listeners to “Lexington?”

A) Honestly, I’m very shocked and emotional about the response. I didn’t expect for it to resonate with so many people but I think the reason is due to the relatability of the theme. Whereas this might be an extremely personal account to me, it speaks to a larger collective consciousness that binds our walks together. The unintended positive consequence of Lexington is its soft embrace where one is validated to be themselves.

Q) What message do you hope listeners take away from the song?

A) I find myself in so many conversations where people create this false sense of finality in their lives that prevent them from venturing out. I always fought against this since I believe intention is stronger than expectation. Our intentions, once set, can begin to pave the way for a future that will rattle the ground uncontrollably on its own. The expectations we hold are either too stiff, micro-managed and can set us up for disappointment. I would much rather set intentions over expectations because in our intentions there is space to grow. Without clutching too hard to a preconceived outcome, you open up a pandora’s box of possibilities to transform yourself. I think embracing this kind of mentality is what prepared me to encounter my Lexington moment.

Q) With the release of “Lexington” is there a full-length album and/or tour in the works?

A) There is a follow up album to my sophomore album nearing completion that my good friend and I have been co-writing but this most recent string of acoustic songs I’ve been producing will be part of a solo album I intend to drop as well. I’ve grown so much in these last few years that I answered the call to make concept albums which encapsulate the profound changes I’m experiencing as a writer, person and performer.

Q) What is your favorite song(s) to perform live?

A) Off my first album I love performing “Fool For You” and “Enigma,” from Apogee “The Cure,” “Righteous” and “Starfish,” which are super invigorating with the audience and I also love performing “Flowers By The Roadside.” “Flowers” is a very careful and socially aware song but its messaging is so paramount to the human condition that it feels like a substantial sermon when erected in a live setting.

Q) Who would you love to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) Definitely Grace Jones or Skin of Skunk Anansie. They give a middle finger to damaging stereotypes and constructs while also fearlessly paving the way for those who need this support. Their determination to unapologetically be themselves reflects in their in depth music and that’s something that draws me in all the way. I love their creation process, their art and I most certainly love how it cranks frequency higher to tear past the veil that restricts people’s authenticity.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

A) That I cherish each one of them endlessly for becoming crew members on my ship. As an indie artist etching my creations in a very different and highly saturated DIY industry, I’m grateful for anyone who has found themselves inside what I’m building. I can only express unlimited thanks for putting their faith in me to deliver an experience they can feel safe and inspired to be a part of. The community of my supporters remains a very authentic and unspoken connection where we understand one another even outside the scope of my music. I would tell them to buckle up tight because we have a lot of fun times ahead of us.