Letting out jazzy runs, hypnotic hooks, and an unfiltered operatic scream from the gut, Whitney Woerz sparks a physical reaction with every performance in the studio and on stage. With over 135 million YouTube views, 20 million streams, and acclaim from Billboard, Vanyaland, and more, she traces her 2020 10:22pm/Island Records debut back to one such moment and a life-changing realization…
“I fell to the floor,” she recalls. “I discovered my voice, my sound, and my genre in one take. I realized I didn’t have to play by any rules. I could just sing what came naturally. Rather than just touching on it, I’m bringing out what’s underneath the feelings and the sadness. If you analyze my lyrics, they’re real. It’s music that might help you learn something about yourself.”
Whitney discovered herself through music. Singing before she could talk, she enrolled in vocal lessons as early as kindergarten before participating in her first musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a year later. Falling in love with performance, she continued to hone her voice through rigorous traditional training. Studying opera, lyrical, classical, and jazz, her range encompassed an expansive swath of styles.
Facing turmoil in school, she retreated into her art.
“In my hometown, everybody was skinny with straight blonde hair and played sports,” she says. “If you weren’t playing at a high level, you weren’t cool. I got bullied because I did performing arts. Can you believe that? At the time, I was bigger than everyone else and had curly hair. It could be really tough.”
She siphoned that struggle into songs. Retreating to Nashville with GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Glenn Rosenstein [Madonna, U2, Talking Heads], she recorded her independent Behind The Smile EP in 2016. Written after a friend admitted to suicidal intent during an online chat, the single “Ghost Story” took off as an anthem of encouragement and empowerment. Citing the song as “one of the most significant moments of my life, because my friend said it saved her,” the accompanying video went viral with 10 million-plus views. Bring Change 2 Mind—the organization founded by Academy® Award nominee Glenn Close—sought her out as an ambassador. Maintaining this momentum, “Love Me Not” racked up over 60 million YouTube views and 4.5 million Spotify streams in 2018. Along the way, she shared the stage with everyone from Jason Mraz and Jesse McCartney to Nina Nesbitt in addition to performing on The Today Show as Elvis Duran’s “Artist of the Month.” During 2019, she fully realized her sonic identity. Striking a balance between jazz phrasing, lo-fi production, and pop power, Whitney introduces a singular style on Sad Love.
“It’s pop fused with jazz influences and urban elements,” she explains. “It’s left-of-center, and it nods to everything I love. I grew up practicing opera. The theatricality is in there. I love standards by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday, so it has some of those elements. It’s quirky like me. I feel like what I’m doing now really represents who I am.”
The lead single and title track “Sad Love” tiptoes between airy keys and a glitchy beat as her soothing vocals give way to a sassy bridge. Meanwhile, her voice ascends to towering heights with an impassioned refrain, “Baby, that’s sad love,” backed by a revival-style call-and-response.
“I was with the only boyfriend I’ve ever had for my junior year of high school,” she remarks. “I was way too in love with him. He became my life. I didn’t even matter anymore. One day, he came over and he told me he didn’t love me anymore. Then, a few months later when I wrote ‘Sad Love,’ I wasn’t healed all the way. But, then I realized I wouldn’t be anywhere if he didn’t break my heart. I became so powerful in my mind that I took all of me back. I finally became myself again. It’s an oxymoron, but the sadness brought me to self-love. You have to break before you can grow.”
Elsewhere on the EP as her journey carried on, lithe guitar wraps entwine with swells of strings as her angelic delivery emanates through “Philophobia.” Once again, she makes a stark confession, “Philophobia means ‘fear of falling in love.’ I’m admitting that I’m scared of meeting my match, getting attached, and giving my heart without getting it back’.” The droning production of “Weirdos” gives way to a schizophrenic performance as her voice flutters between hushed verses and fits of triumphant as she declares, “The odd are getting even.”
“If you’re weird, embrace it,” she continues. “That’s the message of the song. Weird is the new cool. It’s our turn. Back in the day, I was bullied for theater and singing. I’m taking an awful time in my life and adding light again.”
In the end, Whitney might just move you emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
“I want you to take away positive energy, encouragement, and unconditional love,” she leaves off. “That’s the most important thing to me. I want to be a light in the world by being real.”
Care
Whitney Woerz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
if you want what i want
so i can stop
stop overthinking overthinking
cause i can't turn my mind off
maybe you're a lost boy
cause i can't find you anywhere
and i wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
wake up wake up Whitney
you should know better go give your heart a break
cause it's give
and it's take
but he takes and takes and takes
maybe i'm a lost girl
living on a prayer
and i wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
say that i don't but damnit i do care
if you fall hard
than i'll fall harder
if you go dark
then i'll get darker
darker
darker
and i wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
wish i didn't care
wish i didn't care
say i don't but i do care
say that i don't but damnit i do care
say that i don't but damnit i do care
say that i don't but damnit i do care
say that i don't but damnit i do care
The lyrics to Whitney Woerz's song "Care" explore the overwhelming feeling of caring deeply for someone who may not reciprocate those same feelings. The singer is pleading for the other person to speak up and be honest about what they want, as their own overthinking is consuming them. The line "maybe you're a lost boy cause I can't find you anywhere" suggests that the other person may be emotionally unavailable or struggling to open up. The singer then turns the focus on themselves, admitting that maybe they too are lost and just living on a prayer.
The repetition of the line "wish I didn't care" is particularly poignant as it emphasizes the controlling and almost debilitating nature of unrequited love. The singer is trying to convince themselves that they don't care, but deep down they know they really do. The chorus then takes on a more defiant tone, stating that they do care and that they will fall even harder if the other person falls. The final repetition of "say that I don't but damnit I do care" drives home this point, leaving the listener with a sense of frustration and longing.
Overall, "Care" is a relatable and emotionally raw song that captures the complexities of love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
speak up speak up
I want you to tell me what you want.
if you want what i want
Let me know if you're on the same page as me so I can act accordingly.
so i can stop
Understand me so I can stop worrying.
stop overthinking overthinking
My mind is cluttered with thoughts so please clear my head by speaking to me about what you want.
cause i can't turn my mind off
I am incapable of silencing my thoughts on my own.
maybe you're a lost boy
It feels like you're avoiding me.
cause i can't find you anywhere
I can't seem to reach you or figure out what you want.
and i wish i didn't care
I wish I could detach and move on without any hurt, but it's not that simple.
say i don't but i do say i don't but i really do care
I may try to disguise it, but the truth is that I care deeply about you and what you want.
wake up wake up Whitney
I'm trying to get myself to stop being so naive and to think logically.
you should know better go give your heart a break
I should give myself a break and not be so invested in someone who may not be invested in me.
cause it's give
Relationships require compromise.
and it's take
Relationships also require sacrifice.
but he takes and takes and takes
The other person is not putting in the same amount of effort or sacrifice.
maybe i'm a lost girl living on a prayer
Perhaps I'm also lost and uncertain about what I want in this relationship.
say that i don't but damnit i do care
I may try to convince myself and others that I don't care, but I can't deny my true feelings.
if you fall hard then i'll fall harder
If you become vulnerable with me, I will do the same.
if you go dark then i'll get darker darker darker
If you distance yourself from me, I will respond with similar actions, making things worse.
say that i don't but damnit i do care
I am struggling with my true feelings and may try to mask them with false bravado.
wish i didn't care
I wish I could be more detached and protect myself from getting hurt.
say i don't but i do care
I may lie to myself and others about my feelings, but the reality is that I care deeply.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Whitney Woerz, Emma Lee, Bobby Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jenniferramos2454
Im sooooo confused how your not a superstar by now!!!! The big singers of today could never do what you do!
@ethelcainlover01
WHY ARE YOU SO UNDERRATEDDDD!!! You honestly need more attention. You deserve it! ♡
@Gary_Gamer
Pretty sure you’re one of the best singers of our time ❤️
@WhitneyWoerz
WOW. THIS IS SO SWEET!!!!!!!!!
@Gary_Gamer
Whitney Woerz no, your the sweet one:)!
@cookiecakeh3474
Yes she is
@bobbyugi
Of ALL time
@jairus6945
Yes I was wondering when you were gonna do a new one this great
@WhitneyWoerz
❤️❤️. Thank u so much!
@professoremil
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