If you’re just finding out about Whitney Star thanks to her three Spiral Film and Music awards for Best Pop Artist, you’ve got a lot to catch up on.
Whitney kicked off her musical career as a teenager. Her school provided few resources for musical training, so even at a young age she had to develop her talents on her own (with assistance from her loving and supportive parents and grandparents). She had a thing for just singing all the time, without any reason, and finally her uncle suggested that she should try to use her voice professionally.
Her first demo was recorded when she was fourteen and within a few years she found herself recording in New York City and California, working with producers and engineers who collaborated with the likes of Rodney Jerkins, Britney, N*Sync, Boyz 2 Men and Patti Labelle. She is a natural poet whose work was published throughout school, including publishing a song she wrote in the first grade when she found a calling in songwriting.
When Whitney met producer Michael Boykin, he became an instrumental part of her team. The single “Just Us” was the first internationally released song to come out of their work together and led to significant airplay, exposure, and most excitingly, a stint performing at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas. Upon her return home to her native Philadelphia, she decided to refine her voice further studying under vocal coach Gail Tomás, an internationally recognized opera veteran. As she honed her glass-shattering spinto coloratura she released several other songs that gained international attention such as “(All I Have is) Love For You”.
Her musical inspirations are drawn from an wide array of sources. As a singer, she hits the notes of divas like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Christina Aguilera. She considers Michael and Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez to be some of her most influential performers and digs into their choreography and stage presence for creative sparks. Her muses also trend classical, and she draws from sources like Broadway, opera, and classical poetry to construct her lyrics as well.
