Whitney Whitney is turning a frightening vocal setback into the start of a new chapter with her single and music video “All That It Is.”
People exclusively premiered the alt-pop artist’s new track and video, reporting that Whitney, whose real name is Whitney Woerz, spent two and a half years working through vocal loss and recovery.
Whitney told People she is still not fully recovered, but closer than she has ever been, making the song both a return and a marker of where she is now.
Whitney Said Losing Her Voice Was Slow and Painful
Whitney told People that losing her voice happened after a period of intense studio work, when she was writing and singing in the studio for 12 hours a day and believed she could keep pushing through the strain.
Whitney said she was meeting with record labels when the pain began, and she initially hid the problem because she feared no one would want to sign a singer who could not sing.
She eventually signed with Atlantic Records and told the label what was happening. People reported that the label stayed with her through vocal surgery and months of silence. Whitney said even surgery did not fully cure her.
“All That It Is” Came From Heartbreak
Whitney said she wrote the new song while one of her co-writers was going through a breakup, then pulled from her own past heartbreak to finish the track.
“I channeled my past heartbreak into her current hurt, and the song was born,” Whitney told People.
She told People that she has not yet been able to sing about her real breakup because of her vocal injuries, so the track has become her breakup anthem.
The Video Shows Her Trying to Hold It Together
People reported that the visual opens with Whitney holding her cat, Tuna, before she takes the stage and performs to an empty room.
Whitney said Tuna represents the emotional support she reaches for before fully breaking down. She described the video as a performance “to no one but myself,” built around the feeling of pretending to stay composed while falling apart internally.
The video was directed by Paige Sara and Claudia Chiossone. Whitney said she wanted it to show the way people try to convince themselves and others that difficult experiences have not shattered them.
The Song Arrives Before Her Lollapalooza Debut
Whitney’s return is also timed ahead of a major live milestone. People reported that she is scheduled to make her festival debut at Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31.
That booking gives “All That It Is” a bigger runway than a normal comeback single.
“It was, and still is, mentally very hard putting out the songs I love so much and not being able to sing them,” Whitney told People. “I’ve had to say ‘no’ to so many opportunities and tours that I’ve always dreamed about, but I’ll never give up.”
