SHE'S COMING THROUGH“LOUD AND CLEAR”:
TEEN VOCAL POWERHOUSE WHITNEY WOLANIN
GEARS UP TO RELEASE MIXES OF HER HOT NEW SINGLE IN

ANTICIPATION OF A MULTI-TRACK EP LATER THIS YEAR

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Co-Written By Wolanin and Her Sister Victoria, The Catchy Teen Empowerment Anthem's Club Remixes Will Be Pushed To Dance Clubs Worldwide By The Globally Renowned Company PRO MOTION To Build Momentum Before A Radio Edit Of The Track Hits The Airwaves
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“It Takes Two,” Wolanin's Duet With Former Survivor Vocal Legend Jimi Jamison From Her 2005 Debut Funkology XIII, Hit #9 And Spent A Total of 20 Weeks On FMQB's AC40 Chart; The Album's First Single “Good” Remained On The Chart for 47 Weeks And Hit #7

Over the past two years, as the first two singles from her mega-popular independent debut 'Funkology XIII' were scaling the charts, powerhouse teen vocalist Whitney Wolanin (pronunciation WO-Lan-in) traveled the country, singing for thousands of fans and inspiring her peers to live healthier lives by seeking their own individuality.

This summer, the funk and inspiration extends to dance floors everywhere as she gets ready to perform at clubs in support of her explosive new teen empowerment anthem “Loud and Clear.” In an extraordinary promotional move, the track—co-written by the 16-year-old Wolanin and her 20-year-old sister Victoria—will be released first to dance clubs in five versions: a radio edit, a dance radio remix, an extended club remix (featuring a tribal vibe), a club dub instrumental remix and an A cappella track featuring her vocals only.

The instrumental and vocal only mixes will give club DJs and remixers the opportunity to create their own musical collages of the song. A nationwide contest for the best “video blog version” that includes the radio edit or any of the remixes off the extended single is in the works. The dance promotion of “Loud And Clear” will be handled by the industry's top promoter Brad Le Beau's Pro Motion, which has over the years successfully achieved global prominence for dance mixes of hits by superstars Anastacia, Cher, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Janet Jackson, Jennifer (J-Lo) Lopez, Madonna and Shakira.

The dance promotion, slated for late spring, is geared towards building momentum before the radio edit and dance radio remix of “Loud And Clear” are promoted to mainstream pop radio stations in early summer.

Wolanin has been a familiar sight on the AC charts since the release of 'Funkology XIII' in the summer of 2005. “It Takes Two,” her duet with Survivor lead singer Jimi Jamison from 'Funkology XIII' , hit #9 on FMQB's AC40 Chart, was a #1 most added, and spent 20 weeks on the chart. Wolanin's teen empowerment anthem “Good” stayed on the same chart for 47 weeks, hitting #7—all incredible figures for a debut artist. This past holiday season, a fiery cover of “Frosty The Snowman” from her Christmasology™ release hit #11 on Radio & Records AC chart.

While her previous recordings showcased Wolanin as a strong interpreter of outside material, “Loud And Clear”—and the other songs she is working on for a multi-track EP release later this year—represents a songbook of  her astounding strengths as a songwriter. “Victoria and I have always been outspoken and outgoing about the things we believe,” she says, “and one of the things we are most passionate about is being individuals and encouraging others to stand out, be themselves and assert their own individuality. This song was inspired by that idea. It's really about who I am and who she is, a song totally about ourselves. She's sung background for me many times, and as a songwriter, she's a bit older and wiser and adds experience to my music about things that I haven't been through.”

A natural born storyteller, Wolanin won numerous awards for her writing when she was younger, and sees her growth as a songwriter as a natural, musical extension of that talent. In writing some of the songs for the upcoming EP, she drew upon an archive of lyrics she composed over time and began setting them to music. The tunes she wrote with Victoria began with the two sitting on Whitney's bed, riffing on lyrics and bouncing ideas off each other until they agreed that they were on the right track. They're very honest with each other; if a song is completed and they don't feel it has immediate hit potential, they discard it. “Our philosophy is to write hit songs and not filler,” she says. “Because I'm not under the demands of a major label, I can take my time to ensure that every song is great.”

After the success of 'Funkology XIII' , Wolanin was approached by numerous well- known songwriters with material they hoped she might cut. After listening intently, she decided she'd rather sing her own songs, and, in line with her whole “individuality” campaign, let her own voice as a composer be heard for the first time.

“I think both ‘Loud and Clear' and the other material I am working on shows a lot about myself,” she says. “In the past, I recorded songs (with the exception of GOOD and Christmas (the Warmest Time of the Year)  that I had no part in writing, but there were times when I added and rewrote the lyrics, so I've been developing for a long time. I just think writing my own material is a way to let my fans get to know the real me. It's also great to be self-reliant, which makes the process of recording an album much more efficient. If I write a song that's about an experience that my friends or I have had, maybe that can connect with listeners and influence their lives in a positive way. I like writing stories to music that can affect people like this.

“The songs we are working on all deal with teen related issues that we go through every day,” she adds. “I love to inspire teen girls, but I know guys will be able to relate as well. They're about important things like dealing with peer pressure, heartache and life's ups and downs. It's also amazing writing with my sister and having my dad (Vincent) co-produce my recordings. I think bonds between people are important, and nothing is more important to me than my family. This is another aspect of who I am that I am eager to express. With everything I do, I want to put my own life into it, and they're obviously a huge part of my life.” While she's looking forward to performing live in dance clubs this summer, Wolanin is also scheduled to make appearances at various major league ballparks, including Fenway Park in Boston, singing the national anthem for a Red Sox game. Her popular MySpace page has earned her legions of fans throughout the world, and many of her fans from as far away as Japan, Australia, Finland and Iceland are urging her to come do concerts in their countries.

“It's all just very exciting for me right now,” she says. “I've enjoyed connecting with fans singing other people's material, and I'm really looking forward to getting out there and performing my own material live for the first time.”

 

 

 

 

 

15-YEAR OLD SINGING SENSATION
WHITNEY WOLANIN
MOVES TO THE HEAD OF THE SOULFUL CLASS WITH
‘FUNKOLOGY XIII'

 Working With Motown ‘Funk Brother' And Bass Legend
Bob Babbitt, The Wise Beyond Her Years Vocal Powerhouse Mines A Spirited Handful Of Legendary R&B Classics, Including Her New Single “It Takes Two,”
A Duet With Survivor's Jimi Jamison

Wolanin, Whose Anthemic Original “Good” Hit #7 on FMQB's AC40 Chart, Has Appeared on the Homepage of iTunes, Sung The National Anthem For Major League and NFL Games, And Is Headlining With The Commodores
At The Naples Music Festival March 26

 

The musical electricity in the Nashville studio was crackling the day in 2004 when 13-year-old Whitney Wolanin (pronounced WO-Lan-in) made her recording debut with a powerful and spirited rendition of the Martha and The Vandellas classic “Heat Wave”—which she nailed brilliantly in one take. Legendary bassist and Motown “Funk Brother” Bob Babbitt, who gathered some of the industry's top session musicians to play with the young singer, turned to his cohorts and asked what they thought.

“Amazing for a 20 year old,” they agreed. Then Wolanin spoke up and reminded them, “Guys, I'm only 13!” Reflecting later on her first session at the House of Bob studio in the vintage Victorian house—whose vibe was very much like Grand Avenue in Detroit, where the early Motown classics were cut—she says, “I went in there wanting to just be myself, and I was nervous at first working with all these great players. But the energy was high and the setting really inspired me. We cut four songs that first day!”

Those tracks quickly evolved the into the core of Funkology XIII , the singer's debut project whose title reflects the set's lively old school-meets-modern pop/rock grooves and the age Wolanin was when she recorded it. Produced by Babbitt with the singer's father, 35 year music industry veteran Vincent Wolanin, the collection is a fun-filled gathering of soul classics, some very familiar (“This Old Heart Of Mine,” “What Becomes of The Brokenhearted,” “Young And In Love”) and others magical but a bit more obscure (Martha and The Vandellas' “Quicksand,” Smokey Robinson's “Head To Toe”). On “Quicksand,” the singer pulls off the amazing feat of literally “swinging” with her voice, along with the band.

Wolanin fashions another Robinson chestnut, “Mickey's Monkey,” into her own thing with a whimsical reworking called “Whitney's Monkey,” and she recorded Funkology XIII 's new single (scheduled for a February release to radio) “It Takes Two” (originally done by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston) with famed Survivor lead singer Jimi Jamison. The lone original number, a self-empowerment anthem appropriately and simply titled “Good,” has spent over 30 weeks on FMQB's AC40 Chart (peaking at #7 last November), and Wolanin's lighthearted holiday gem “Christmas (The Warmest Time Of The Year)” was the most added song at radio four weeks in a row. Both songs appeared in the Top 100 Airplay Chart at the same time.

“We picked the songs based on what I thought was best for my range and which allowed me to vocally be my best,” says Wolanin. “I've always been told my voice had soul in it, so I thought it would be fun to focus on R&B to establish myself. The best part of the whole experience was finally being able to record songs I love and get some music out there. From the time I started singing when I was two years old, I've wanted to sing for as many people as possible. It's not just about trying to be famous, but about my love and passion for the music.

“Still, I'm not limiting myself to old school R&B,” she adds. “I love all kinds of music, and some of the new original material I'm working on now is more modern, with a next generation Destiny's Child flavor. I'm also eager to do more pop/rock material.”

At the tender age of 15, the charismatic singer with the four and a half octave range is developing into more than simply a star, but an artist of substance and an inspiration to young girls with dreams everywhere. On March 26, Wolanin, backed by Babbitt and many of the other “Funk Brothers,” is scheduled to be one of the headliners—along with The Commodores--at the Naples Music Festival.

In 2005, she appeared on the front page of the Apple iTunes website twice. Wolanin also sang the national anthem before hundreds of thousands of people at Fenway Park , Shea Stadium and other major league parks, plus at a series of games for the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Phillies, Reds, etc. and also at Pro Player Stadium before a Miami Dolphins game. She has five baseball games scheduled already for the 2006 season.

At the National Girls Basketball Championship in Texas , there were 2,500 young girls on one side of the court and 2,500 parents on the other. By the time Wolanin—who was at the event making a promotional appearance--performed her second song, hundreds from both sides were on the floor dancing. Her popularity on the teen basketball circuit—which extends to being a starter on her own high school basketball team as well—earned her an article in the national magazine Women's Basketball.

The University of Tennessee, which has one of the top women's basketball teams in the country, sponsored a nine game special event where they gave away 288 copies of “Good” at each game and put Wolanin's bright smile on the scoreboard. Each year, the Wolanin Family puts on a Rockin' Christmas Party for charity, featuring an All-Star band comprised of members of famous rock groups. At those events, Wolanin performs along with rockers from ACDC, Survivor, Loverboy, and Starship; proceeds go to cancer research, the local Children's Hospitals and to fund a permanent scholarship endowment for needy students. In 2005, Wolanin did a national campaign with every Children's and Shriners Hospital in every state in the US , whereby all the sick children received a copy of her Christmas record.

While Wolanin, currently hard at work on her second album, is eager to go on her first full-scale tour, she is focused on maintaining a balance between making music and being a regular teenager. No matter where her career takes her, she is adamant about remaining enrolled at her high school, where she is in the International Baccalaureate Program, an intense course of study, which assigns college level work. Naturally, while playing on the basketball team and also playing softball and volleyball, the singer maintains a straight A average.

“There are so many things in life that I enjoy, but ever since I can remember, singing was the one thing I knew I was going to do,” Wolanin says. “It's a lot of fun to have all these things happening career-wise, but on a more meaningful level, I love having people relate to the music, and relate to what I'm going through in my life through the songs I sing. When they sing along, I know I'm reaching them, and there's nothing greater for me than experiencing that emotional connection.”