Whitey (musician)

Whitey
Birth name	Nathan Joseph White
Origin	London, United Kingdom
Genres	Rock, electronic, alternative dance, synth pop
Years active	2003–present
Labels	1234, EMI, Marquis Cha Cha, Bad Life, No Label Inc, Dim Mak Records
Members	N.J. Whitey

Nathan Joseph White also known as Whitey is a songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist and soundtrack composer from London, United Kingdom. He works primarily in the alternative pop field, bringing in elements of pop, rock, classical and electronic; with influences from many other genres and mediums, for example charleston, swing, psych, metal, acid house, cut up poetry and found sounds.

Career

In 2004, he released an album named The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train. Though he himself has subsequently distanced himself from the genre, this album predicted many elements of the 'electro rock' movement by several years, and was greeted at the time as a critical triumph, going on to make numerous Best Of Year lists worldwide.

In the summer of 2007, an album named Great Shakes was leaked onto the internet, by an unidentified individual named Kelkoo182. As a consequence of this leak, this album was never officially released, and Whitey lost all international licensing deals. On 9 October 2007, the Wrap It Up EP was released though Pure Groove Music/Universal Music. It consisted of three songs: Wrap It Up, Cigarette, and Head in the Corner. Other appearances since then have been the track "Stay on the Outside" on Kitsuné Maison Compilation 4, the release of the limited edition Made of Night EP on Marquis Cha Cha records and the track "Wrap It Up" was featured on Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Radio Broker. Tracks by Whitey have also featured in episodes of The Sopranos, House, One Tree Hill, The O.C, Kyle XY, Entourage, Breaking Bad, and CSI.

A full album named Stay On The Outside was planned for release in the later part of 2008, but was delayed at this point by the artist. This album was planned to include a number of tracks from Great Shakes and a number of new tracks.

A new album Canned Laughter was self-released by Whitey on April 1, 2010, along with a public statement that the 'future of music is independent, and labels must learn to strike fairer deals to keep their slice'. He has since withdrawn all his music from Spotify and iTunes.

On March 23, 2012, extended versions of The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train & Canned Laughter were independently released via Bandcamp, alongside the first official release of Great Shakes & a collection of rarities named "Great Shakes Volume 2."

In May 2012, Whitey announced a surprise release- his new album "Lost Summer" was suddenly released a week later, independently on Bandcamp. The album went live for download on the 18th of May 2012. Music from this has been used extensively in US TV and cinema. The song "Stay On the Outside" was used in episode two of the fifth season of Breaking Bad.

In December 2012, Whitey started a Kickstarter campaign to fund his seventh album as well as making physical releases on CD and vinyl available for all his back catalogue. The Kickstarter campaign ended well over the official goal.

In November 2013, Whitey rejected a Betty TV request to licence his music for free on the grounds that it was unreasonable to pay others professionally without paying to licence music, reposting the email online to begin 'a public discussion... about this kind of industry abuse of musicians.' The post went viral overnight, generating 500,000 views in the first 24 hours, and reached an estimated audience of over 5 million views via retweeting/secondary views on Twitter. The requested discussion spread into the mainstream press, generating pieces in Music Week, The Guardian, the BBC and numerous online sources. Whitey recently passed his 15 millionth online play.

In March 2015, Whitey released "Seven," a mini-album consisting of seven songs crossing and blending seven multiple genres. Whitey also announced a new studio album titled "Square Peg, Round World," which will make a physical release along with a world-wide tour. The exact release date is yet to be announced.

Discography

Main article: Whitey discography

Singles

• Why You Have To Be Me
• Leave Them All Behind
• Nonstop
• Wrap It Up
• Made Of Night
• Saturday Night Ate Our Lives
• No More Right Or Wrong
• Somebody Grab The Wheel
• The Other Way
• Pick Up Your Shadow

Studio albums

• The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train (2004)
• Great Shakes (2007)
• Pick Up Your Shadow (TBA)

Self-released albums

• Canned Laughter (2010)
• Great Shakes Vol. 1 (2011)
• Great Shakes Vol. 2 (2012)
• Lost Summer (2012)
• Seven (2015)

Extended plays

• Leave Them All Behind (2003)
• Made of Night (2008)

External links

• Official page on Myspace
• Bandcamp page