Jacob Whitesides

Background

Jacob Whitesides was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on November 11, 1997. Becky is his mother’s name, and he has a younger sister named Sierra. He was an average child who was raised in Sevierville, and he was mediocre in sports and education. He was previously a sports fan, but being present at a Chris Stapleton performance changed everything for Whitesides. Inspired by Stapleton, he purchased his first guitar and taught himself to play three songs using the internet. His father, a band artist, nurtured his son’s blossoming musical talent and frequently brought him onstage. Whitesides moved in with his mother and sister when his parents divorced. He seriously contemplated pursuing music professionally during this chaotic emotional phase.

Whitesides started by uploading lo-fi covers to YouTube. With a steadily growing online presence and popularity, his first big break came in 2012, when he was offered a spot on the T.V. talent show “The X Factor.” Though he was let go early, the experience was immensely gratifying since it gave him a peek at how the music industry operated. Despite its brief existence, the performance brought him national exposure. In 2014, Whitesides released his first E.P., “3 AM – The EP,” which featured ballad interpretations of songs by John Legend, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, and others. It debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Independent Albums chart. Following the phenomenal success of his debut EP, he released “A Piece of Me” on February 14, 2015. The second EP was more of a coming-of-age record for him since it gave him the confidence to write his pop songs.

In May 2015, he collaborated with B.M.G. to launch his label, Double U Records. He used it to release his third E.P., “Faces on Film.” Concurrently, he made his debut on “Good Morning America,” where he performed his hit single ‘Secrets.’ On September 8, 2016, he released his debut album “Why?,” a compelling 13-track collection that contains hits like ‘Lovesick’ and ‘You Told Me So.’ It peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Independent charts. He then released a video for his new song ‘The Letters’ in 2017.