Whitney Tai

NYC born. Yonkuhz, in fact. Whitney Tai is a songwriter, vocalist and poet. Her music is inspired by her passion for nature. A lover of dogs, cats, and cows, her music is an aural medicine, healing the emotionally and spiritually wounded. At age 7, her first live performance was the hit by 4 Non Blondes, “What’s up?” with her father playing guitar. She studied at NYSID and worked in Architectural Design while writing and performing her music in NYC. Whitney’s music blends raw, mystical, and poetic elements with modern pop-rock, featuring dynamic vocals and eccentric flair, creating a sound described as a fiery, earthy explosion that's both grand and grounded, often incorporating themes of longing and spiritual depth. Her new album, American Wasteland blends gritty alt-rock, heavy blues, soulful vocals, and moody atmospheres, bridging the gap between modern rock, blues, and dark pop.

After moving to Los Angeles in 2018, Music Connection Magazine named Tai one of the best live bands in Los Angeles after signature performances at iconic Hollywood venues The Whiskey, The Viper Room, The Mint, and The Improv. She was also named Best Vocalist at the 2021 ICMA awards.

Tai has released two full albums, Apogee and Metamorphosis, both have a unique symphonic pop-rock sound. Her musical collaborations include a number of diverse projects: Beauty in Chaos, Julian Beeston, Brenda Carsey, Harry Vato, Mike Green and multi-platinum artist, Chuck Wright.

In 2023, Tai’s duo project, BLAKTAI released a cover version of "All Night" by the band Low. After hearing the BLAKTAI version of “All Night”, Alan Sparhawk commented on the cover, "soars to new heights and horizons."

September 12th, 2025 saw the release of her 3rd full length album, American Wasteland. Tai wrote and recorded her forthcoming album between 2021-24. She collaborated with Pop Icon Photographer, Joseph Cultice for the visual campaign of the Wasteland and celebrated with her fans at historic record shop, Licorice Pizza Records. Quentin Harrison (Line of Best Fit) elaborates, “Tai takes polite leave of the glossier electronic pop of her two initiating albums and supplants it with an adult alternative rock atmosphere that’s broad in stylistic scope– think Heart meets Garbage meets Billie Eilish. Whitney Tai has put forward her boldest affair to date.” American Wasteland is broadcasting on radio internationally, with features on 88.5 Saturday Afternoon with DJ Mimi Chen, Deeper Grooves with Cliff Beach and The Mainstream with Brett Maybee on his syndicated show to over 100 US stations.

What is the Wasteland, you ask? It’s losing your mother when you’re 10 years old. It’s surviving the emotional paralysis of abuse and heartbreak. It’s a jawbreaking bicycle ride. It’s economic, immoral, and political decay. It’s exploitation of nature by placing a dollar sign on every tree. It’s human beings being reduced to a commodity. It’s a heartbeat under the pain that refuses to die.