Jacob Michael Whitesides (born November 11, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter from

Sevierville, Tennessee Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, located in eastern Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census. History Native Americans of the Woodland period were among the first human ...

. He records his music for Double U Records, of which he is also the CEO.Stassen, Murray (May 29, 2015
BMG partners with online sensation Jacob Whitesides to launch Double U Records
''Music Week'' Whitesides typically writes his songs alone, which he says is because his music is "very specific to isstory."

Career

2008–14: Career beginnings, ''The X Factor''

Growing up in

, Whitesides first became interested in music while attending a bluegrass festival in 2008. By his teens, Whitesides was playing shows around Knoxville and had already garnered a huge online following for his YouTube cover songs. In 2012, at 14 age he auditioned for

season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...

of the US ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' and made the first cut but was eliminated prior to the Top 16 round. Whitesides released his debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''3 AM – The EP'' on July 8, 2014, featuring cover songs of

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

, Plain White T's,

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

and John Mayer. The EP reached number 26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 2 on the Independent Albums chart. A local newspaper in Jacob's hometown, ''The Knoxville Focus'' was the first media organization to cover Jacob Whitesides career. Music beat reporter Daniel Andrews, travelled out to Nashville, Tennessee to cover Jacob Whitesides at an event called "Teen Hoot" on July 15, 2012.

2015–present: Record deal and debut album ''Why?''

On February 14, 2015 Whitesides released his second EP ''A Piece of Me'', including previously released single "Words". In May 2015, BMG announced their partnership with Whitesides and the formation of his label, Double U Records, where he serves as CEO. In August 2015, he was named Radio Disney's "Next Big Thing" featured artist. On October 21, 2015, he performed his single "Secrets" on '' Good Morning America'', his network morning TV debut. He released his third EP (second of original material) ''Faces on Film'' on October 23, 2015. On December 3, 2015,

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

announced him as one of the next big artists to look out for in 2016. Earlier in 2016, Whitesides announced ''Lovesick Tour'' scheduled to take place Northern America and Europe from May to October 2016. On April 15, 2016 Whitesides released the song "Lovesick", serves as the lead single from his debut album. On July 6, 2016, Whitesides announced his debut studio album, ''Why?'', to be released on September 9, 2016. On July 8, 2016 was premiered album's second single "Focus" along with a music video. On September 1, 2016, a third single, "Open Book" was released, along with a music video the following day Jacob Whitesides released his album "Why?" on September 9, 2016. It debuted and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Independent Charts. Spring 2017, Jacob Whitesides announced his summer tour, ''The Basically Happy Tour'' touring throughout USA and Canada with Alec Joseph, Castro, and Taylor Grey. In March 2019, Viktor & Rolf named Whitesides as their new face of their Spicebomb fragrance.

Personal life

Jacob grew up in Tennessee with his mother, Becky, and his younger sister, Sierra. Whitesides dated fellow ''

'' contestant and performer

Bea Miller Beatrice Annika Miller (born February 7, 1999) is an American singer and actress. She came in ninth place on season two of ''The X Factor'' (US) when she was 13 years old. She was later signed to Hollywood Records. Her debut EP '' Young Blood'' ...

in April 2015. The couple broke up in May 2016 after a year of dating. Jacob has been open about struggling with depression, which he discusses on his 2021 track "Afraid To Die." He says his goal in sharing his experiences is to help fans in "knowing they aren't alone if they're feeling or have felt the same way."

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official website

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitesides, Jacob 1997 births Living people People from Knoxville, Tennessee American male guitarists Singer-songwriters from Tennessee 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Tennessee 21st-century American male singers American male singer-songwriters