Whitney Duncan - photo by Mike Carroll
As we posted a few days ago on our Facebook page, Whitney Duncan is working on a new album project in a unique way. Since she is currently without a label deal, she has turned to kickstarter.com to help raise funding for it. “I wish I could take credit for this creative idea, but actually one of my fans suggested that I use Kickstarter to fund my CD “Where the Back Roads Run,” since I am without a record label at the moment. My fans have always been the best, so I have no doubt that ya’ll will make this a successful project! This is so fun for me, because I can make the record I want to make!”
This has caused some controversy, however, as some people are interpreting this as a “shameless plea” for help. One such blog post, posted on wirk.com, has stirred quite the reaction this morning on Twitter. Whitney responded to the blog post with, “How rude is this article?! Geez. Remind me to never visit them.” She included a link to the blog post, which opened the flood gates as Whitney’s fans began bombarding the station in her defense over the negative tone of the blog.
Whitney has since posted on her Facebook page the following: “First of all I wanna say, I do not NEED your money. Only give if you want the rewards and would like to hear a full length CD instead of an EP. I’m making an EP whether or not the full project gets funded. I am not broke, nor desperate…if you want to take a minute to learn about kickstarter.com; that is not what this site is about. I just think it’s a great idea to involve the fans and give them some ownership in my music and career, since I wouldn’t have either without them. Thanks!”
It’s being pointed out that Whitney is not asking for a hand out. She is offering several incentives to her fans that want to take part in this project. Various pledge levels will get you: a personalized video-gram for a $10 donation, an autographed 8×10 for a $20 donation, a phone call from Whitney for a $100 donation, a night out on the town in Nashville for karaoke with Whitney herself for a $500 donation, and more. One supporter points out, “As a fan, how much would you be willing to spend to hang out with your favorite artist?”
Whitney Duncan first came onto the scene in 2004 with a guest appearance on the legendary Kenny Rogers‘ “My World is Over” single. She then went on to appear on the TV show Nashville Star, finishing fifth, which led to her signing a record deal with Warner Brothers. She released a full-length album and 2 EP’s through Warner Brothers, charting 2 singles. “Skinny Dippin'” and “When I Said I Would” both peaked at #48 on the charts, while “The Bed You Made” failed to crack the top 60.
Despite being a talented vocalist, Whitney is best known to the general public for other reasons. Whitney made National TV appearances after her cousin Holly Bobo was abducted nearly a year ago. They are still searching for her. Whitney then appeared on Survivor with a 9th place finish, which caused controversy over her personal life as she came away from the show in a relationship with a fellow cast member after it was leaked out that she had secretly gotten married a year earlier. She has since gotten divorced and is still dating her Survivor cast-mate.
To her fans, she is one of the most fan-friendly celebrities out there. She often responds to them on twitter, interacts with them on Facebook, and is very gracious to meet them at her shows. She also does an occasional live video chat called “Whit’s Wit.”
To learn more about Whitney’s project on Kickstarter.com, click here. You can also follow her on twitter and like her page on Facebook.