Whey Jennings knows he has a lot to live up to with his name. The grandson of country music legend, Waylon Jennings, Whey has always been aware of his heritage, and the legacy that has been passed on to him.

“It’s been a curse and a blessing,” Whey told Everything Nash. “It’s been mostly a blessing, but you get the same questions, over and over and over again, which is cool. I’m all about answering the questions, but my grandfather gave me one road to go down. I tell you that I never would have thought about even trying to do this for a living, if it wouldn’t have been for him being successful. My mom passed away; I tried it and threw myself to the wall, to see if I’d stick, and I did, so I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Whey is careful to toe the line between embracing the legacy left by his grandfather, while staying true to who he is as an artist as well.

“I want to make music my own way, man, but I want to pay homage to my family too,” Whey explained. “I’m not trying to completely abandon my name or anything like that, but I’m not trying to live in a shadow either. It’s kind of a catch 22, you know. How do you break out? The only person I know of that’s actually been able to do that is Hank, Jr. How do you break out of a shadow as big as that?”

“I’m not trying to hurt my family name,” he added, “but I am trying to be me.”

Whey just released his new album, Gyspy Soul. Although he is immensely proud of the project, the songs were all written before he became sober, which he did while quarantined during the coronavirus pandemic. Still, all of the songs on his latest Gypsy Soul are just as relevant, even though he is no longer drinking or using substances.

“All of it still applies to me,” Whey insisted. “It’s already going to be part of me. I don’t say anything bad. I just went through a whole lof of pain. ‘Gypsy Soul’ doesn’t really apply to me, because I don’t live that way any more. But, I did at that point, so it still applies.”

“I wrote every song on it but one,” he boasted. “It’s a great album. I mean, it’s just everything that I’ve gone through my whole life.”

Whey is also working on a new project with Struggle Jennings (real name: William Harness), which is scheduled to be released in August. Cowboy Troy also just hinted there might be a joint tour coming up with Whey in the future. Keep track of updates at WheyJennings.com.