What does the name House of Whales represent and where did it originate from?

The name House of Whales came from Aunnoy's wife Renae. After we were forced to change our name from Treehouse, we made countless lists and couldn't agree on a new one.

Renae came up with the name combining our love for animals and our want to keep some association with our previous name.

How did you all initially meet each other and then decide to form the group?

House of Whales has gone through a couple changes over the years. The group was originally formed in Chicago by Aunnoy, Rico, and bassist Mike Ruby back in 2010 under the name "Treehouse". After Mike left the group in 2016, Rico and Aunnoy took a short hiatus and eventually decided to keep the project going with long-time collaborator DJ/Producer Danny Varela. When Rico and Aunnoy both found themselves living in the Bay Area, the three started jamming with bassist Luis Mayorga. The group had instant chemistry and after numerous writing/jam sessions we officially announced our new lineup at the RAW artists San Francisco showcase in July 2019.

Congratulations on the release of your new single “Can’t Wait”. Tell us who produced it, what inspired its creation and how you connected with Adam Ness.

THANK YOU! "Can't Wait" was the accumulation of a few years of work. Rico brought a rough draft to Danny and Aunnoy back in 2017 and the three workshopped it for about two years. During that time Aunnoy was able to get Adam's vocals recorded in Chicago, but the track wasn't where everyone wanted and we simply hit a wall. In 2019 we decided to open the song back up with fresh ears and like magic everything fell into place. The finishing touch was Luis on bass and the rest is history!

We connected with Adam through Rico. Adam performed at a monthly open mic that Rico was hosting (shout-out Gala community) and everyone was blown away with his incredible vocals. It was only a matter of time before the two would find an opportunity to work together.

Can we expect a music video for “Can’t Wait” next and will be featured on an upcoming EP or album this year?

We'll be dropping an animated lyric video for "Can't Wait" later this month and are currently working on a couple new singles that are set for release this year.

We also have an album and docuseries in production for 2022.

With “Can’t Wait” now released and the country starting to re-open, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of 2021?

Play some live shows, travel, and hug our family/friends! We've been working on producing a live show that we'll be sampling throughout the Bay Area this year.

We're also working on a docuseries that highlights all of our healing journeys and will be taking us out to Costa Rica a few times over the next two years.

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