Born in the small Tennessee town of Scotts Hill, Whitney Duncan developed a passion for music as a child and was soon singing in church, expanding to performing at local talent shows, fairs, and festivals, and even traveling to neighboring states like Kentucky and Missouri to sing at events. In her early teens she began traveling to Nashville and by her senior year in high school she had actually landed a record deal, cutting several sides, including a duet with Kenny Rogers on a song she wrote, "My World Is Over," which ended up appearing on his 42 Ultimate Hits album. Duncan and the label parted ways, though, but she soon connected with producer Mark Bright, who in turn introduced her to writer John Shanks, and after an acoustic showcase, an enthusiastic Warner Bros. signed her to a major-label deal and Duncan began cutting tracks for an album project tentatively titled Right Road Now under the watchful eyes of Bright and Shanks in 2007. That same year the self-titled and self-released Whitney Duncan appeared. A single from the new project, "When I Said I Would," appeared in 2008.