Trixie Whitley hasn’t always felt that the term “self-taught musician” was a compliment. The daughter of Chris Whitley, a cult hero singer-songwriter who tragically died when she was only eighteen, Whitley spent her early years splitting time between Ghent, Belgium and New York City. Though she learned drums, guitar and keyboards on her own, the 28-year-old soul/blues/rock multi-instrumentalist has since grappled with what she calls a “sense of shame” about her musicianship.

“It became really clear to me that I needed to open up in the sense of allowing myself to embrace my musicality in its fullest spectrum,” Whitley says, reflecting on her state of mind before beginning to record her delicately crafted new album, Porta Bohemica. “Previously, I was holding myself back, mostly because of my own judgments. I was judging myself so much that I wasn’t able to really open up completely. Starting this record, it was really clear to me that it was a new chapter in my own consciousness creatively.”

That meant that Whitley didn’t go into the album, a follow-up to her 2013 full-length debut, Fourth Corner, with a clear vision beyond being vulnerable to her own creativity. She practiced letting go of any control or fear, and settled into the Zen flow of her writing process. “I embrace every creative endeavor—and definitely records—as a study, in a way,” she notes. It wasn’t as easy to stay open in reality as it was in theory, but Whitley took the idea of study and practice to heart. “I witness it as a muscle,” she says. “And music is a lot about how you use your muscles, both physically and intellectually. I think tapping into complete openness fits in that aspect as well. It takes exercise to be able to tap into that and there are moments when you get stuck.”

Whitley did hit a snag midway through the writing process and uncertain about where her music should go, she put the record on hold for two months while she searched for a new support system to help shepherd the project. Those collaborators turned out to be producers Gus Seyffert and Joey Waronker, whose input allowed Whitley to find the right path for the songs. She knew that she needed to serve the music instead of trying to control it, but couldn’t figure out how to do that on her own. “It was almost like there were too many ideas that could manage their way into one recording,” she says. “Gus and Joey helped me weed out the ideas and focus on the more elemental stuff and prioritize. It all came together really quickly.”

Once the album—an impressive collection of dulcet, emotionally raw songs—was finished, Whitley had come full circle, arriving back at her initial intention for the music. That’s largely because she views songwriting as “an exercise in staying in tune,” something that she learned from working with Daniel Lanois in Black Dub. Whitley’s time with the acclaimed producer helped teach her that it’s essential to be aware of what you’re doing creatively.

“His way of working is also very unusual and it’s mysterious to a lot of people,” she says with a laugh. “As a producer, he’s seen sonically as this mysterious sorcerer. But there’s a lot of tapping into these elements that you can’t really explain in very literal language. Him mentoring me so early on connected a lot of dots for me in terms of how I wanted to proceed with my own work and what I wanted to work on myself.”

She adds: “It is, of course, an ongoing process. Everyone has a lifelong journey to get better and evolve in everything you do. I’m excited for this new chapter, and I’m thankful for the process this record took on and how it got me to this place now. I’m totally ready to not confine myself musically in any way.”

Whitley is already figuring out how to rework Porta Bohemica’s tracks for her new “ridiculous” live band. She plans on playing drums on some songs during the live show, which she hasn’t done in years, and also wants to flex a different muscle by singing live without an instrument. The performances will incorporate some electronic elements, too, a new aspect of Whitley’s shows. (She says that she is currently interested in exploring the dynamic between technology and human emotion.) Plus, she’s already writing new music. The openness she achieved during the process of creating Porta Bohemica has resulted in a sense of excitement to keep exploring that aesthetic.

“I’m feeling really great and really optimistic,” the musician attests. “It’s the ebb and flow. I’m acknowledging that it doesn’t always last, but right now, I’m embracing that I’m in a really positive place. Everything is exciting and vibrant. I’m excited to be moving forward.”