Adrianne Lenker

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Adrianne Lenker
Lenker performing with Big Thief in 2018
Lenker performing with Big Thief in 2018
Background information
Birth nameAdrianne Elizabeth Lenker
Born (1991-07-09) July 9, 1991 (age 30)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
OriginPlymouth, Minnesota
GenresFolk
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2006–present
Labels
Associated actsBig Thief
Websiteadriannelenker.com

Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker (born July 9, 1991) is an American musician from Indianapolis, Indiana, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Thief.

Early life[]

Lenker was born in Indianapolis and was raised in a Christian sect until the age of 6,[1] but she primarily grew up in Minnesota. Her parents rented homes in Coon Rapids, Nisswa, and Bloomington, Minnesota before settling down in Plymouth, Minnesota, where she lived for 10 years. She spent a summer traveling throughout the midwest and living out of a blue Ford cargo van.[2] Lenker wrote her first song at the age of 8, and at age 13, recorded her first album.[2] Her other interests include studying Taekwondo, and she was the State Karate Champion three years in a row. She did not attend high school, but instead received her GED at the age of 16.[2] She attended the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship provided by Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band.[3]

Career[]

In 2006, when Lenker was 15, she released her first solo album titled Stages of the Sun.[4] In 2014, she released her second solo album titled Hours Were the Birds.[5] Lenker also released two EPs with future bandmate Buck Meek, a-sides and b-sides.[6]

In 2015, Lenker formed the band Big Thief after meeting Meek the first day she moved to New York.[7] Lenker released her third solo album, abysskiss, on October 5, 2018.[8][9]

On October 23, 2020, Lenker released two albums, Songs and Instrumentals, through 4AD.[10]

Personal life[]

Lenker met future Big Thief co-founder Buck Meek at a concert when she lived in Boston and then encountered him again in a bodega the day she moved to New York.[11] The pair began to play together, and married when Lenker was 24.[11] They divorced in 2018, remaining in Big Thief as "deep friends".[11] In 2019, Lenker was in a relationship with the artist Indigo Sparke, although the two separated sometime in 2020.[11][12][13] While Lenker is comfortable with the label "queer", she has expressed a desire not to define her sexual orientation beyond that.[11]

Discography[]

Solo[]

Studio albums
  • Stages of the Sun (LucidTunes, 2005)
  • Then the Rain Came (LucidTunes, 2008 - Unreleased)
  • Hours Were the Birds (Saddle Creek, 2014)
  • (Saddle Creek, 2018)
  • Songs (4AD, 2020)
  • Instrumentals (4AD, 2020)
Live albums
  • Live at the Southern (LucidTunes, 2006)
EPs
  • a-sides (with Buck Meek; Saddle Creek, 2014)
  • b-sides (with Buck Meek; Saddle Creek, 2014)

With Big Thief[]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2020 Grammy Awards Best Alternative Music Album U.F.O.F. Nominated [14]
2021 Best Rock Song "Not" Nominated
Best Rock Performance Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ Pollard, Alexandra (May 2019). "Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker: 'We're all brainwashed'". The Independent. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Schonfeld, Zach (October 10, 2018). "Adrianne Lenker on Big Thief's Success and Her Intimate New Solo Album, 'abysskiss'". Newsweek. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Tedder, Michael (September 24, 2019). "Big Thief's Big Year". Stereogum. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  4. ^ Dwyer, Michael (December 18, 2016). "Stealing destiny, Big Thief trust the music and themselves". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Turner-Heffer, Adam. "Adrianne Lenker: abysskiss". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Naddaff-Hafrey, Benjamin. "The Lore of Big Thief". NPR Music. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Lauren. "A Pensive Trip to the Museum with Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker". Vice. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  8. ^ Claymore, Gabriela (September 24, 2018). "Adrianne Lenker Leans into The Abyss". Stereogum. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Boilen, Bob. "Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief On 'abysskiss' And How Songs Can Heal". NPR Music. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Martoccio, Angie (September 2, 2020). "Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Announces Two Solo Albums Made in Quarantine". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Petrusich, Amanda (October 12, 2020). "Adrianne Lenker's Radical Honesty". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Barlow, Eve (May 1, 2019). "Big Thief's exploratory folk is alternately intimate and expansive on 'U.F.O.F.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  13. ^ Boilen, Bob (February 26, 2020). "Indigo Sparke: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Adrianne Lenker | Artist". grammy.com. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
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