Adrianne Lenker is an American musician and songwriter, born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager, Lenker taught herself guitar and formed the musical duo Big Thief. Today, Lenker is a respected solo artist who has released five albums and gained a large number of accolades and a cult following.
As a young girl, Lenker began playing music on the piano and keyboard beside a Christian youth center. Along with her siblings, she sang and performed at her father’s gospel church; developing a love and appreciation for music and the power of storytelling. She first started writing her own songs on the piano when she started taking lessons in middle school. She continued to self-teach guitar as she transitioned and her love for music continued to grow.
In 2009, Lenker and the indie-folk neighbor Maroam Lederman founded the duo Big Thief. Over the years, the pair released five studio-albums and each one gained them more acclaim from music critics. More importantly, the music videos they released with each-album helped them gain a dedicated fan base. Their acclaimed album Capacity provided Lenker with an opportunity to open for The Pixies in 2017. Lenker also formed the trio Buck Meek with notable contributors Josh Kaufman and Nick Kinney.
In 2019, Lenker released the album U.F.O.F to critical praise, and made her solo debut that same year Supported by excellent marketing strategies and a small tour at the time, the album received a lot of praise, and featured been on many top album charts. Following the success of U.F.O.F, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Later that year, Lenker also recorded the album Two Hands, which received similar praise from critics. Two Hands created a new genre of American folk, and blended Lenker’s sparse and poetry-filled lyrics with her intimate acoustic compositions. The album was supported by a 34-date European tour.
Due to the success of both her albums, Lenker was invited to the White House in 2020 to perform for former US President Barack Obama. Lenker’s music has been featured in several films and series such as Ozark, as well as on mainstream radio.
Today, Lenker continues to put out beautiful solo works that mix a variety of styles. With over 200k Instagram followers, Lenker’s fan base keeps on growing with no sign of slowing down. For now, her critically acclaimed music continues to reach fans around the world, inspiring them through her highly personal narratives and humble lyrics. Across her career, Lenker has established herself as a prolific artist with a frank, unique voice and one of the most interesting singers of her time.