Born July 9, 1991 in Indianapolis and raised in a Christian cult until the age of four, Adrianne Lenker primarily grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota. She wrote her first song at age 8 and recorded her first solo album at age 14. Her other interests included studying martial arts, and she was the Minnesota karate champion three years in a row. She dropped out of high school halfway into her sophomore year, and got her GED at the age of 16. Then she attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship provided by Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Lenker has fronted the very popular indie band Big Thief since 2015 with bandmate’s Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia. Big Thief has won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album in both 2020 and 2023, and Best Rock Song and Performance for “Not” in 2021. Adrianne has been also releasing solo material over the years. Bright Future, her 5th solo album, just came out in April.
Noted music critic from Western Massachusetts, Keirin Leonard has recently gushed, “If nature could sing, it would sound like Adrianne Lenker. It would pull you in like a wave, spin you around like the breeze, and, like her music, it would ground you in your body like a root reaching out up, holding you still, setting out in the sun, and slowly you would see yourself begin to grow.”
Lenker pens these weary, rustic folksy tunes that sometimes have a country twist and sometimes feature enchanting instrumental layers and sometimes deliver profound observations about life sometimes with devastatingly sad lyrics. She not only is a talented singer/songwriter but also, in effect, a philosopher, who can communicate and convey emotional ideas and make the music she writes serve them.
She recently stated, “ For me the white purpose of music is just getting closer to the core of myself. I think it best not to have any form of expectation. We are riding a wave. If inspiration stops, we won’t put out albums. Were at the mercy of cosmic forces. So far it’s felt like an endless flood, and I think we are all doing everything we can to dig more into our own curiosity. And that’s what it’s all about - not trying to bend the universe to your own will but being present in it. Realizing the beauty of letting something exist as it works its way through you. Remembering that we are tourists gathering momentos for a story to tell when we get home. Music is this portal or bridge from the tangible, physical, material experience into the ethereal intangible place. It’s just this endless journey of learning.”