Adrianne Lenker

Lenker was born in Indianapolis and was raised in a Christian cult until the age of four,{{cite web |last=Mapes |first=Jillian |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Is One of a Kind |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1482-big-thiefs-adrianne-lenker-has-seen-some-shit/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=May 12, 2022 |date=April 6, 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Pollard |first1=Alexandra |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker: 'We're all brainwashed' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/big-thief-interview-adrianne-lenker-cult-ufof-album-release-date-a8892761.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506170725/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/big-thief-interview-adrianne-lenker-cult-ufof-album-release-date-a8892761.html |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |work=The Independent |date=May 2019 |accessdate=June 26, 2019}} but primarily grew up in Minnesota.

When Lenker was 5 years old, she was hospitalized after a railroad spike fell from the roof of a makeshift treehouse in the yard of her family's rented home in Nisswa, lodging itself into her skull and nearly killing her.{{Cite web |title=Life and Death: Adrianne Lenker's journey into nature|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/longread/life-and-death-adrianne-lenker-interview-2018 |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en-US|first1=Paddy|last1=Kinsella|date=November 2, 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Rinn |first=Natalie |date=June 12, 2017 |title=Catching up with Big Thief After Their Very Big Year |url=https://www.bkmag.com/2017/06/12/catching-big-thief-big-year-adrianne-lenker-masterpiece-capacity/ |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=Brooklyn Magazine}} She recounts the incident in the song "Mythological Beauty" from Big Thief's second album Capacity.{{Cite magazine |last=Tolentino |first=Jia |date=November 18, 2019 |title=The Ordinary Brilliance of Big Thief |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-ordinary-brilliance-of-big-thief |access-date=October 6, 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}

After leaving the cult, the family began living out of a large blue van. They moved frequently, renting homes throughout the Midwest. They lived with a Russian couple and their five children in a two-bedroom apartment in Coon Rapids. They also lived with two women who were living an Amish lifestyle. They lived in a total of 14 different houses by the time she was 8 years old. Around this time, her father became disillusioned with the religion and they bought a house in the Minneapolis suburbs.

She spent winters at her grandparents' house in Andover.{{Cite web |last=Naddaff-Hafrey |first=Benjamin |date=May 31, 2017 |title=Big Thief's 'Mary' Is A Meditation On Resilience And Recovery |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/05/31/530749628/big-thiefs-mary-is-a-meditation-on-resilience-and-recovery |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=All Songs Considered |publisher=NPR}} Her grandmother is a watercolorist and the former owner of an antique store in Andover.{{Cite web |last=Riemenschneider |first=Chris |date=April 24, 2022 |title=Big Thief's Minnesotan singer savors 'healing through the music' ahead of St. Paul concert |url=https://www.startribune.com/big-thiefs-minnesotan-singer-savors-healing-through-the-music-ahead-of-st-paul-concert/600167515 |access-date=December 11, 2024 |website=The Minneapolis Star Tribune |language=en}}

Lenker was homeschooled. Her parents divorced when she was 12, and she began experimenting with substances in her mid-teens.{{Cite news |last=Bromwich |first=Kathryn |date=March 17, 2024 |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker: 'I hit a wall – I had just been going in survival mode' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/17/big-thief-adrianne-lenker-bright-future-solo-album-interview |access-date=October 3, 2024 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}

She began learning music from her father, a musician and songwriter who played guitar and piano. He taught her basic chords as well as unconventional chords and melodies on guitar. She and her siblings took voice lessons. When she was 12, her father sent her on a bus through the Twin Cities to spend time with a musician who was a stay-at-home dad. He introduced her to different albums and worked with her on songwriting. Her father would also bring her to open mic nights, and she would play bars when she was 12. She taught herself to play guitar by writing her own music; she wrote her first song at the age of eight, and recorded her first album at age 13.{{cite web |last1=Schonfeld |first1=Zach |title=Adrianne Lenker on Big Thief's Success and Her Intimate New Solo Album, 'abysskiss' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2018/10/19/adrianne-lenker-big-thief-music-abysskiss-solo-album-1160822.html |work=Newsweek |date=October 10, 2018 |accessdate=June 26, 2019}} She also studied martial arts extensively, and was state karate champion three years in a row.{{Cite web |last=Stamp |first=Tony |date=March 30, 2024 |title=Review: Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thesampler/audio/2018932085/review-bright-future-by-adrianne-lenker |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=RNZ }}{{cite web | url=https://www.normanrecords.com/features/five-key-records/adrianne-lenker | title=Adrianne Lenker: Five Key Records }}

At some point, Lenker eventually enrolled in public school, but was not successful. She recounts that she would intentionally show up late for school in order to get lunch detention to avoid social alienation in the lunchroom.{{cite web |last1=Naddaff-Hafrey |first1=Benjamin |title=The Lore of Big Thief |website=NPR |date=November 9, 2017 |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/11/09/560267308/the-lore-of-big-thief |publisher=NPR Music |access-date=December 2, 2024}} She did not attend high school and instead received her GED at the age of 16. She attended the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship provided by Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and started her first band there.{{Cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/featured/big-thief-two-hands-ufof-interview/ |title=Big Thief's Big Year |last=Tedder |first=Michael |date=September 24, 2019 |website=Stereogum |accessdate=December 12, 2019}}

File:Big Thief at the Lexington - 32694587412.jpg

Lenker began her music career by the age of 13 with her father as her manager. On February 28, 2006, when Lenker was 14, she released her first solo album, Stages of the Sun.{{cite web |last1=Dwyer |first1=Michael |title=Stealing destiny, Big Thief trust the music and themselves |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/stealing-destiny-big-thief-trust-the-music-and-themselves-20161205-gt47j9.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=December 18, 2016 |accessdate=June 26, 2019}} On January 9, 2014, Lenker released her second solo album, Hours Were the Birds.{{cite web |last1=Turner-Heffer |first1=Adam |title=Adrianne Lenker: abysskiss |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/20460/reviews/4152084 |work=Drowned in Sound |accessdate=June 26, 2019 |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626212917/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/20460/reviews/4152084 |url-status=dead }}

On May 1, 2014, Lenker, together with future bandmate Buck Meek, released the LP records a-sides and b-sides. In 2015, Lenker and Meek, alongside Max Oleartchik and James Krivchenia, formed the band Big Thief. Their first album, Masterpiece, was released in May 2016 to rave reviews.{{cite web |last1=O'Neill |first1=Lauren |title=A Pensive Trip to the Museum with Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzmqvn/big-thief-interview-adrianne-lenker-2019-ufof |work=Vice |date=May 2019 |accessdate=June 26, 2019}} The band has since released four more albums, and has been touring every year since their formation.{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Big Thief Concert History |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/big-thief?page=1#concert-table |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Concert Archives}}

File:Big Thief - Haldern Pop Festival 2018-4.jpg

Lenker released her third solo album, Abysskiss, on October 5, 2018.{{cite web |last1=Claymore |first1=Gabriela |title=Adrianne Lenker Leans into The Abyss |date=September 24, 2018 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2014756/adrianne-lenker-big-thief-interview-abysskiss/franchises/interview/ |publisher=Stereogum |accessdate=June 26, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Boilen |first1=Bob |title=Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief On 'abysskiss' And How Songs Can Heal |website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/10/09/653652063/adrianne-lenker-of-big-thief-on-abysskiss-and-how-songs-can-heal |publisher=NPR Music |accessdate=June 26, 2019}} The album consisted of songs Lenker wrote while touring with Big Thief, and two of the songs received full arrangements, which were rereleased on the band's album U.F.O.F. a few months later.{{Cite web |date=April 30, 2019 |title=Album Of The Week: Big Thief 'U.F.O.F.' |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2041044/big-thief-ufof-review/reviews/album-of-the-week/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}

While in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lenker wrote and recorded two albums, Songs and Instrumentals, which were released on October 23, 2020.{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=September 2, 2020 |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Announces Two Solo Albums Made in Quarantine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/big-thief-adrianne-lenker-songs-instrumentals-1053937/ |accessdate=September 2, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} The albums focused on less production and a more acoustic sound with traditional folk songwriting and improvisation. Both albums were recorded without any digital processes, utilizing an analog-analog-analog (AAA) recording method.{{Cite web |title=The official website for independent record label 4AD. |url=http://4ad.com/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=4AD |language=en}}

In January 2024, Lenker partnered with School of Song to teach a four-week course on songwriting, which focused on ways to expand creativity through different guitar techniques and lyrical focuses.{{Cite web |title=Songwriting Workshop with Adrianne Lenker (of Big Thief) |url=https://schoolofsong.org/products/copy-of-songwriting-workshop-with-adrianne-lenker-of-big-thief |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=School of Song |language=en}} In the same month, Lenker also announced her sixth studio album, Bright Future, which was released on March 22, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=January 17, 2024 |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Announces New Album and Tour, Shares New Song "Sadness as a Gift": Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/big-thief-adrianne-lenker-announces-new-album-and-tour-shares-new-song-sadness-as-a-gift-listen/ |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}

On March 11, 2024, Lenker released an EP, I Won't Let Go of Your Hand, exclusively on Bandcamp with proceeds going to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=March 12, 2024 |title=Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Releases New Songs to Benefit Palestine Children's Relief Fund |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/big-thief-adrianne-lenker-releases-new-songs-to-benefit-palestine-childrens-relief-fund-listen/ |access-date=March 13, 2024 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}

File:Adrianne Lenker at the Barbican (53685629300).jpg in London, April 2024]]

Lenker's lyrics have been described by NPR as "unequivocal", "instinctive" and "deeply personal". Many of Lenker's song titles are names of people, though some are actually written about herself. She explained, "Sometimes I need a name for themes in my songs, but oftentimes they're just about me or directed to myself".

Lenker elaborated on her mindset and approach to songwriting in an interview, where she likened her process to a "collaboration with the universe or a higher power". She said:

{{quote|"It doesn't feel like it's just originating from my brain. It feels like I'm following an invisible thread of intuition, from one choice to the next [...] maybe I don't even fully understand once I've written it, but it just feels right. And I just trust that. And then over time, it reveals its layers of meaning to me. That's a mark of what I feel is a good song. It keeps me wanting to play it."{{cite web | url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/adrianne-lenker-interview-bright-future-big-thief | title=Adrianne Lenker's Songs Are Never Done: "It's a Collaboration with the Universe" | website=Exclaim! |last=Gee |first=Chris |date=March 21, 2024 }}}}

Lenker met the future Big Thief co-founder Buck Meek at a concert when she lived in Boston. She then re-encountered him at Mr. Kiwi, a small grocery store in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the day she moved to New York.{{cite magazine |last1=Petrusich |first1=Amanda |title=Adrianne Lenker's Radical Honesty |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/19/adrianne-lenkers-radical-honesty |accessdate=October 15, 2020 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=October 12, 2020}} The pair began to play together, and married when Lenker was 24. They divorced in 2018, remaining in Big Thief as "deep friends". She later spoke of continuing to work with Meek in the band following the divorce: {{quote|"It's felt sustainable because there's an extraordinary amount of love. Bucky and I are like family and we fell in love, we were together for seven years. We got married, we got a divorce, all while still being on tour. We figured out our way through it day by day. I know that for all of us, it's not about maintaining a career or about continuing to have income. What I really have that doesn't come and go is my love for the craft and for my loved ones. Those are the things I need to nurture first and foremost..."{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Cat |date=2024-03-22 |title=Adrianne Lenker Wants You to Cherish Your Heartbreak |url=https://www.thecut.com/article/adrianne-lenker-bright-future-album-interview.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Cut |language=en}}}}

In 2019, Lenker was in a relationship with the artist Indigo Sparke, and the two separated sometime in 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-big-thief-20190501-story.html|title=Big Thief's exploratory folk is alternately intimate and expansive on 'U.F.O.F.'|first=Eve|last=Barlow|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 1, 2019|accessdate=November 13, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Boilen |first1=Bob |title=Indigo Sparke: Tiny Desk Concert |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/26/807856402/indigo-sparke-tiny-desk-concert |accessdate=October 15, 2020 |work=NPR |date=February 26, 2020}} In 2024, she announced her relationship with singer-songwriter Staci Foster.{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Steven |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Macie |date=July 1, 2024 |title=Adrianne Lenker shares intimate, raw performance at State Theatre |url=https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2024/07/01/adrianne-lenker-shares-intimate-raw-performance-at-state-theatre |access-date=February 15, 2025 |website=The Current}}{{Cite web |last=Riemenschneider |first=Chris |date=July 1, 2024 |title=Review: Smaller solo sound still earns a large reception for Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker |url=https://www.startribune.com/adrianne-lenker-solo-acoustic-concert-tour-minneapolis-state-theatre-big-thief-review/600377539 |access-date=February 15, 2025 |website=Minnesota Star Tribune}}

While Lenker is comfortable with the label "queer", she has expressed a desire not to define her sexual orientation beyond that. Her lyrics often contain discussions of gender and the gender binary. In an interview with The Brag, Lenker said of those lyrics, "I feel within myself a constant dialogue between my masculinity, my femininity and the part of me that is neither of those things. I'm just trying to talk about it because I feel like I'm something that is very ambiguous."{{cite web |last1=Quinn |first1=Belinda |title=With Capacity, Adrianne Lenker is challenging what it means to be human |url=https://thebrag.com/big-thief-capacity-album/ |website=The Brag |access-date=May 3, 2022 |date=August 1, 2018}}

Lenker enjoys visiting breakfast diners and swimming holes while on tour.{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Cat |date=March 22, 2024 |title=Adrianne Lenker Wants You to Cherish Your Heartbreak |url=https://www.thecut.com/article/adrianne-lenker-bright-future-album-interview.html |access-date=October 2, 2024 |website=The Cut |language=en}}

{{see also|Big Thief discography}}

{{Infobox artist discography

| Artist = Adrianne Lenker

| Studio = 5

| EP = 3

| Compilation = 1

| Live = 1

| Singles = 1

}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JimMROaBxQ Interview with Adrianne Lenker in 2019] at FaceCulture, via YouTube.

{{Adrianne Lenker}}

{{Big Thief}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenker, Adrianne}}

Category:Musicians from Indianapolis

Category:Living people

Category:American women singer-songwriters

Category:4AD artists

Category:Saddle Creek Records artists

Category:Berklee College of Music alumni

Category:American LGBTQ musicians

Category:American queer women

Category:1991 births

Category:Big Thief members

Category:Singer-songwriters from Indiana

Category:Singer-songwriters from Minnesota

Category:LGBTQ people from Indiana

Category:LGBTQ people from Minnesota

Category:American LGBTQ singers

Category:American women rock singers

Category:American women folk singers

Category:LGBTQ women singers