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Adrianne Lenker is a singer/songwriter and lead vocals for the indie band, Big Thief (Lenker, Matt Oleartchik, Buck Meek, James Krivchenia) based out of Brooklyn. With Lenker at the helm on guitar and vocals, the quartet released two albums through Saddle Creek Records: Masterpiece (2016) and Capacity (2017). Lenker's first major solo album, abysskiss, was released in October 2018 also through Saddle Creek Records.

Early Life
On July 9, 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lenker was born into a self-ascribed religious cult. After moving fourteen times until age eight, Lenker's family eventually left the cult and settled in the Minnesotan suburbs. Lenker's father fervently supported her musical ambitions from an early age. She started guitar lessons with her father who taught her basic chords. Lenker began writing songs at age eight. Disillusioned by the public school system in the Minnesotan suburbs, Lenker quit school to focus on her musical career, receiving her GED at age sixteen. She studied music under tutors in Minnesota, often traveling long distances to receive top training. Accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Lenker completed her degree then moved to the Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn after graduating.

Career
Lenker began writing songs at age ten and performing at Minneapolis' Balls Cabaret at age twelve. Commencing a path towards childhood pop stardom, Lenker shifted course away from the pop spotlight to focus on folk music. Hours were the Birds, released in 2014 at age 21, was Lenker's debut solo album written while living in Brooklyn and working in high-end restaurants in the Upper East Side. Soon after, Lenker met up with musician Buck Meek, a fellow Berklee alum, and together they embarked on a musical project that became Big Thief. abysskiss, released in October 2018 by Saddle Creek, evokes love, solitude, and trauma while showcasing Lenker's melodic introspection and fingerpicking dexterity.

Style
Reminiscent of Elliott Smith-style melancholy, Lenker's expressive and, at times, playful lyrics initially mask the heartache and tragedy elicited through her sentimental songwriting. Lenker's storytelling lyrics shed insight into life's uncertainties and leave much for the listener to interpret. Inspired by her childhood events in Niwah, Minnesota, Big Thief's "Mythological Beauty" details Lenker's experience with trauma, lyrically centered on the gore when a railroad tie shattered her skull at age five. Lenker cites Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska as an influence for "Shark Smile," a sweet melody--with lyrics like "Evelyn's kiss was oxygen; I leaned over to take it in"--that takes a dark turn into a guardrail, ending in the death of a lover.

Personal Life
Lenker is a black belt in karate.