In an industry known for its ruthless search for the next big thing, Adrianne Lenker is in it for the long haul. The 32-year-old American musician speaks as though she is in the early stages of a marathon: she is a “craftsperson”, who wrote her first song aged eight, recorded her debut album at 13, and is now in the process of figuring things out. “I still consider myself a beginner,” she says. “I have so many years left to work on writing songs and work on my instrument, and the more refined I get, the more skilled I get.” Certain songs are described as “sturdy”: “I’ll probably be singing this when I’m 60, you know?”
But the pace she is going at is closer to a sprint. Lenker is the lead singer, primary songwriter and guitarist of acclaimed folk rock band Big Thief; their fifth album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, was a sprawling 20-track release described by the Observer as “wonderful… their most varied and expansive record to date”. She is about to release her fifth solo album, Bright Future, after 2020’s double offering Songs and Instrumentals. In addition, there have been compilations and several EPs put out with her ex-husband and current bandmate Buck Meek (more on which later).
