Lenka

Lenka Eden Kripac was born on March 19, 1978, in Bega, New South Wales, Australia, to a Czechoslovak jazz trumpet musician and an Australian schoolteacher. She spent her early childhood in Bega before moving to Sydney at age seven, where she began her training in acting and music. As a teenager, Lenka studied at the Australian Theatre for Young People alongside actress Cate Blanchett. Her early career involved significant work as a theatre actress, and she also starred as Vesna Kapek in the ABC-TV drama series “GP” in the 1990s. Lenka further expanded her television presence by hosting “Cheez TV” and making guest appearances in Australian TV series such as “Home and Away,” “Wildside,” “Head Start,” and “Spellbinder.” She also featured in Australian films “The Dish” and “Lost Things.”

From 2004 to 2005, Lenka was a member of the Australian electronic-rock band Decoder Ring, contributing to two of their albums and providing vocals for two tracks on Paul Mac’s 2005 album “Panic Room.” In 2007, she relocated to California and, adopting her first name as her artistic moniker, released her self-titled debut album on September 24, 2008. The lead single, “The Show,” gained widespread recognition by being featured in advertisements for Old Navy, the Nickelodeon film “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging,” and the 2011 film “Moneyball.” The album itself reached number 142 on the US Billboard 200. Her 2012 song “Everything at Once” achieved global success after being used in a Windows 8 television advertisement and a Disney Studio All Access commercial. Lenka, collaborating with her husband James Gulliver Hancock, developed a distinctive visual style for her music videos, incorporating paper art stop-motion animation.

Lenka continued her musical output with her second album, “Two,” in 2011, which was noted for its romantic themes following her engagement. The album reached peak chart positions in Belgium and Switzerland. Subsequent releases include “Shadows” in 2013, released after the birth of her son, and “The Bright Side” in 2015, which featured the popular single “Blue Skies.” A remixed version of “Blue Skies” accumulated over 30 million views on YouTube. Her fifth studio album, “Attune,” was released in 2017 and included a collaboration with Sally Seltmann on the track “Heal.” In 2023, Lenka released her sixth studio album, “Intraspectral,” and announced the Magenta Tour for 2025, starting in China. She began working on her seventh studio album in July 2025.