Lenka, the iconic indie pop sensation from Australia, is thrilled to commemorate the 15th anniversary of her hit song “The Show,” which has garnered over 73 million views on YouTube. This track has not only stood the test of time but also received a recent makeover by Danielle from the K-pop sensation NewJeans, who performed a captivating rendition on a popular Korean TV show.
Following a series of sold-out shows in Indonesia and China, where she mesmerized audiences of up to 2000 fans every night, Lenka played an intimate show at New York’s City Winery this past weekend, and will perform in Los Angeles this Sunday, October 8th. It’s worth noting that official sources have hailed Lenka as the first major Australian touring artist to grace China’s stages since the easing of COVID restrictions, marking a significant milestone in her illustrious career.
Today, Lenka shares her second album single “Champion,” ahead of her 7th studio album Intraspectral, penned for release on Friday, November 17 via her own label Skipalong Records; this time enlisting good friend Josh Pyke to co-write and perform on “Champion.” Produced and mixed by Dave Jenkins Jr, it’s a song about robust love; freeing love; and love that props you up to go and do your own thing, and have your own successes and adventures without a partner coveting those experiences.
“Working with Josh was literally a laugh a minute. I’m so glad we finally got to work together. We’ve known each other for years and years and he’s also in a healthy long term partnership. Might not be the coolest subject to write a pop song about but I feel like it’s worth immortalising these wins,” explains Lenka.
“I’ve known Lenka for years as a mate, but we’d never worked together, so when we eventually got together in my studio to write we already had a foundation of friendship to start from, and the song flowed really freely. We also wanted to write an earworm that won’t leave your brain, and I think we achieved both things,” says Josh Pyke.
The “Champion” video is directed by Lenka, with camera work by Adam Jordan, a simple concept with a super stripped back performances and illustrated animations created by Lenka‘s partner James Gulliver Hancock to show,“We don’t need to prove our love. To me, this song lives in a world with ‘Islands In The Stream’ and ‘Put a Little Love in Your Heart’, so Josh and I are like the Ma and Pa of the internet now…”
Watch the ‘Champion’ video HERE.
“When it came time to do a clip for this track, I’m not much of a dancing guy, whereas Lenka’s great at working the camera, and a playful chemistry emerged where I was the straight man to Lenka’ Liberace, although I did manage some shoulder pop flair and hand flinging at the end. It’s worth the wait,” adds Pyke.
Instraspectral is Lenka‘s first full-length album since the release of Recover/Discover in 2020 and is an album collaborations and exploration across multiple varied mood-lifting genres. A collection of songs came out as emergence album; introspective with themes of emerging out into the world and taking a bigger slice of life to enjoy, Dave Jenkins Jr produced the album in Eora/Sydney over 2022 and 2023. Lenka and Dave went on a musical journey through the 80s, late 90s and early 2000s music with indie pop influences, and emerged creating higher energy songs with danceable beats of varying genres, “I love being in the studio and leaning into various vintage styles to create something new. I’m so proud of the way this album turned out. It’s very special to me and I feel really connected to these songs.”
“Champion” out Friday, October 6 – Link: https://lenka.lnk.to/BCE8yJ
Intraspectral out Friday, November 17 via Skipalong Records
Intraspectral Track Listing
1. The Entire Spectrum
2. Champion
3. Cabin In The Woods
4. Silhouette
5. Real Real Love
6. Okay
7. One Moment
8. Badly
9. Unsaid
10. Hanging Tough
11. Ultraviolet