Jenny Lewis

Born on January 8th 1976, Lewis started her professional career as an actress - her first role was in a Jell-O commercial! She went on to act in small roles on TV shows including Baywatch and The Golden Girls, and starred in many made-for-TV teen movies. Deciding that music was her true passion, Lewis formed indie band Rilo Kiley in 1998 with her friends Pierre De Reeder, Dave Rock and Blake Sennett. The band gained the attention of Warner Bros records who signed them for the release of their debut album “More Adventurous”, which was released in 2004. One of the more well-known songs on the album is “Portions for Foxes” which was a big hit for the band. Rilo Kiley’s second album “Under the Blacklight” was released in 2007, however four years later in July 2011, the band announced their split.

Lewis had been working on solo material whilst she was in Rilo Kiley and in 2004 she was invited by Conor Oberst (of the band Bright Eyes) to record a solo album on his record label Team Love. Her debut solo album “Rabbit Fur Coat” was released in January 2006 and showcased a different kind of sound for Lewis – she described the album herself as “a kind of soul record”. The album featured many guest appearances and contributions from other musicians, including Oberst, M Ward, James Valentine (guitarist of Maroon 5) and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

Lewis also collaborated with The Watson Twins, who provided accompaniment and toured with Lewis in support of her album three times in 2006. The twins also appeared with her band on several live TV appearances, including Late Show with David Letterman and Later with Jools Holland. Lewis’ second album “Acid Tongue” (released in 2008) was however Watson Twin-free.

Lewis’ third album “The Voyager” was released in 2014. The album took five years to complete and is a personal reflection on the break up Rilo Kiley and her father’s death. The lead single from the album “Just One of the Guys” was accompanied by a star-studded video, with appearances from Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, Brie Larson and Tennessee Thomas.

As well as performing in Rilo Kiley and as a solo artist, Lewis performs as part of a duo with her boyfriend Johnathan Rice, under the apt name of Jenny and Johnny. The pair released their first single together in 2010 entitled “Scissor Runner”, followed by their album “I’m Having Fun Now”.

Lewis has played at festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, the 2014 iTunes Festival in London and at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. She was also the supporting act for Snow Patrol in 2009, also appearing at V Festival in Australia that same year. One of her most notable collaborations is with Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) on his 2010 album “Flamingo”, where she lend her vocals on the song “Hard Enough”. Most recently in 2014, Lewis collaborated with Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend on an exclusive track for TV network HBO, to be used on the programme “Girls”. The track is titled “Completely Not Me” and was featured in the Season 3 premiere of the show. It’s safe to say that Jenny Lewis is one busy bee!