Mark Jacob Lenderman (born 1999), also known as Jake Lenderman and MJ Lenderman,[1][2] is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released multiple solo albums. He is a non-touring member of the alternative rock band Wednesday, with whom he has played with for several years. He also has played drums for Indigo De Souza. Lenderman's style has been described as alt-country, classic rock, and indie rock music.
Biography
Early life and education
Lenderman was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and grew up in a family of musicians. He started playing guitar around seven or eight years old.[3] His great-grandfather was saxophonist Charlie Ventura.[4] He was raised Catholic and was an altar boy.[4] He played basketball and obsessively watched tapes of Michael Jordan.[2] He grew up listening to Mark Linkous and Jason Molina.[2] In his junior and senior years of high school, he began posting his music to Bandcamp.[4] Lenderman studied at UNC Asheville for three semesters.[5]
Career
In 2018, Lenderman played the drums for fellow Asheville artist Indigo De Souza on her albums I Love My Mom and Any Shape You Take.[5] Lenderman met Karly Hartzman, lead singer for the group Wednesday, and he joined the band for an EP called How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn't Split Wide Open (2018).[1]
In July 2019, he released a self-titled album, his first solo album.[6] At that time, he was working in an ice cream shop to support himself financially.[7]
Lenderman toured with Wednesday in early February 2020, until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the tour.[5] During the COVID-19 pandemic, while collecting unemployment insurance, Lenderman wrote the songs that became the album Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, released in 2021.[8]
His third album Boat Songs was released in 2022 on Dear Life Records.[9] It was listed as one of the best albums of 2022 by Pitchfork, The A.V. Club, Rolling Stone, and The Ringer.[10][11][12][3] After the success of the album, Lenderman signed a recording contract with Anti-.[13] In 2023, he released the singles "Rudolph" and "Knockin'".[5]
Lenderman contributed guitar and vocals to the album Tiger's Blood by Waxahatchee, released in March 2024, and was listed as featured guest artist on the album's lead single, "Right Back To It". In March 2024, Lenderman performed "Right Back To It" with Waxahatchee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[14] Lenderman's next album, Manning Fireworks, was released in September 2024.[15]
Lenderman departed as a touring member of Wednesday in 2025. He stated that he still planned to record with the group.[16]
Critical reception
Critic Jeremy D. Larson, writing for Pitchfork, gave Lenderman's album Manning Fireworks an 8.7, calling it "witty and sincere, the mark of a songwriter finding his voice."[17]
Personal life
Lenderman was in a relationship with his Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman for six years.[1] In July 2024, The Guardian reported that the two had split.[18] In a February 2025 interview with GQ, Lenderman revealed that the two broke up in March 2024 while on tour in Tokyo and initially kept it a secret from other Wednesday members.[19]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| MJ Lenderman |
|
| Ghost of Your Guitar Solo |
|
| Boat Songs |
|
| And the Wind (Live and Loose!) |
|
| Manning Fireworks |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Credit | Details |
|---|---|---|
| How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn't Split Wide Open | MJ Lenderman & Wednesday |
|
| Faucet | Nash to Stoudemire1 |
|
| Lucky | MJ Lenderman |
|
| Guttering | MJ Lenderman & Wednesday |
|
| DLDRG 002 – Knockin' | MJ Lenderman |
|
1Lenderman and Karly Harztman
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US AAA | |||
| "Hangover Game"[21] | 2022 | — | Boat Songs |
| "TLC Cage Match"[21] | — | ||
| "Rudolph"[22] | 2023 | — | Manning Fireworks |
| "Knockin'"[22] | — | Non-album single | |
| "She's Leaving You" | 2024 | 23 | Manning Fireworks |
| "Wristwatch" | 2025 | 23 |
References
- ^ a b c Moreland, Quinn (25 January 2023). "Wednesday's Curdled Beauty". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b c Reisman, Will (October 20, 2022). "MJ Lenderman is a sports-obsessed folk singer on the rise". San Francisco Examiner.
- ^ a b Petrusich, Amanda (2024-08-29). "MJ Lenderman Keeps It Raw". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ a b c "MJ Lenderman Does Not Have Mamba Mentality". GQ. November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "MJ Lenderman Is Knockin' On Rock Stardom's Door". Stereogum. 2023-08-07.
- ^ "MJ LENDERMAN: S/T". MELTED. 2019-07-14.
- ^ ANTI-. "MJ Lenderman". Anti Records. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ "MJ LENDERMAN". Anti-.
- ^ "Boat Songs, by MJ Lenderman". Bandcamp.
- ^ "Here are the 30 best albums of 2022". The A.V. Club. 2022-12-12.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. 2022-12-06.
- ^ "The 33 Best Albums of 2022". The Ringer. 2022-12-06.
- ^ "MJ Lenderman signs to ANTI- RECORDS, drops new single "Rudolph"". WXPN. 2023-07-19.
- ^ "Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman Perform "Right Back to It" on Colbert: Watch". Pitchfork. March 27, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Matt (June 24, 2024). "MJ Lenderman Announces New Album Manning Fireworks". Paste.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (2025-02-21). "The MJ Lenderman Story You Haven't Heard". GQ. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ Larson, Jeremy D. "MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
- ^ D'Souza, Shaad (2024-07-09). "Pixar, Catholic shame, and urine-drinking podcast bros: the mixed-up rock of MJ Lenderman". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (2025-02-21). "The MJ Lenderman Story You Haven't Heard". GQ. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
- ^ "MJ Lenderman". Bandcamp.
- ^ a b "Wednesday's MJ Lenderman Shares New Solo Single "TLC Cage Match": Listen". Stereogum. 2022-03-16.
- ^ a b "MJ Lenderman channels his inner Bob Dylan on "Knockin"". The Fader. August 7, 2023.