Feature: Leanne Tennant – Happiness is …

After a huge couple of years,  Leanne Tennant has released her long-awaited new album Happiness is….. The first four singles from the new album “Cherry Cola”, “Bring It All Back”, “Everspin” and “Till The Sun Dies” gained a wave of praise, including being added to Double J,  producers pick on BBC4zzz’s best new arrivals, and multiple spins on Triple J. Tennant was also featured on RAGE’S Wild Ones, nominated for the Grant McLennan Fellowship and is being played on all British Airways flights. 

Releasing her debut single “Gentle Annie” in 2016, Tennant’s first two records Pull Up Your Britches and Red Wine, Late Nights showcased her roots/indie-folk influence, recorded while living in Cairns surrounded by the depths of the rainforest and the azure glory of the reef. Tennant’s career soon flourished, exhibited through the abundance of awards which followed. Tennant is the recipient of three Queensland Music Awards in the ‘Blues & Roots’ category for previous tracks “Gentle Annie” and “Bearing the Crown”, and in the ‘Regional’ category for “Bring It All Back”. Tennant was also a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition in 2019.

After winning the prestigious Carol Lloyd Award in 2018, Tennant was given the opportunity to team up with Konstantin Kersting (Mallrat, The Belligerents, Tia Gostelow) which has allowed for the discovery of the new sound which can be heard on Happiness Is….. Ranging from the electronic-infused tracks “White Lines” and “Bring It All Back” to raw, stripped back tracks like the ode to music “Record Stores”, the new album is bound to connect on many different levels. Tennant explains “This new body of work is quite different to my previous stuff.  I’ve always written in a lot of different styles as I am a lover of all music, and hater of genres, so mixes of influences are always melding together in my work.  The songs for this record would not have fit with my previous work and therefore I have not had the luxury of giving them a shot and trying something out new.  I am super proud of how these songs have turned out and feel excited again to be trying something new.” 

Collaborating with a number of talented musicians on the new album, Happiness Is….. features Kram (Spiderbait), Travis Jenkins, Phil Roach, Yanto Browning, and Ed Ruben who all help contribute to a record that continues to deliver something new with each listen. “I feel this record is a pretty accurate reflection of my shifting moods.  I hope the listener feels that there is something in there for them and perhaps their own shifting moods.”

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