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Australian singer Lenka will perform at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Sunday.
/ Courtesy of organizers
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter
Indie rock groups will dominate the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival this weekend, but up-and-coming Australian singer Lenka will bring her brand of fun pop music to lighten things up.
Lenka has been attracting attention for her debut album ``The Show,'' and perky, cheerful songs that have been featured on U.S. shows like ``Ugly Betty,'' ``90210'' and ``Grey's Anatomy.''
In an email interview with The Korea Times, Lenka said she loved having her songs appear on her favorite television shows.
``I love it! Especially `Ugly Betty' because I'm a huge fan. Having been an actress, I really get a kick out of my music being used to enhance the emotions of a scene,'' she said.
The pretty 30-year old singer used to be an actress in TV and film back in Australia, and was also the host of a children's morning program Cheez TV. She was also a member of electronic-rock band Decoder Ring, appearing on two of their albums.
``I was an actress all through school and for a few years afterwards, and I loved it, but I had an urge to do something where I had more creative control. I tried visual art and then realized that singing was the perfect career where the entire project was in my creative control. And I still get to perform so it's kind of like acting,'' she said. In 2007, Lenka packed her bags in Sydney and moved to Los Angeles to start a music career. Last year, she released her debut album, filled with optimistic and fun pop songs and thoughtful ballads.
Lenka, who writes her own lyrics, says the songs deal with her own personal experiences and ``feelings of trying to figure life out.''
``Usually I write (songs) when I'm a bad mood of some kind, sad or angry or confused. Also observing my friends and what they're going through can be inspiring. Sometimes it's just quite simply a melody that won't leave me alone and I have to get it out,'' Lenka said.
One of the most popular songs off her album is ``The Show,'' co-written with American singer-songwriter Jason Reeves.
``It was really fun writing with Jason. We'd never met, so we were trying to get to know each other while we wrote that song, and we both happened to be in this mood where we felt our lives were crazy and out of control. So we came up with the metaphor that life is like a show. The whole song was written in an hour and a half! My quickest ever,'' she said.
The quirky music video for ``The Show,'' which shows Lenka flying around, also helped bring her to the spotlight. ``The concept was written by the director, Moh Azima, and we worked on it together too. It's supposed to be the `invisible hand of fate.' I just loved that interpretation of the song. I was really excited about doing the harness work because I love flying and acrobatic stuff. But, it was actually quite challenging and painful hanging in that harness for 3 days,'' she revealed.
Lenka is excited about performing for the first time in Korea at Pentaport on Sunday. ``We really try to bring to life the energy of the album. It's probably more energetic at times actually! I also get into decorating the stage like a kids' play. We have fun with it,'' she said.
Other acts at the Pentaport, which runs from Friday through Sunday, include Deftones, Galaxy Express, NoBrain, Cocore and Sogyumo Acacia Band.
Tickets are 50,000 won for a one-day pass, 70,000 won for a two-day pass and 90,000 won for a three-day pass. For English and Japanese booking, call (02) 783-0114. Visit http://ticket.interpark.com or www.pentaportrock.com.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
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