Adrianne Lenker has had a busy 2024. She released the album Bright Future, went on a solo tour, and debuted a new Big Thief lineup. Lenker isn’t done with this year yet, though, as her song “Feel Better” was just unveiled with the release of Transa, a new compilation album.
Beyond Lenker, Transa also includes tracks from André 3000, Bartees Strange, Clairo, Faye Webster, Fleet Foxes, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Julien Baker, Moses Sumney, Perfume Genius, Sam Smith, Sharon Van Etten, and Yaeji. In all, the project boasts 46 tracks.
Of the project, Red Hot’s Dust Reid explains that the seeds for it were planted after Sophie’s death in 2021:
“We started talking about all the gifts that trans artists have been giving to the world, and wanted to create a Red Hot project that centered and celebrated those gifts. We hoped to create a narrative that positions trans and non-binary people as leaders in our society insofar as the deep inner work they do to affirm who they are in our current climate. We felt this is something everybody should do. Whether you identify as trans or non-binary or otherwise, if you took the time to explore your gender, get in touch with the feeling side of yourself, maybe we would have a future oriented around values of community, collaboration, care, and healing. […]
One thing trans people do all the time is turn grief into possibility. Living under the ongoing Western binary system, trans people reveal maps of possibility for everyone. It’s something that we can all learn from – expanding the possibility of human life.”
Listen to “Feel Better” above.
Transa is out now via Red Hot. Find more information here.