Englenz attributes her melodies to be partially inspired by the natural world.
“I don't know why a certain chord progression makes us want to cry or to laugh,” says Englenz. “If we figured that out, we would probably understand birds and nature much better!”
Englenz’s debut album, ingénue, was recorded in Nashville by three-time Grammy nominee and producer Ken Coomer, former drummer for Wilco. It includes a collaboration with five-time Grammy winning gospel legends, The Blind Boys of Alabama, recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.
The album explores themes of vulnerability, betrayal and hope. Englenz cries out to the lonely and the lost, opening portals for the passage of grief as well as reassurances that we are not alone.
“Sometimes it can feel like you're damaged, defective, not worth being seen,” she says. “We all have these stories.”