Australian folk visionary Leah Senior has joined the roster of Third Eye Stimuli Records and unveiled her new single ‘People Pleaser’, marking the start of a new creative chapter for one of Australia’s most enchanting songwriters. The release follows her acclaimed 2023 album The Music That I Make, which cemented Senior’s reputation as one of the country’s most authentic and original voices in modern folk.
Leah Senior’s career has been built on timeless songwriting, evocative storytelling and a voice that can hush a room. With The Music That I Make, released through Poison City Records, Senior found widespread recognition, earning Best Regional Act at the Music Victoria Awards and airplay across Triple R, Double J and ABC Radio. Her intimate lyricism and natural connection to her audience have long drawn comparisons to the ethereal clarity of Sandy Denny and the pastoral tenderness of Vashti Bunyan, but with ‘People Pleaser’, she pushes her sound into fresh terrain.
The new single, her first release through Third Eye Stimuli Records, is a hypnotic, slow-burning reflection on autonomy and self-worth. Built around droning guitars and sparse percussion, ‘People Pleaser’ captures the tension between vulnerability and strength. Its opening line, “People pleaser, don’t give up you dreamer,” sets the tone for a song that invites the listener to turn inward, away from the demands of the outside world.
Senior wrote ‘People Pleaser’ during an online songwriting workshop with Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, experimenting with unusual tunings suggested during the course. “The song was written very quickly,” Leah explains. “I was playing around with a droney tuning, DADF#GG, which gave the guitar a loose, meditative quality. Jesse [Williams, guitarist and producer] came up with a semi-Ostrich tuning inspired by Lou Reed, which added this bitey, tremolo edge.”
Recorded in the couple’s makeshift studio in Torquay, ‘People Pleaser’ reveals a more immediate and raw side of Leah Senior. “I had been thinking a lot about how creative people need to choose how to spend their time before somebody else chooses for them,” she says. “I’d also been listening to an audiobook about how excessive people-pleasing can actually make you sick – it’s about reclaiming your sense of purpose.”
The song also reflects Senior’s growing advocacy for artist independence. In early 2025, she made international headlines as the first Australian artist to pull her entire catalogue from Spotify, citing concerns over the company’s investment links to defence industries. The move ignited global discussion around the ethics of streaming platforms and the importance of community-driven support for independent musicians.
Her new label home, Third Eye Stimuli Records, feels like a natural fit. The Sydney-based independent label has become a home for artists blending folk, psychedelia and alternative country, with a roster that includes Winter McQuinn, Hot Apple Band and GIMMY.
Label manager Josh White said, “I’m a long-time fan of Leah’s music and have huge respect for her artistry. It’s an honour to have her join the family – it feels like a perfect match.”
To celebrate the release of ‘People Pleaser’, Leah Senior will perform a special headline show at Bell City Takeaway, Melbourne/Naarm on Sunday 23 November 2025. This performance will serve as her final Australian appearance for the year before she returns to the studio to complete new recordings.
The release caps off an intense period of touring for Senior, who recently completed a 22-date US tour with cult American songwriter Simon Joyner, and joined Californian act Sylvie on their current Australian run. Her live performances remain one of her greatest strengths – a masterclass in quiet power and lyrical intimacy.
Since her 2015 debut Summer’s On The Ground on Flightless Records, Leah Senior has steadily carved her space as one of Australia’s defining folk voices. Her early collaborations with King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard led to a creative partnership that included narrating “Dawn Of Eternal Night” on their 2023 album PetroDragonic Apocalypse. Her later records – Pretty Faces (2017), The Passing Scene (2020) and The Music That I Make (2023) – showcase an artist constantly evolving yet always grounded in her poetic sensibility.
From performing at Levitation, Desert Daze, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Golden Plains, to being named Poet in Residence for ABC Radio National’s Poetry Month, Leah Senior’s artistry continues to grow in both depth and reach. ‘People Pleaser’ is another step forward – a song that captures the essence of self-reflection and creative courage that has defined her remarkable career.
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