Australian folk singer Leah Senior performs at Judsons Live with Kairos Creature Club | Orlando

Smooth vocals, rich acoustic guitar chords and introspective lyrics come to Orlando from across the Pacific this week with the arrival of Australian indie folk singer Leah Senior.

Senior is co-headlining with the Kairos Creature Club at the Dr. Phillips Center on Friday. She will perform on the venue’s new cabaret stage, Judson’s Live, an eclectic new musical chapter in the life of this normally jazz-focused venue.

The singer-songwriter toured the U.S. solo last year and opened for rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard in 2022. However, this will be Senior’s first trip to Florida, where she will play four consecutive shows in Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Gainesville.

Senior loves playing for the US audience, and she can count on the crowd to be just as energetic and supportive during her performances.

“I think that’s why we keep coming back, because the Americans are good fans,” says Senior.

Senior’s Florida stops are part of an extensive, summer-long U.S. tour that kicked off in Chicago on June 15. Half of the 18 tour dates, including the Orlando stop, will be with psychedelic Sunshine State rock group Kairos Creature Club.

An Australian folk singer and a psychedelic band from Florida might seem like an unlikely pairing, but Senior is excited to have a connection to the Florida music scene through Kairos. The seeds of this touring collaboration first sprouted when Senior met KCC co-founder Lena Simon at an Australian music festival.

“Being with someone else, whether it’s good or bad, just creates a good camaraderie,” says Senior.

Senior describes herself as “a lyric guy” who draws inspiration from folk legends like Joni Mitchell and Bridget St. John to craft her own stripped-down musical style. On her latest album, 2023’s The music I make Senior sings about topics ranging from the passage of time to dealing with musical criticism.

Since his debut in 2015, Senior has considered songwriting as more than Only an emotional release or an outlet.

Instead, she enjoys the freedom to draw from a larger, sometimes more playful pool of resources.

“I used to feel so much and then I had to sing or write about it,” she says. “Now that I’m getting older, it almost seems like I use music and a song to figure out what I’m feeling… when I’m deaf, music is the way to release my feelings.”

Senior’s touring schedule requires a break from songwriting while she travels around the US, but since her last release she has already started work on two more albums at home in Australia.

An album will be similar to the guitar-focused, introspective The music I make. The other will be more like their 2020 album, The temporary scene – more pop-inspired, lively and with more piano emphasis.

Senior plans to mix material from The music I make alongside deeper cuts based on audience requests for her setlists during this tour. She is always happy to meet U.S. fans who know her music.

“Every night there’s a small group of people who already know us, which is really cool for us,” says Senior. “For me, coming from Australia, it’s something really special and cool to have people who have followed the different albums.”

Senior will perform on this tour alongside her partner and fellow musician Jesse Williams. Instead of staying in motels and eating at rest stops, the duo will spend much of the trip camping across the United States.

Waking up in nature and preparing meals on a camp stove has improved Senior’s mental health on tour. In light of her new way of traveling, she has already had several adventures – including staying in a nearly abandoned mansion at the invitation of another band.

Aside from potential adventures in the haunted house, Senior says the best part of touring is interacting with other musicians – and with the communities she plays for.

“My favorite shows are the ones where you feel like there’s a strong community around the music or a strong culture, and you get a little window,” says Senior. “It’s like a little portal.”

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