Camilla Sparksss, born Barbara Lehnhoff, is a Swiss-Canadian
electro noise pop musician and visual artist, also known for co-founding
the post-punk band Peter Kernel. She was born at -27 degrees
in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. And yes, her father flew a floatplane and
she had a pet bear as a child. Her music blends high-energy performances
with heavy beats pressed on dubplates, thick synths, and cutting
vocals.
Her debut album For You The Wild (2014) showcased 80s-inspired darkwave
and experimental sounds, earning her a spot opening for the
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion nel 2014. in 2014. Her second album,
Brutal (2019), pushed further into experimental genres, and Brutal
Remix (2020), featured remixes from artists like Fakear and Rebeka
Warrior. In 2023, she toured with Brutal as the opening act for A
Place to Bury Strangers across the UK and Europe.
In 2021, she worked with Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say
Yeah) and Eva Geist to compose a one-hour live performance for
Ypsigrock Festival in Sicily, later releasing a single entitled The Sound
of This Place in July 2022. That same year, she collaborated with director
Nicolas Stemann to compose music and perform live for the
theatre production Der Besuch der Alten Dame (2022), which toured across
Europe.
November 2022 saw the release of Sparksss & Mare, a collaboration
with Mike Mare (DALEK), that gave light to two singles, Drifting and
With My Heart In My Shoes I Turn To Goo.
In 2023, she released Lullabies, an audiovisual album with animated vinyl,
followed by a full-length remix album by William Basinski and
Gary Thomas Wright in 2025.
In 2025, her self-directed music video Watch Me won Best Swiss Music
Video 2025 at the Solothurn Film Festival, further establishing her
talent in visual storytelling.
With over 1000 live shows across Europe, North Africa, Canada, and
the US, she’s become a fixture in the international electronic and experimental
music scene.
Camilla Sparksss is set to release her new album ICU RUN in September
2025, an album about escape and refuge that will make you dance.