Karly Hartzman

Karly Hartzman
BornNovember 1996 (age 29)
Greensboro, North Carolina
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Asheville
Websiteprisondivorcebombshell.com

Karly Hartzman (born 1996) is an American songwriter and musician, best known as the leader of the band Wednesday.

Early life

Hartzman was born in November 1996 in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1][2][3] Her mother is a social worker for adolescent mothers who worked at the local YWCA and her father, George, is a financial advisor.[4][5][6] She has an older sister.[7] She was involved in musical theater as a child.[8]

While in college at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she studied photography, Hartzman taught herself how to play guitar.[9]

Career

Hartzman started Wednesday as a solo project in 2017.[10] The first Wednesday album, titled yep definitely, was released in January 2018. It was recorded with Hartzman's college friend Daniel Gorham, who would become the second member of the band, before leaving to become a member of the band Prince Daddy & the Hyena.[11]

In 2018, she became a member of band Diva Sweetly, a spin-off of band Pictures of Vernon. Diva Sweetly released one album, In The Living Room, in 2019.[12]

Soon after, Hartzman welcomed friends from the Asheville music scene into the Wednesday project, hoping to create music that better aligned with her artistic vision than the work of Diva Sweetly.[13] The original line-up included Gorham and drummer Alan Miller; it later grew to include Jake Lenderman, Xandy Chelmis, and Margo Schultz.[14][15] As of 2026, Gorham and Schultz are no longer members, and Lenderman no longer tours with the band. Ethan Baechtold and Jake "Spyder" Pugh are now members of the band.[16]

With Wednesday, Hartzman has released six LPs and three EPs, as well as an Audiotree live album. In 2022, Wednesday signed to record label Dead Oceans.[17]

In 2025, Hartzman, dressed in a nun costume, sang backing vocals for the band Mannequin Pussy during their performance on the TV show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.[18]

In 2026, Hartzman featured on a Weezer single, "We Might As Well Be Strangers."[19]

Hartzman hosts a radio show on NTS called Prison Divorce Bombshell.[20] She runs a blog under the same name.[21]

Personal life

Hartzman is Jewish.[22][23]

She dated singer-songwriter Mark Jacob Lenderman for six years; they broke up while on tour in Tokyo in March 2024.[24] She and Lenderman lived together in Haw Creek, Asheville.[25] She has since relocated to her hometown of Greensboro.[26] She has a cat named GirlGirl.[27]

She cites the bands Palberta, Unwound, Swirlies, Drive-By Truckers, Mannequin Pussy, The Sundays, Gouge Away, Loudon Wainwright III, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and Richard Buckner, among others, as musical influences.[28][29][30] Her songwriting is influenced by authors including Lynda Barry, Richard Brautigan, and Mary Karr.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ "'You're lying if you don't acknowledge death': Wednesday's Karly Hartzman on the wild, dark stories in the year's best alt-rock album". The Guardian. 2025-06-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  2. ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; ClashMusic (2025-09-30). "The Way Love Goes: Wednesday's Karly Hartzman Interviewed | Features". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2026-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "blog". Karly's Lil Fucked Up Place!!!!. 2026-04-29. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  4. ^ West, Tori (2025-11-07). "Everyone is talking about Wednesday". BRICKS Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  5. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (2025-09-29). "Wednesday's Plan to Keep Southern Rock Weird". GQ. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  6. ^ Curto, Justin (2023-04-07). "Wednesday Can Find a Song Anywhere". Vulture. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  7. ^ Moreland, Quinn (2023-01-25). "Wednesday's Curdled Beauty". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  8. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (2025-09-29). "Wednesday's Plan to Keep Southern Rock Weird". GQ. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  9. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (2025-09-29). "Wednesday's Plan to Keep Southern Rock Weird". GQ. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  10. ^ "KARLY HARTZMAN OF WEDNESDAY". wanderer. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  11. ^ "Wednesday: The Best of What's Next". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  12. ^ "Wednesday: The Best of What's Next". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  13. ^ "Wednesday: The Best of What's Next". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  14. ^ dcobenour (2021-08-31). "Wednesday's Karly Hartzman • Off Shelf". Off Shelf. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  15. ^ "For Wednesday's Karly Hartzman, everything is stories | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  16. ^ West, Tori (2025-11-07). "Everyone is talking about Wednesday". BRICKS Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  17. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (2025-09-29). "Wednesday's Plan to Keep Southern Rock Weird". GQ. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  18. ^ Newman, Jason (2025-05-07). "John Mulaney Breaks Down the Music Powering 'Everybody's Live'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  19. ^ "Rivers Cuomo gets outshined on his own song by Karly Hartzman". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  20. ^ Radio, N. T. S. "Prison Divorce Bombshell w/ Karly Hartzman". NTS Radio. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  21. ^ "Karly's Lil Fucked Up Place!!!!". Karly's Lil Fucked Up Place!!!!. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  22. ^ Moss, Marissa R. (2025-09-29). "Wednesday's Plan to Keep Southern Rock Weird". GQ. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  23. ^ Moreland, Quinn (2023-01-25). "Wednesday's Curdled Beauty". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  24. ^ Hartzman, Karly (2025-10-08). "'I'm Poking Roadkill With a Stick. Making It Twitch.'". Vulture. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  25. ^ "'You're lying if you don't acknowledge death': Wednesday's Karly Hartzman on the wild, dark stories in the year's best alt-rock album". The Guardian. 2025-06-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  26. ^ "COVER STORY | Wednesday Rejoice In Their Sicko Acrobatics". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  27. ^ "KARLY HARTZMAN OF WEDNESDAY". wanderer. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  28. ^ "'You're lying if you don't acknowledge death': Wednesday's Karly Hartzman on the wild, dark stories in the year's best alt-rock album". The Guardian. 2025-06-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  29. ^ FM, CKUT 90 3. "Wednesday on a Friday: An Interview with Karly Hartzman". ckut.ca. Retrieved 2026-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Karly Hartzman on Wednesday getting heavier, 'Yep Definitely' years, biggest regrets, more". Chasing Sundays. 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  31. ^ "Karly Hartzman On How Loudon Wainwright III, Mary Karr, & Her Hometown Of Greensboro Inspired Wednesday's New Album Rat Saw God". stereogum.com. 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  32. ^ Barney, Justin (2021-09-22). "Wednesday's Karly Hartzman on dogs, dads, and how a flood in your front yard can give you perspective". Radio Milwaukee. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
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