Biography
Who is Paz Lenchantin?
Early life and background
Paz Lenchantin was born on December 12, 1973, in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1979 when she was a child. Showing an early interest in music, she began playing the piano at the age of five. She then took up the violin when she turned eight and taught herself how to play the guitar by the time she was twelve years old.
Before achieving widespread fame in the alternative rock scene, she worked in various music roles during the 1990s. She taught piano lessons, programmed music for video games, and composed sound for the Sci Fi Channel. She also collaborated frequently with her brother Luciano Lenchantin prior to his passing in 2003.
Musical career and major bands
Paz joined Billy Howerdel, Josh Freese, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Maynard James Keenan in the band A Perfect Circle. She contributed bass and string arrangements to their studio albums Mer de Noms and Thirteenth Step. She later departed from the group to join Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, Matt Sweeney, and David Pajo in the short lived band Zwan, where she played bass and sang backing vocals.
In 2002, she formed an all female supergroup called the Chelsea alongside Melissa Auf der Maur, Samantha Maloney, and Radio Sloan. The group performed a single live show before disbanding. She later returned to A Perfect Circle to contribute piano and strings to their cover album Emotive, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.
Work with the Pixies and solo projects
In December 2013, Paz was announced as the new touring bassist for the Pixies to replace Kim Shattuck and founding member Kim Deal. She officially confirmed her status as a full time member of the band in July 2016. During her tenure, she recorded bass, keyboards, and backing vocals on albums such as Head Carrier, Beneath the Eyrie, and Doggerel.
She left the Pixies in March 2024 to focus on her personal projects. Following her departure, she spent time in Petatlan, Mexico, writing material for her solo album Triste. She announced the record in August 2025 alongside its lead single, Hang Tough. The twelve track album was released through her own label, Hideous Human Records, featuring instrumentation she mostly performed herself alongside guests like Josh Freese and Troy Van Leeuwen.
Extensive collaborations and guest appearances
Aside from her main band commitments, Paz has contributed instrumentation to numerous other musical acts. She played strings on the Queens of the Stone Age album Songs for the Deaf and provided fiddle for the Silver Jews record Tanglewood Numbers. She also recorded violin for Jenny Lewis and performed bass on the self titled album by Brightblack Morning Light.
Her studio credits extend to projects with David Pajo in Papa M, Jarboe of Swans, Trust Company, and Melissa Auf der Maur. She additionally worked with director Michael Mann by contributing violin pieces for several scenes in the film Miami Vice. Consequence later named her the seventy fifth greatest bass guitarist of all time.
Birthday and age
Paz Lenchantin was born on December 12, 1973, which makes Paz 52 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Paz shares the date with 43 other famous people.
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