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Interview: The Complexities of NEeMA

Jacob Morris — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:21:39 +0000

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NEeMA is a musician that definitely brings something special to the industry. This Canadian artist is much more complex than your everyday pop sensation. Her album “Watching You Think” dropped in June of this year, and if you haven’t heard it yet, you should definitely give it a listen. The comforting melodies and sincere lyrics fill the entire record and without doubt this is a collection of music that should be applauded.

I caught up with NEeMA over the phone in her hometown of Montreal while she had a couple of days off from her cross-Canada summer tour. She was happy to be home and able to spend some time with her dog Elsa, whom a track off “Watching You Think” is even named after.

While talking with NEeMA, it became clear that she’s more than just someone making music; she’s on a journey of self discovery and has chosen to share her stories with the help of her musical talents. Between traveling the world, spending time with an isolated First Nation community in the deep north of Canada, and studying the complexities of relationships and love, it’s no question that NEeMA definitely has stories to tell.

“I find being on the road a really great way to write,” she says. “Writing for me is like a kind of meditation exercise.”

NEeMA is also more than just a skilled lyricist; she’s also quite the poet—something that comes through in her music. She told me that writing is essentially how she studies the world, and her findings are clearly found in each of her songs.

“It’s like I get these really strong feelings about something,” she says, “but, you know, it’s hard sometimes to figure out what those feelings are about, you just kind of are filled with emotion or something, and then writing becomes like a process of untangling those deep feelings for me.”

“I write to try to get to the root of things; like to try to really get to the core of something. To try to untangle what’s there,” she said, “it’s all the things that move me; all those exterior things that make a strong internal movement in myself, I then try to explore what those things are.”

NEeMA’s music is far more complex the sort of over-commercialized pop that seems to dominate the musical landscape these days and it’s clear that she brings something unique to the industry. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that NEeMA had multiple answers—most of which seemed to relate quite well to the complexities of life—when I asked her what is behind her music.

“My own questioning, my spiritual search,” she told me. “I love meeting people, I love culture,” continuing, “all those things inspire my music somehow.”

Inspiration is one thing, but putting it all together and creating a piece of music is another, but NEeMA has that covered too. She has also worked with some very well-known names in the industry; “Watching You Think” was produced with the help of Leonard Cohen and Pierre Marchand.

Commenting on working with the two big names, NEeMA told me, “It was inspiring, it was incredibly educative, and on so many levels, I mean just to watch how they work, to see how they live, it was a real blessing.”

NEeMA is truly a wonderful Canadian artist and has so much to offer the world of music with her ability to deconstruct the complexities of life in ways which put your mind at ease, if just for the duration of the album. Definitely give her music a listen if you have the opportunity!

Leonard Cohen Faints On Stage

Vanessa Baker — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:38:35 +0000

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Canadian singer Leonard Cohen collapsed on stage while on tour in Spain, reports CBC. A statement released by Doctor Music Records Saturday morning said he was released from the hospital after suffering stomach problems.

Cohen reportedly kneeled several times during his song Bird on a Wire before falling over sideways during Friday’s show in Valencia. A band member said the singer, who turns 75 on Sept. 21, had experienced stomach cramps and vomiting.

The final show of his Spanish tour is scheduled to be in Barcelona on Monday. A spokesman for the Palau Sant Jordi concert hall, which will host the concert, said trucks with Cohen’s stage set arrived Saturday and will be set up as planned. Following that show, his next performance is Oct. 17 in Sunrise, Florida.

Leonard Cohen Donates To Australian Bushfire Victims

Eva Lam — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:25:32 +0000

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Leonard Cohen, who spent the past two weeks playing the Australian leg of his world tour, is giving a helping hand to those affected by the country’s bushfire disaster.

The music veteran, along with tourmate singer/songwriter Paul Kelly, concert promotion company AEGLive UK and the Frontier Touring Company, will donate $200,000 Australian (about $162,000 Canadian) to help the victims.

“Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires,” says tour promoter Michael Gudinski.

“Leonard, Paul, their touring parties and everyone at AEGLive UK and the Frontier Touring Company wish to extend their heartfelt sympathies to those that have suffered the loss of loved ones or their homes through this terrible tragedy.”

Cohen played the last of his scheduled Australian shows in Melbourne on Tueday. The city is located just south of where most of the damage from the fires has occurred.

At least 180 lives have been lost, with the number expected to rise, since several bushfires ignited in Victoria on Saturday. As well, 900 homes have been destroyed, leaving more than 5,000 people homeless.

Leonard Cohen Gets Much Love On New Tour

andPOP Staff — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:46:22 +0000

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After the response he received on Sunday night, Leonard Cohen might be wondering why he ever quite touring.

Cohen was greeted with several standing ovations throughout the evening in Fredericton, the CBC reports. The show was his first on the tour – his first in over 15 years.

During the 2.5 hour show, Cohen delivered hits like “Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, Bird on the Wire and Ain’t No Cure For Love”. He even sang the oft-covered “Hallelujah”.

The 73-year old admitted on stage that he had been nervous for the performance, but judging by the audience’s response, he needn’t have been.

Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March.

Leonard Cohen Adds Two Shows

andPOP Staff — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:14:58 +0000

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Leonard Cohen has added two more concerts to his cross country tour in Halifax, cbc.ca reports.

Due to fan demand it was announced today that Cohen will also play Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on May 15 and at the Savoy Theatre on May 21 in Glace Bay.

Cohen fans camped out on Wednesday in hopes of getting tickets to the first two shows in Halifax on March 12 and 13.

Tickets for the original shows sold out in less than an hour.

Leonard Cohen Readies First Tour In 15 Years

Eva Lam — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:34:46 +0000

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Fresh off his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Montreal-born singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has announced details for a world tour — his first time out on the road in 15 years.

The tour will kick off June 6 and 7 in Toronto, which Cohen’s website credits as “the city that gave birth to his career as a recording and literary artist.”

He will also play three shows at the Montreal Jazz Festival in June, before he heads across the pond for several European gigs including Glastonbury and the Big Chill in the U.K., as well as the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

The 73-year-old musician was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on March 10 along with Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Ventures and The Dave Clark Five.

Cohen released his most recent album, “Dear Heather,” in 2004. In recent years, he has also come out with a book of writings and sketches, “Book of Longing,” and is working on a new musical project with composer Philip Glass.

Here are Leonard Cohen’s Canadian tour dates (more may be pending):
? June 6 Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
? June 7 Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
? June 23 Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival, Place Des Arts
? June 24 Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival, Place Des Arts
? June 25 Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival, Place Des Arts

Leonard Cohen Inducted to the Hall of Fame

andPOP Staff — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:48:46 +0000

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Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, and the 73-year-old singer said that he had never let himself imagine receiving the honour.

“This is a very unlikely occasion for me,” he said in his acceptance speech. “It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about.”

Lou Reed read a selection of the former poet’s work at the ceremony, and said simply in his own words, “We’re so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is.”

During his stunning career, Cohen wrote such songs as Suzanne, First We Take Manhattan and Hallelujah.

He was born in Montreal.

Leonard Cohen Bound For U.S. Rock Hall Of Fame

Eva Lam — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:00:59 +0000

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Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland next year.

The iconic Montrealer was announced as a 2008 inductee Thursday along with Madonna, singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, British group The David Clark Five and ’60s instrumental rock band The Ventures.

The five were selected by a panel of 600 industry figures. Artists must have issued their first single or album at least 25 years ago before they are eligible for nomination to the Hall of Fame.

The induction is the latest honour for Cohen, 73, who was named to Canada’s Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.

Cohen, known for classic songs like “Suzanne” and the oft-covered “Hallelujah,” is also the author of numerous books of poetry and a novel, “The Beautiful Losers.”

He released his first book of poetry in 22 years, “Book of Longing,” in 2006. That year also saw the release of Anjani Thomas’ “Blue Alert,” for which Cohen co-wrote songs and collaborated.

Cohen and company will be inducted March 10 in New York.

Prince Charles Loves Leonard Cohen

andPOP Staff — Fri, 19 May 2006 12:26:38 +0000

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Prince Charles had admitted to being a big fan of Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. In an interview set to air Sunday on Britain?s ITV1, Charles and his two sons, William and Harry, chat about their tastes in music.

?I tell you who I also think is wonderful is a chap called Leonard Cohen, do you know him?? he asked in the interview. ?He’s remarkable. I mean the orchestration is fantastic and the words, the lyrics and everything. He’s a remarkable man, and he has this incredibly sort of laid back gravelly voice. It’s terrific stuff.?

It?s the second time Cohen?s made headlines this month. On May 13, he played a well-received free concert in downtown Toronto. The outdoor show, which also featured performances by Ron Sexsmith and members of the Barenaked Ladies, was in support of Cohen?s new collection of poetry, ?Book of Longing.?