Leonard Cohen

Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and writer Leonard Norman Cohen was born on September 21, 1934, in Montreal. Despite being revered in the music scene, especially in alternative rock, with famous fans such as Bono (U2), Nick Cave, Michael Stipe ((R.E.M.) and Frank Black (Pixies), Leonard Cohen began to dedicate himself to music after the age of 30, when he was already known as a writer of poetry and novels, with his main influence being the Spanish poet and playwright García Lorca. 

In music, a career he pursued in parallel with his writing, he gained notoriety for his dark folk, for his very peculiar voice style (deep and almost spoken), with lyrics addressing themes such as prophecies, spirituality, sex, desolation and passions. 

Already living in the USA, Cohen released his first album - Songs of Leonard Cohen - in 1967. This debut album was well received by the public, especially in the United Kingdom, where it remained on the best-selling albums charts for over a year. Later, in 1971, film director Robert Altman used the tracks "Sisters of Mercy", "Winter Lady" and "The Stranger Song" on the soundtrack of the film "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". 

The next two albums - Songs from a Room (1969) and Songs of Love and Hate (1971) - were produced by producer Bob Johnston, known for his work with Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, among others. In 1974, the singer released the album New Skin for the Old Ceremony. The next album - Death of a Ladies' Man - was marked by disagreements between Cohen and Phil Spector, its producer. Cohen never hid his dissatisfaction with the final result of the album. 

After the album Recent Songs (1979), Leonard Cohen entered a period of seclusion, during which he dedicated himself to writing and Buddhism. He returned with a new album in 1984, when he released Various Positions, an album that features "Hallelujah", a song frequently covered by other artists, such as Jeff Buckley, who included it on his debut album, Grace (1994).

The 1988 album I'm Your Man was one of the artist's most acclaimed, leading him to an extensive tour of Europe, the USA and Canada. I'm Your Man stood out mainly for introducing elements of modern pop music, such as the use of synthesizers.

After the success of I'm Your Man, he began releasing his studio albums at long intervals, largely due to his dedication to Buddhism. In 1992, the album The Future was released. Ten New Songs, the album co-written and produced by singer/songwriter/producer Sharon Robinson, came out in 2001. Later in the 2000s, he released Dear Heather in 2004.

Received with positive reviews from publications such as Rolling Stone and The Guardian, Old Ideas - Leonard Cohen's twelfth studio album - arrived in January 2012. A new album, Popular Problems, came out in 2014. In October 2016, he released You Want It Darker. The following month, on the 7th, Cohen passed away at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles. Leukemia was cited as the main cause of his death.

In 2019, the posthumous album Thanks for the Dance was released.