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Adam Cohen

 
Artist: Adam Cohen
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
Adam Cohen

Similar Artists:

Low Millions, James Hunter, Muscadine, Alan Moore, Mysteries of Life, Lincoln

Influenced By:

Leonard Cohen

Performed Songs By:

Phil Roy, Tonio K., Andrew Dorff, Brock Walsh
See Adam Cohen Lyrics
  • Active: '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
  • Representative Albums: "Adam Cohen", "Melancolista", "Live from La Scala

Biography

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Adam Cohen gained plenty of practice performing as a member of a number of rock groups in the early '90s. By 1998 he had turned down the chance to contract with a number of big recording labels, and ended up working as a solo artist under Columbia Records. That same year, he released his debut album, a self-titled offering that carried 12 impressive adult contemporary tracks. It was quickly followed by the EP Tell Me Everything.

Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1972. He spent his inclement childhood being moved back and forth between the homes of his divorced parents. He lived all over the world during those early years, spending time in places like Canada, France, the United States, and Greece. Early piano lessons didn't have as much of an influence on him as his exceptional home life did, which exposed him to not only his father's music and writing, but to all forms of art and music brought in by family friends and acquaintances. Young Adam Cohen came about his singing and songwriting talents honestly, inheriting them from his father, celebrated folk-rock singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. The older Cohen began his performing career in the '60s, and was still working in the music business when his son found his way along the same laborious path.

As a young adult, Adam Cohen moved to New York and started college. He also began his professional musical career there, joining up with several rock bands where he tried out his skills at both singing and songwriting, and later even guitar playing. After moving to Los Angeles near the end of the '90s, he was offered a chance to sign with Columbia Records, the label his father had worked with so many years to.

When the time came to work on a debut album, Adam Cohen teamed up with producer Steve Lindsey. They brought in a number of strong collaborators, like Brock Walsh, Phil Roy, and Dillon O'Brian. With the help of synthesizers, drum machines, and live musicians all combined together, Cohen's self-titled debut gave fans and music critics something to chew on. The album hit the market in July of 1998. Some of the songs fans can sample on this first recording include "Down She Goes," "How the Mighty Have Fallen," "It's Alright," "This Pain," "Opposites Attract," and "Beautiful as You." ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Adam Cohen (musician)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Adam Cohen
Born September 18, 1972 (1972-09-18) (age 37)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre(s) Rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Associated acts Low Millions
Website adamcohen.com

Adam Cohen (born 1972) is a Canadian musician, the singer-songwriter of Low Millions, as well as a solo artist who has released albums in both English and French. He is the son of Leonard Cohen.

Contents

Early life

Adam Cohen was born in Montreal, but spent many years of his childhood living with his American expat mother, Suzanne Elrod, in Paris and in the south of France, after his parents separated.[1][2] He spent parts of his childhood on the Greek island Hydra, in Greenwich Village, and in Los Angeles.[3] He taught himself to play guitar, drums and piano by age 12. He worked as a roadie in 1990, and studied international relations at Syracuse University. He moved to Los Angeles in 1994 to focus on his music career.[4]

Career

He was signed by Columbia Records in 1996. He achieved some success as a songwriter for other artists. He co-wrote "Lullaby in Blue", a song about a woman who gave up a child for adoption. Bette Midler recorded it for her album Bathhouse Betty and described it as her favorite on the album: "I've never heard a pop song about a person who gives their child up and is missing the child... The first time I heard that song, I burst into tears."[5]

His 1998 debut album was well-regarded critically—Stephen Holden of The New York Times called it "grimly perceptive" and "a promising beginning"[6]—but did not do well commercially.[1]

He decided to focus on French-language material and was signed to Capitol Records Canada, which released Mélancolista. Representatives from the label inquired about English-language material, and soon after he traveled to New York to meet with executives from Manhattan Records. He was signed to a deal after 15 minutes of a solo acoustic performance; the deal led to the Low Millions project.[7]

Regarding the influence from his poet-balladeer father, Cohen has said, "He's tremendously helpful. Forget that I was his son. I was tutored in lyric-writing by Leonard Cohen and I had his sensibilities to draw upon. And I'm not just talking genetically. I could literally talk to the cat and he could lean over my notebook and point to a couple of phrases and say, 'These are strong, these are weak.' How can that be of anything but incredible benefit? Now add in the fact that he's my father and you have a really lovely scenario."[2] In addition to his father, he has said that his musical influences include Randy Newman, Peter Gabriel, and U2.[8] He has characterized his French-language work as musically distinct from his English recordings, the former being more "sumptuous and cinematic", and sounding like "Sade—if she were a Frenchman".[1] In 2009, Adam recorded a cover of his father's song Take This Waltz, which appeared on War Child's Heroes album.

The songs he wrote for Ex-Girlfriends are about actual ex-girlfriends of his, using their real names.[8]

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b c Farber, Jim (2005-01-16). "Birth of a ladies' man: Singer-songwriter Adam Cohen is proud to be a chip off the old block". New York Daily News. p. 16. 
  2. ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (2004-05-26). "Adam Cohen following in famous father's footsteps". CanWest News Service. p. 1. 
  3. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (2004-09-24). "Versatile Adam Cohen readies albums: One, in his name, will be in French; the other is called 'Ex-Girlfriends'". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 69. 
  4. ^ no byline (1998-09-28). "Son comes up". People Weekly 50 (11): 94. 
  5. ^ Newman, Melinda (1998-09-05). "Midler makes Warner Bros. debut with 'Bathhouse Betty'". Billboard 110 (36): 15–16. 
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (1998-11-27). "New pop music for middle age". The New York Times. p. E1. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E7D61539F934A15752C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-04-10. 
  7. ^ Hochman, Steve (2004-08-01). "Pop eye: Adam Cohen's 'divide and conquer' strategy". Los Angeles Times. p. E46. 
  8. ^ a b Gold, Kerry (2005-02-26). "The second coming of Adam Cohen". The Vancouver Sun. p. D1. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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