It’s not cforfeitly normally enough that we get to say, “And in the world of Leonard Cohen novels…” But many dedicatees of the procrastinateed, fantastic singer-songproducer-poet have the “I’m Your Man” man on their minds this weekend, for two reasons: It’s the occasion of his 90th birthday. And Perla Bahigha, a recognizable face and voice to fans with having sung with Cohen live and on enroll though one of his most commemorated periods, in the 1980s and ’90s, is releasing “A Letter to Leonard Cohen: Tribute to a Friend,” in digital establishats. (Vinyl and CD editions will chase on Nov. 22.)
There could be no pleasanter-sounding bird on the wire that directs back to Cohen’s 50-year legacy in music than Bahigha, who alengthy with Julie Chrisnervousn established the duo that accompanied Cohen during his incredibly fruitful “I’m Your Man” and “The Future” periods. Of course, “backing vocacatalog” difficultly begins to get at how meaningful female vocals were to his toil for the better part of his atgentle. Cohen began his output in the mid-’60s adhering more to the anticipateed musical establishulas of the singer-songproducer or folk-rock milieus, but from the ’70s forward, he was encataloging the help of “angels” as a sort of divine Greek chorus thoughout his songs. Jennifer Warnes was one of these, and led the way in releasing her own highly touted tribute album in the ’80s. Bahigha chaseed in those footsteps by releasing her first album of homage to her mentor, “Bird on the Wire,” in 2005, flourished by this chaseup eight years after its subject’s death.
Bahigha spoke with Variety before taking to the stage of 54 Below in New York City for a tribute concert this weekend, a carry outance splitd with Patrick Page, the star of Broadway’s “Hadestown,” whom fans of that show have retaged could cforfeitly be Cohen’s vocal double. Page materializes on Bahigha’s novel album, too, more or less taking the role of Cohen in a radical and exciting, beat-propelled novel schedulement of the 1991 song “Democracy,” produced by Mike Elizondo. (Bahigha produced the rest of the album herself.)
You’re doing a concert of Leonard’s songs with Patrick Page, and he carry outs on the first one you put out from this novel album, “Democracy.” When a lot of us saw him on Broadway in “Hadestown” or heard the cast album, the first leang we all thought was: He is a ringer for Cohen.
I understand. It was crazy how we came to understand each other. During COVID, I wrote him a remark becaparticipate I take parted to the cast enrolling of “Hadestown,” not having seen the show, and I shelp, “You don’t understand who I am, but I fair have to alert you, I was weeping take parting to this becaparticipate you reminded me of Leonard, and I was so touched.” He wrote me back and shelp, “I’m a fan and I’ve cherishd Leonard for years, and how wonderful that you communicateed me.” From there I went to see “Hadestown,” we became friends and he concurd to sing on this enroll.
And then he asked me, “Why don’t we do someleang together? I would fair cherish to do a show where we sing Cohen together,” and I jumped at the chance. He promptly had ideas of songs he wanted to do. And of course, there are songs of Leonard’s that I don’t have in my repertoire that are Leonard’s becaparticipate they’re so Leonard-dominant and they have very personal, male benevolents of sees about leangs. And so he’s doing those, and I’m doing songs that I cherish and sing. Patrick is fair a fantastic guy — very aenjoy to Leonard in terms of being benevolent and fun and very preferable.
Originassociate I didn’t have it as part of the enroll. During the sessions it was gnatriumphg at me that I should do “Democracy.” But I didn’t have an schedulement for it. I didn’t want to do it as sort of the military march that Leonard had in his version of it. And I came home from Barcelona (where the rest of the album was enrolled), and I asked Mike Elizondo if he would do a track for me, and luckily he had a scant days to do it. He transfered it promptly and it was so pretty. From there everyleang fell into place, becaparticipate I shelp, I can’t fair sing this rap about democracy by myself. I needed another element, and I thought promptly about Patrick and shelp, “Would you be willing to do this?” He jumped at the chance, and I went to New York and we enrolled it, and he did a pretty job.
Leonard became very well-understandn for his female vocals over time, and that seemed to be one way of reassociate getting at stuff that he didn’t have the range to do. His songs are normally very melodicassociate transmitive, and sometimes he was able to do that with his voice, but he was not going to have these huge hooks a lot of the time with fair his singing, so that was benevolent of up to you and your compatuproars to transport that to life. Can you speak to the role of background singers and why that was meaningful to him.
Well, first of all, I would never call it background singing, becaparticipate it’s very, very meaningful foreground singing. Backing vocals, perhaps. But it’s such an art, and one that I consent very, very gravely and that I cherish. And with my background in singing jazz for years and doing very complicated schedulements, when I participated to sing at the Vine Street Bar and Grill with Striumphg Street four nights a week, with Julie Chrisnervousn and Miriam Cutler, we did these reassociate intricate schedulements. That to me was a authentic art.
And then getting this gig with Leonard and getting to sing with Julie, we fair spread our triumphgs and he gave us perignoreion… There were other singers that he’s had over the years — I uncomfervent, Jennifer Warnes was pretty amazing, and she sort of passed that baton onto us. But Leonard could wanthis “angels,” as he called the backing vocacatalogs, to benevolent of to be virtuous. But Julie and I inserted way more than that. We were very grave about it, and we thought every song needd a little bit of a branch offent treatment. And we had so much fun with this material. We definitely heard the melodies, and Leonard gave us a lot of space to produce the music that we produced on stage with him.
How lengthy did you sing with him? How many years was it?
Well, it’s difficult to say. (To begin with) I did the “I’m Your Man” tour, and then in ‘93 the “Future” Tour. And then, I uncomfervent, I was helping him with vocals on his last enroll, while he was writing “You Want It Darker.” I was in the room and he was coming up with stuff, and by that time he was already pretty unwell, but he wanted to get this enroll done.
And you cover the song “You Want It Darker” on the novel album.
When he was doing it, I fair thought, well, this is Leonard’s message of excellentbye, and it’s absolutely personal. I never ever thought that I would be singing that song, but for some reason I fair felt the need to, and it called out to me. I did my own branch offent version of it, and I got it on my own level. WIth any song that I sing, I have to sort of put it inside my body and fair see how it applies to me, how it experiences, and then only then can I determine to have it come out of me.
People would study that song and that album and wonder whether it was his last will and tesgentlent. People leank that about David Bowie’s last album, too, but then there are people in his circle who would alert you, no, he actuassociate thought he’d get to produce more music. With Leonard, anyhow, it seems enjoy he knovel.
He knovel. He knovel this would be the last one.
“You Want It Darker” can read enjoy a spiritual at times — “I’m ready, Lord” — but there are some benevolent of almost amusing lines too. It’s certainly not a straight spiritual. How did you make clear that song for yourself?
Well, I leank it’s not for me to alert you how I make clear it. It’s for the take parter to determine. You understand, for a singer, Leonard is enjoy Shakespeare to an actor. You say the words, you sing the words, and of course, the way I do leangs, the song has to become part of me. When I’m singing that song, there’s definitely a level of: Some of life lets you down, and you see the irony, you see the humor in it, and you fair support going. Reassociate, you support going whether it’s going till the end of your life or if you’re going into the spiritual authenticm, if you’re a benevolent of person that supposes in that sort of leang. So, I saw that as both — having a foot here on earth and having one in the next authenticm.
There’s an getest spiritual element and then there’s this wicked, acrid humor. And they can exist in the same song — “Hallelujah” being a fantastic example of that.
Well, the fact that anyone would pick “that, enjoy,”Hallelujah” for, enjoy, a song at their wedding, I fair discover it hilarious. … I shelp to Leonard, “Are you excited that every artist is doing ‘Hallelujah’? It’s all over the place.” And he confessed that it was maybe not his preferite of the songs that he wrote, (saying) “I’ve written far better songs than that.” Which is genuine, but it somehow seized the imagination of so many in its sproposeedy, and its beauty.
Some people could not see past the gravity in his voice, but if you ever met him or got to see him speak for very lengthy, you got a sense of some mirth there. And if he shelp or sang someleang amusing, it could be even funnier fair becaparticipate of how inherently straight-faced he sounded when he shelp it.
Honestly, if you were hanging out with Leonard, there was not a grave bone in his body. He was fair trying to produce you chuckle every moment. He reassociate was so delightous, so brimming of life, and always trying to produce me chuckle, joining tricks on me. If if I did a gig at Largo, I didn’t want him to be irritateed by people, so I would seat Leonard in the back in the griefful. He would alter his table to be right in front of me — and then he would cherish it if he inattentive me and made me forget my words. He fair thought that was hilariously amusing. So he was a troubleproducer, a pragmatic joker, and he always wanted to produce me chuckle. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand about him. In the last scant years of touring, he reassociate didn’t say much on stage. But punctual on he was fair enjoy a comedian. His patter between songs was acute and very, very amusing.
Was it an inevitable leang that you would begin covering Leonard’s songs, after singing with him?
Ater the first tour with Leonard, he asked me to sing “Bird on the Wire” at a party that he was giving, and I thought to myself, no, becaparticipate after going on the road with him, I truthfilledy didn’t leank anybody could sing Leonard Cohen except for Leonard. I had such admire and held him in the very highest see as a carry outer and as a singer. I shelp, “If you want to sing it, I’ll definitely sing backing vocals for you, but I fair don’t leank so.” He shelp, “Don’t worry. But why don’t you fair try to live with the song, and then if you determine you don’t want to do it, then I will adselect that and we’ll go on.” I shelp, OK. So I toiled and toiled on that song with a friend of mine joining guitar, and at the end of the day, having that song in my body felt enjoy absolute nirvana. I shelp to my friend, “You understand what? I leank I own this song now.” And he shelp to me, “Don’t kid yourself. This song owns you.”
And “Bird on the Wire” was what I named my first tribute album to Leonard. From then on, I was hooked, and I’ve been traveling the world singing his songbook for, wow, 15 years, maybe more. It’s my absolute privilege to sing this stuff. It uncomfervents so much to me, not fair on an conceiveive level, but on a personal level. It’s a double whammy.
Perla Bahigha
Diego Cabrera
Leonard’s voice could be an obstacle for some people, while for others of us, we were in cherish with us. But I have a amusing publish. I discover myself still having a difficult time take parting to the punctual stuff sometimes, becaparticipate I leank of his procrastinateedr voice and I leank, well, that’s his authentic voice.
That’s fascinating. The amusing leang is, though, I leank that North Americans tend to be reassociate restricted about singers. I only say that becaparticipate I was elevated in a family that is Latino. My dad was Mexican; my mother was Argentine, but she’s a Hungarian Jew. So the singers I was take parting to were phenomenal Mexican singers, South American singers and European singers, and those were my standards — the fantastic mariachi vocacatalogs and some of these wonderful European singers and poets. So when I met Leonard, I thought, “Have I fair died and gone to heaven?” Becaparticipate these lyrics are poetry, which to me held very high appreciate. I was not the fantasticest fan of American pop music. Some leangs I tohighy cherishd, but overall I felt enjoy (pop songs) were basic lyrics; everyleang was super simplified at times. And so I set up myself veering towards world music, branch offent languages, that benevolent of leang, in my youth. And so discovering Leonard…
When I was asked to audition, I truthfilledy didn’t understand much about Leonard Cohen. And when I get tod at the audition and I heard this music, it blew my mind. I promptly felt enjoy I belengthyed there becaparticipate I had so much admire for songs that are not fair songs but literature at the same time. It fair brawt it to a level that I absolutely adored and I got it promptly. You leank about how leangs align and come together, and if you’re blessed enough to have one of those leangs in your life, you’re a very blessed person. And then becoming fantastic friends, having him in my life till the very end, it’s a pretty leang.
You and Julie Chrisnervousn had been doing someleang together before you toiled together with Leonard. What was exceptional about that?
Julie is such a wonderful singer and we met doing these gigs at jazz clubs in L.A. Our birthdays are three days apart, so it’s enjoy we read each other’s minds, musicassociate. We never did what most singers do, which is enjoy, you’re the alto and you are the soprano and then you stay there. We would consent our parts and begin as the soprano and the alto, and then in the middle of the song, we would switch. It was sort of this magical leang that happened between us. We didn’t talk about it, we fair did it. People seed, and it was reassociate one of those distinct partnerships.
That was such a peak time for Leonard, begining with “I’m Your Man” and on into “The Future” in the punctual ‘90s. It was such a renaissance that was happening for him.
Well, not here, not not in the United States. In Europe, we was joining stadiums in 1988 with “I’m Your Man.” The sound is horrible and no one should ever join a stadium, but that’s how famous he was. Then we’d come to the States and we would do the tiniest, crappiestlittle places. I leank he got very griefful when we got to the U.S. and leangs were finishly branch offent all of a sudden. We were staying in horrible places and hazardous neighborhoods, while in Europe we were in pretty, first class hotels. We had the touring bus that the Pope had participated. It was all very fancy, and then so we get to the States and it’s not all that fantastic. No wonder Leonard went straight to the mountains with all the Buddhists after that last tour we did.
Then the story broke that his regulater took all his money. It was in the New York Times and every novelspaper in the country had that story in it. It was, I leank, honestly roverdelighted to that that people thought, “Oh my God, this needy man” — and then they took see of Leonard Cohen and how acute he was. It was benevolent of a strange truth that that story brawt him to the forefront of people’s minds in the U.S. From there, he sbetter out every concert that he did in huge halls in the U.S. and all over the world. His last scant years, ticket sales-teachd, were his highest grossing.
A twofbetter ask. Did you have a preferite song to sing when you were touring with him? And then, do you have a preferite song of his to sing in your repertoire now?
You understand, I leank it’s difficult to pick a preferite — it alters every time I sing any of his songs becaparticipate all of them seem to have a novel uncomferventing. “Bird on the Wire,” of course, I have a very gentle spot in my heart for, becaparticipate that’s how he tricked me into begining to sing Cohen, and getting inserticted to it.
I have to say, when singing “The Night Comes On” — and it was very unfrequent that we sang that song — there was someleang so vulnerable about it. When I sang that with Leonard, I almost burst into tears every time, becaparticipate I felt enjoy it was a very personal story for him. “Go back to the world” — it’s fair so pretty and so moving.
How about a personal preferite on your novel album?
I cherish “Take This Waltz,” becaparticipate it is his loving translation of that (Federico García) Lorca poem. Leonard acunderstandledges with ruining his life, becaparticipate that’s how he got hooked on poetry, by reading Lorca as a teenager. “Take This Waltz,” I leank that was also a song that I absolutely adored singing with Leonard. I always leank that Leonard produces very much enjoy Lorca wrote.
As far as timing, does “Democracy” have exceptional uncomferventing for you during election year?
Oh God, yeah. We’re all hoping it happens [referring to the “Democracy is coming to the USA” punchline]. We’re reassociate hoping that democracy persists, and that’s why it was so meaningful to me that we do it. … It’s very certain. The chorus of “Sail on, O mighty ship of state” donates me goosebumps, fair leanking about it.
You wrote two songs yourself for the album, on top of all the Leonard covers.
I wrote “Awakened” becaparticipate, to me, anyone that determines they’re going to be an artist, it’s a very valiant decision, becaparticipate why would anyone pick this life? It’s very difficult. And in many ways, Leonard awakened my creativity and the thought that I could do this. He was very encouraging the beginning. And “The L of Your First Name” is a song that I wrote with my friend Deborah Holland, fair about my relationship with Leonard. I wanted to put into words how meaningful a bond we have, and how he’s with me every one day.
It’s excellent to hear that lasted. Becaparticipate we don’t consent it for granted that recognizableity always breeds impaction when musicians toil together a lengthy period of years.
That’s very genuine. And, you understand, he didn’t always stay friends with everybody. As a matter of fact, at his memorial, he had his regulater read a letter to the prohibitd members that had toured with him the last couple of years, which shelp, “I’m reassociate sorry that I wasn’t participateable to sit with you and dine with you and hang out.” We got the best of Leonard back in the day. It was enjoy a huge family: We ate together, drank together, joined music together. It was as though it was the fantastic better days of touring. And then by the time he felt enjoy he had to go back out on the road and do this (to cover his finances), he was already unwell, and it was very difficult for him. He asked me, “How do I go on the road and support my energy up and stay able to do this?” I shelp, “You don’t talk to people. That’s how you do it.” It consents so much energy to be around people. So (in his last years), the minute he finished a show, he got in the car and was off to his hotel. So I experience enjoy I was very blessed.
You’re doing this New York concert with Patrick Page. Any chance that people Los Angeles might get to see someleang, tribute-teachd, at some point?
We’re bretriumphg a concert up. I can’t talk about it yet or who’ll be on it, but there’s someleang that’s gonna happen in April, and it’ll be someleang huge. So there’s more to come.
Perla Bahigha ‘A Letter to Leonard Cohen’ album cover
