Montreal, QC-based singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and screenwriter, Anthony Aramouni has combined his ear for music and eye for film in this, his richly textural, hypnotically reverent tribute track, “L. Cohen”.
“This is my attempt to pay homage to a man who has deeply touched my life through his music, words, and genuineness,” Aramouni offers of his long-time adoration for the late Leonard Cohen. “He is forever inspiring me to strive for personal growth and excellence while remaining grounded in, what I think, ultimately unites us all as human beings — love, sacrifice, kindness, curiosity, ambition, gratitude, and all we deem sacred.”
With that sentiment deeply ingrained, the Aramouni’s long-time inspiration took ultimate hold one afternoon, seemingly out of the blue.
“I was in my apartment, strumming the guitar aimlessly,” Aramouni recalls. “The progression of certain chords caught my attention and seemed to be laying themselves out with a certain promise.
An idea dawned on me in that moment: to tell the story of Leonard Cohen and his muse, Suzanne Verdal.
That, and Cohen’s 1976 classic hit, “Suzanne,” specifically.
Taking from my personal experience with such short-lived yet incredibly giving relationships, I attempted to tell a universal — yet personal — tale of love and sacrifice,” Aramouni elaborates on his own songwriting for the track. “It was only moments later the song was born.”
Check out the music video below, and find out more about Anthony via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a Montreal-based singer-songwriter, film producer, life coach, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Film & Blues Production. My time is divided between these multiple endeavors yet writing music and collaborating with various musicians is at the core of what I do and who I am.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
I’ve always been drawn primarily to melody and lyrics. My main focus while writing is on storytelling which I see as the foundation on which my songs rest. I love various genres of music and therefore always aim at following the song where it leads me and avoid limiting myself to one specific style or approach when creating. I find it allows me to explore different avenues with greater ease while developing and maintaining my voice as a songwriter. To put my whole body of work under one genre I’d say folk-rock singer-songwriter.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
Given the lockdown and uncertainty surrounding it, I am focused on scouting for potential singers as I’m preparing for the release of another single/music video on June 7th and my EP Humbling Goal, June 27th. Once things settle, I plan on organizing shows which will feature the artists I’ve worked with thus far like Eric Mercury, Vikki Gilmore, and Clerel. It will be the first time I realize this idea but one can expect a soulful and meditative night.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
The peculiarity of my music journey makes this question tricky to answer but I’d be delighted if people heard L. Cohen.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
To name just a few I’d say, Frazey Ford, Patrick Watson, and Donovan Woods.
Connect with Anthony Aramouni:
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