Julie Christensen

Julie Christensen is an American singer and songwriter. Noted for her versatility, Christensen's music has been described as conveying "the beauty of suffering with a subtlety that cannot be faked." She has released five albums as a solo artist, and in January 2016 released The Cardinal with her band, Stone Cupid.

Christensen, a founding member of the The Divine Horsemen, has toured extensively with Leonard Cohen. She has performed with artists including Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, Public Image Limited, Van Dyke Parks, John Doe, Exene Cervenka, and k.d. lang.

Early life

Christensen was born in Iowa City and grew up in Newton, Iowa. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother, a nurse, played the organ at local Protestant churches. The oldest of four children, Christensen's three brothers were also musicians. Two of them played together in a band, Jonesin', who were inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

A lyric soprano, Christensen began singing while she was a child. She performed at churches and appeared on two television talent contests, the first when when she was 11. She learned French in high school, which came easily to her, and following her graduation, she enrolled at the University of Iowa. She planned to learn Chinese, and majored in Asian studies.

Perla Batalla

Perla Batalla is a Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer and arranger who first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen before embarking on a solo career at the latter's encouragement.

Early life and education

Of Mexican ancestry, Batalla was born in Los Angeles. Her father was a mariachi musician and owned a popular Spanish language record store. Her mother is from South America.

Career

Batalla released her debut CD, Perla Batalla, on the Warner/Discovery label to great critical success.

Like many original artists, Batalla opted to go independent early on, releasing her second album, "Mestiza" (meaning of mixed blood) on her own Mechuda Music label. "Heaven and Earth" followed, completing the Mestiza song-cycle. Both CDs were co-written with David Batteau. They offer a vision of a vibrant culture still nourished and inhabited by mysticism, imagery, magic and myth. Amazon named Mestiza Best Independent Release of the year.

Discoteca Batalla, 2002

"Discoteca Batalla" was Perla’s follow-up album to the Mestiza song cycle. An innovative undertaking of contagious rhythm and pure joy, it was recorded in 2002 as an homage to her parents' record shop of the same name. Discoteca Batalla is a compilation of new compositions interspersed with pristine treatments of traditional Spanish language classics arranged to reflect Perla’s rich bi-cultural personal and musical heritage. In 2004 Perla was invited by The Kennedy Center to perform songs from the album as artist in residence.

Leonard Cohen

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Leonard Norman Cohen, CC GOQ (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, painter, poet, and novelist. His work has explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and personal relationships. Cohen has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2011, Cohen received a Princess of Asturias Awards for literature.

The critic Bruce Eder assessed Cohen's overall career in popular music by asserting that "[he is] one of the most fascinating and enigmatic … singer/songwriters of the late '60s … [and] has retained an audience across four decades of music-making.... Second only to Bob Dylan (and perhaps Paul Simon) [in terms of influence], he commands the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the 1960s who is still working at the outset of the 21st century."