Patrick Page Featured on Cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Democracy' With Perla Batalla

Grammy®-nominated singer-songwriter Perla Batalla, whose powerful voice, emotional honesty, and boundary-defying songs have captivated audiences at prestigious venues around the world, is set to release her eighth full-length album, A Letter to Leonard Cohen: A Tribute to a Friend on September 20th, a day prior to what would have been Cohen’s 90th birthday, via Symphonic.  

The first single and video from the album, the stirring and provocative track, “Democracy” features Broadway performer Patrick Page. It is available now on all DSPs and her own YouTube page. 

Batalla was Cohen’s collaborator and friend for more than two decades. Cohen, of course, was a revered, Montreal-born, Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as well as invested as Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. An icon in his native land and around the globe, he is considered the poet laureate of Canada.

What immediately sets this new album apart from other Cohen tributes is that Perla's early career was guided by Cohen, who personally encouraged her journey as an artist. After singing with him for so many years, she brings a truly unique perspective to the Cohen canon, with the new album offering fresh interpretations of eight classic songs. It also includes two Perla originals – Awakened and The L of Your First Name – and her stirring rendition of The Partisan, a poignant 1943 anti-fascist song of the French Resistance.

Batalla embarked on this current recording project in Barcelona in early 2020, just before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. When the world reopened, she returned to Spain, only to discover that the project hard drives had vanished. Undeterred, she returned to her home in Ojai, California, and -- fueled by her remaining savings and big-hearted contributions from friends and fans -- returned to the studio to start the recording project anew, this time including two of her original compositions, both inspired by her late beloved friend.

Re-tracking in Barcelona, New York, Ojai, and Santa Monica, Perla’s diverse sonic palette blends her magnificent voice with the splendid ferocity of flamenco musicians, a moving gospel choir, a plaintive oud, and a live string section. In a bit of good fortune, Broadway great Patrick Page (Hadestown, All the Devils are Here, Gilded Age) made himself available to perform alongside her on Cohen’s Democracy – an all too timely ode to the fragility of the American experiment. Multi–Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Justin Timberlake, Encanto) produced the chilling track.

Hearing Perla Batalla’s voice for the first time is an epiphany. One may go to hear the classic songs but will end up feeling the profound joy and pathos in the music as never before. There is a subtlety of tone, a depth of emotion, and a sublime expressiveness as she interprets songs with her transcendent voice, that make the experience of this music deeply moving and absolutely unforgettable.

Track List:

1. Awakened

2. A Thousand Kisses Deep

3. Democracy (feat. special guest Patrick Page)

4. Sisters Of Mercy

5. Everybody Knows

6. Ain’t No Cure For Love

7. The Partisan

8. You Want It Darker

9. The L Of Your First Name

10. Take This Waltz

11. A Singer Must Die

Photo Credits: Nancy Santullo/Jennifer Broski