January 10, 2011 – Eclectic Canadian singer-songwriter NEeMA has steadily been building a following around the world for the past several years, with a distinctive voice and original songs that captivate fans of all genres. This coming year, NEeMA is sure to catch the attention of fans and critics alike with the March 1st U.S. release of her latest album, Watching You Think. The album was produced by NEeMA in association with acclaimed musical icon Leonard Cohen, as well as noted producer Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Ron Sexsmith). To give American audiences a taste of her unique sound, NEeMA recently performed an extensive series of fall 2010 tour dates across the U.S., including select performances with The Chapin Sisters. Additionally, throughout 2011 NEeMA will be performing across the U.S. with dates in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Memphis and more.
Click here to listen to music from Watching You Think as well as to view the video for “Escape,” the album’s first single.
Leonard Cohen is more than just a co-producer of this album; he is a musical mentor and fan of NEeMA’s. Of NEeMA’s work, he has said, “in the midst of all the static, a voice of true feeling arises – a rare event!” The legendary musician/poet/artist also drew the haunting portrait of NEeMA, which serves as the album’s cover. Like Cohen, NEeMA surrounds herself with only the best musicians, and the songs on Watching You Think are expertly fleshed out by some of Montreal’s finest: Howard Bilerman and Tim Kingsbury of alternative hitmakers Arcade Fire; Tom Mennier, who has performed with Martha and Rufus Wainwright; Gurpreet Chana, who recorded with Nelly Furtado; Joe Grass and Miles Perkin, who accompanied award-winning singer Lhasa de Sela; and Haig V, who co-produced Bran Van 3000’s album Glee. NEeMA has also added a newly recorded song, “Masi,” to her upcoming U.S. release, which was inspired by the singer’s years of living and working with the Tlicho Indigenous People of Canada’s North.
NEeMA’s Watching You Think displays the artist’s international background and experience, seamlessly melding elements of world music, folk, and jazz with a good measure of pop. The album’s twelve original songs of love, life and simple observations are delivered in an uninhibited style. Already released in her native Canada, the album has garnered rave reviews from the country’s top outlets. The Globe & Mail called NEeMA “a gifted wordsmith…the settings are as thoughtful and detailed as the songs they adorn. A stunner.” The Calgary Herald praised the “strong sophomore effort that finds the artist chronicling both inner and outer turmoil in broad, poetic strokes,” while the Ottawa X Press said that “there’s no denying this new voice in music is a strong, individualistic and driven one.” The Winnipeg Sun aptly summed up NEeMA’s style as they described her “dreamy, introspective folk balladry delivered in mostly hushed tones and stylishly accented with strings and atmospheric production.”
NEeMA first arrived on the scene with her 2006 debut album Masi Cho, which was nominated for a MIMI (Montreal International Music Initiative) in the World & Roots category. Since then, NEeMA has toured Canada, Ireland, Australia, England and the U.S. In the summer of 2007 alone, she performed more than 33 concerts, including Nova Scotia’s Privateer Days Festival and the South Country Fair Festival in Alberta. Other highlights include her 2008 concert at the Electric Picnic Festival in Ireland, the 2008 Winterfolk Festival in Toronto and Canadian Music Week, and sold-out shows at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in both 2009 and 2010.
Born in Montreal of Egyptian and Lebanese decent, NEeMA’s presence on and off stage is powerful and charismatic, and her voice has an honesty that appeals to audiences worldwide. She has traveled the globe, spending time with spiritual leaders including the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa; as well as the tribal elders of Wekweti, an isolated First Nation community in northern Canada. With her journeys, she has acquired an undeniable ability to communicate her stories through poetry and song, exploring those themes that are dear to the human heart.
To learn more about NEeMA visit:
http://www.neema.ca/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NgAq2p_so
http://www.myspace.com/neemaste