Lindi Ortega Covers Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” For SiriusXM Polaris Cover Sessions

Lindi Ortega

The Polaris Music Prize has released its SiriusXM Polaris Cover Session for 2018 featuring Lindi Ortega reinterpreting “Suzanne” from Leonard Cohen’s 1967 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize-winning album Songs Of Leonard Cohen.

An in-studio performance video of the song is now available via the Polaris YouTube channel. Additionally, an audio stream of it can be found on the Polaris Soundcloud channel.

“Leonard Cohen is one of my favourite poets and lyricists of all time,” said Ortega in the video. “I really love this song. I think it’s got beautiful imagery and I’m really looking forward to doing our version of it.”

Ortega recorded her version of “Suzanne” with Jim Bryson at Fixed Hinge studios in Stittsville, Ontario.

The Ortega cover is the second of three cover sessions planned for 2018 that feature past Polaris nominees interpreting songs from albums that have received Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize designation. Cohen’s Songs Of Leonard Cohen won in 2016 for the 1960-75 heritage category. Ortega has made the Polaris Music Prize Long List on two separate occasions, in 2012 for her album Little Red Boots and again in 2013 for Cigarettes & Truckstops.

One more Polaris Cover Session will be revealed in the coming months. All three will be pressed on a limited edition 10″ vinyl record that will be free to purchasers of 2018 Polaris nominated albums at participating retail stores starting in July. The record will also be given to Polaris Gala attendees.

This is the eleventh cover song commissioned by Polaris. Other acts who’ve contributed to the series include Weaves, Little Scream, Hannah Georgas, Les soeurs Boulay, Joel Plaskett, Zaki Ibrahim, Whitehorse, Sarah Harmer, Great Lake Swimmers and Arkells. All these performances are available on the Polaris YouTube and Soundcloud channels.