Leonard Norman Cohen, was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. His work often explored themes such as faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, as well as sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss.

Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour, and in 2011, he received the Prince of Asturias Award for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize. In 2023, Rolling Stone named Cohen the 103rd-greatest singer.

Cohen began his career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, transitioning to a music career in 1966. His debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by albums such as Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971), and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). His 1977 album, Death of a Ladies' Man, co-written and produced by Phil Spector, marked a departure from his earlier minimalist sound.

In 1979, Cohen released Recent Songs, blending acoustic styles with jazz, East Asian, and Mediterranean influences. His most famous song, "Hallelujah", was part of his 1984 album, Various Positions. The 1988 album I'm Your Man introduced synthesized productions, followed by The Future in 1992, featuring dark themes and social commentary.

Cohen returned to music in 2001 with Ten New Songs, a major hit in Canada and Europe. Dear Heather followed in 2004. After discovering financial mismanagement by his manager in 2005, Cohen returned to touring. Between 2008 and 2013, he performed numerous tours and released albums like Old Ideas (2012), Popular Problems (2014), and You Want It Darker (2016), the last released weeks before his passing. Posthumously, his fifteenth studio album, Thanks for the Dance, was released in November 2019.