Album track:

1. Into the light
2. I am here
3. I Forget (Oblivion)
4. Inside Men's Heads
5. I glow at night
6. New Wife
7. You Never Got to Say It All
8. Always give up giving up (feat. JF Lamothe)
9. When you're there
10. Azure Istanbul (feat. David Ryhspan)

Singer-songwriter, dancer and actress, iREM was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She studied dance and acting in England and then lived more than ten years in Argentina, where she made a career in theatre, television, film and music. After settling in Montreal in 2007, she founded the Irem Bekter Quintet, performed on various stages, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and released her first album, Primero. She also plays at the theater and presents Vertige en 4 temps, a music hall inspired by her life.

Je suis ici, his very first solo album, allows him to assert his quebecitude by integrating it into a varied repertoire where piano, guitar and double bass dialogue with oud, accordion, darboukas and tablas. This fascinating opus draws on the cultures that have shaped it.

An artist based in Quebec with roots in Turkey, Great Britain and Argentina, iREM signs five autobiographical pieces, including Je suis ici, which reminds us that life is an extraordinary pilgrimage, both external and internal, and When you are there, a touching tribute to the public written in collaboration with the actress Diane Jules, with whom she has already shared the stage. iREM is an outstanding storyteller, as evidenced by Nouvelle femme, a piece with jazz accents, and the bittersweet You Never Got to Say It Again.

This intense and passionate artist draws on her rich heritage to offer a tightly-mixed repertoire. The one who shared the stage with Mercedes Sosa, the interpreter of Gracias a la vida, invites us to enter Into the light with her to be reborn after the trying crossing that we have experienced in recent months. iREM offers a very personal interpretation of the song Dans la tête des hommes, by the great Raymond Lévesque, to which it gives an astonishing breath that reveals a woman imbued with humanism. She also offers a delivery inspired by the standard J'oublie (Oblivion), composed by the master Astor Piazzolla, and puts her expressive agile voice at the service of Je Brillant la Nuit, a piece by Sylvain-Claude Filion that combines jazz and oriental accents.

We recognize the inimitable style of JF Lamothe, who signs Renounces Always Renounce and unites his voice with iREM on the piece. To end this musical journey in style, the superb instrumental L'azur Istanbul takes us on a journey to distant lands. An interior and exterior journey, the opus translates a desire to take flight in order to live and renew itself.

Directed by Marc Labelle, Je suis ici features David Ryshpan (piano), Michael Cotnoir (guitar), Nazih Borish (oud), Luzio Altobelli (accordion and piano), Mathieu Deschenaux (double bass), Bertil Schulrabe (drums and percussion ), Pablo Bonacina (guitar) and Joel Kerr (double bass).