Album tracks: 

1. Dans la lumière 
2. Je suis ici 
3. J'oublie (Oblivion) 
4. Dans la tête des hommes 
5. Je brille la nuit 
6. Nouvelle femme 
7. You Never Got to Say It All 
8. Renonce toujours à renoncer (feat. J F Lamothe) 
9. Quand vous êtes là 
10. L'azur Istanbul (feat. David Ryhspan) 

Singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor, iREM was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She studied dance and acting in England before living for over ten years in Argentina, where she pursued a career in theater, 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 debut album, Primero. She also performs in theater and presented Vertige en 4 temps, a musical inspired by her life. 

Je suis ici, her very first solo album, allows her to affirm her Québécois identity by integrating it into a varied repertoire where piano, guitar, and double bass engage in dialogue with the oud, accordion, darbukas, and tablas. This fascinating opus draws from the cultures that shaped her. 

An artist based in Quebec with roots in Turkey, Great Britain, and Argentina, iREM wrote five autobiographical pieces, including Je suis ici, which reminds us that life is an extraordinary pilgrimage, both outward and inward, and Quand vous êtes là, a touching tribute to her audience written in collaboration with actress Diane Jules, with whom she has 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 from her rich heritage to offer a tightly knit, hybrid repertoire. Having shared the stage with Mercedes Sosa, the performer of Gracias a la vida, she invites us to enter Dans la lumière with her to be reborn after the arduous journey we have experienced over the last few months. iREM offers a very personal interpretation of the song Dans la tête des hommes, by the great Raymond Lévesque, to which she gives an astonishing vitality that reveals a woman imbued with humanism. She also offers an inspired delivery of the standard J’oublie (Oblivion), composed by the master Astor Piazzolla, and lends her agile, expressive voice to Je brille la nuit, a piece by Sylvain-Claude Filion that combines jazz and oriental accents. 

We recognize the inimitable style of J-F Lamothe, who wrote Renonce toujours à renoncer and joins his voice with iREM on the track. To beautifully close this musical journey, the superb instrumental L’azur Istanbul takes us to distant lands. A journey both internal and external, the album reflects a desire to take flight to live and renew oneself. 

Produced by Marc Labelle, Je suis ici features performances by 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).