Hannah Cohen

The dreamy, melancholic indie pop of Hannah Cohen is accented by her ethereal vocal presence. After introducing her girlish delivery and yearning melodies on the sparse Child Bride in 2012, she was invited to sing on records by artists spanning Glen Hansard, Bell X1, Benjamin Booker, and Kevin Morby. Her third solo album, 2019′s Welcome Home, maintained her soft-spoken, heavyhearted sound in the company of lusher arrangements that included synths. Following appearances on albums by Big Thief and Sufjan Stevens, and often evoking ’70s AM pop, Cohen’s still dreamier Earthstar Mountain eventually followed in 2025 and was further softened by appearances from Stevens, Clairo, and others. A native of San Francisco, Cohen grew up around music and musicians thanks to her father, West Coast jazz drummer Myron Cohen. Finding international modeling work as a teenager, she eventually landed in New York City, where she posed for artists including Richard Prince, David Salle, and photographer Ryan McGinley. She also worked at the legendary Village Vanguard jazz club and found friends among the city’s music scene, some of whom would contribute to her first album. After collecting her own photography (some music-related) into a book, Fotografias. Brasil, was published in 2011. Cohen’s debut album, Child Bride, was produced by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) and recorded with, among others, Sam Amidon, violinist Rob Moose, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. It arrived on Bella Union in 2012. That same year, she appeared as a guest or backing vocalist on several albums, including Glen Hansard’s international-charting Rhythm and Repose, Martha Wainwright’s Come Home to Mama, and Julia Stone’s By the Horns, as well as Hansard’s 2013 EP Drive All Night. Cohen’s second album, the more expansive torch-song set Pleasure Boy, was again produced by Bartlett and released in 2015. She contributed to albums by indie singer/songwriters such as Kevin Morby, Sam Cohen, and Adrian Crowley, and to a Bartlett collaboration with Nico Muhly (Peter Pears: Balinese Ceremonial Music) before returning with Welcome Home in 2019. Also issued by Bella Union, it was produced by her frequent collaborator and partner Sam Owens, who records as Sam Evian. In the early 2020s, Owens converted their home and barn in the Catskills into the recording studio and retreat Flying Cloud Recordings, and it was there that Cohen tracked her next album. In the meantime, she performed on such notable releases as Big Thief’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin, and John Legend’s My Favorite Dream. Featuring guests including Stevens, Clairo, and Liam Kazar, among others, and often conjuring vintage AM pop, Cohen’s lusher and dreamier Earthstar Mountain LP eventually arrived on Bella Union in March 2025. ~ Marcy Donelson