A Year in Montreal
Spending six years in Paris taught me the value of living in a place where people enjoy life, culture, and good food and drink. In my final year, I was already traveling a lot for concerts, and there was really nothing better than coming back home to drop off my things in my tiny apartment, only to then head out and roam the beautiful Parisian streets, see some friends, and eat a delicious meal.
In June 2018, my time in Paris came to end, and I returned to Canada with the intention of settling in Montreal. By that point in time, Montreal was a place I had come to know pretty well. I had had lots of good times in the city, playing great music, spending summer nights in parks with friends, and eating some of the best food I had ever tasted.
Montreal is known as Canada’s cultural capital, and some advertising campaigns for the city have even referred to as the “Paris of North America.” So it’s really no surprise that I felt like life in Montreal was pretty much as close as I could find to life in Paris (having a local bakery had become essential!). At the same time, I found many of the familiar comforts of North America. Plus, just like myself, Montreal was completely bilingual, and the rent was cheap, way less than in any other city of the same size and cultural importance.
After giving away most of possessions in Paris, and packing my remaining things into a suitcase, my plans to move to Montreal ended up getting delayed. As it turned out, life on the road was exhilarating, I travelled all across the country and abroad, with my incredibly generous friends and family letting me crash at their places on my rare off-weeks.
No rent was better than low rent, so “moving to Montreal” kept on getting pushed back, one month at a time. At one point, I even started thinking that it was better to find a concert to play somewhere, than to have to settle down.
As a travelling musician, cities can become just names on plane tickets and dates in a calendar. But I’ve often felt that by going somewhere with the intent of sharing music, there’s a natural exchange that happens. You leave a little part of yourself in that place, and in return it becomes a small part of you. The longer you spend in a place, the more exchange happens, and the more it becomes part of your identity.
Montreal from the sky…
It wasn’t until over a year later, in November 2019, that I finally moved my things into an apartment in Montreal. After so long without a home, settling here felt strange. I found myself in the unusual position of moving to a city not for school, work, or family, but just because I wanted to live there. Although I had made my commitment, it obviously didn’t start feeling like home right away. There hadn’t been enough exchange yet.
As it turned out, I fortunate with my timing, and when March 2020 came around and we were all forced to take refuge at home, I was more than a little thankful to have my own place to stay. But being locked in my apartment wasn’t helping me get to know Montreal or it’s people any better. At times, I questioned whether I had made the right choice to move here.
In May, I got an email that snapped me out of my lockdown lethargy. The Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris was putting together a “virtual” European Canada day celebration, and they wanted me to make a video of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah for the occasion.
The hectic two weeks that ensued as I madly arranged and recorded my version of the poet laureate’s most famous song are a story for another time. But having the opportunity to learn more about one of Montreal’s most famous artists, and his own relationship with the city, was a much needed reminder of why I love this place so much.
The whole experience culminated with my first venture out of my neighbourhood since lockdown, a 5am adventure to get a shot of the Leonard Cohen mural downtown for my video.
It was magical, the roads were quiet and empty, the sun rising to light up parts of the city that I hadn’t seen since the beginning of the year. I was reminded what a beautiful place Montreal was, and how many memories I already had here. I remember feeling surprisingly at home, in this city which felt both familiar and still so new.
Despite the curve ball that has been 2020, I’m thankful for the unexpected time I got to spend in my new home, slowly allowing it to become more and more part of me, and me of it. I don’t know where I’ll end up in the future. I’ve been fortunate to have music introduce me to so many amazing places in the world, and I want to spend more time in all of them. But right now, I think Montreal is a pretty great place to be.