Five Minutes With: Montréal Indie Rock Artist borza

Over the years, borza has collaborated on numerous records with emerging artists on the Quebec music scene, as well as established international artists such as Emmylou Harris, Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Lauryn Hill.

He released his first alternative/experimental folk EP Playing with time in December 2016, to break the ice and start releasing his own music. On October 25, 2019, he released his debut album Cocoon, which blends indie rock, folk and reggae influences, produced by his friend Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Daniel Lanois). His single Be Amazing from the album Cocoon has been added to hundreds of playlists on streaming platforms, including editorial lists such as Folk & Friends, Fresh finds, & Folk Favourites on Spotify.

In 2020, he made a comeback in collaboration with French artists from Quebec and Belgium, with Guérir les hommes (feat. Amélie P Bédard), and Spot magique (feat. Vander), followed by a remix of Be Amazing in 2021. In 2022, he releases two new singles, 1 on 1, and As High As You Can Go which is regularly added to playlists on streaming platforms even today. In 2023, he collaborated with Cuban artist Yoandris Torres Fondin on the track Mundo de ilusión, which spread borza’s name around the Latin world, and recently in 2024, he presented the single Look back, which was warmly received worldwide.

In April 2025, borza offers something new with Toujours, a track that invites reflection on the meaning of life and the importance of living authentically.

borza
Photography by Charlotte Ghomeshi

Name:

borza

Genre:

Indie electro rock

Founded:

2016

# of Albums:

1 EP, 1 Album, 7 singles.

Latest Album:

Cocoon

Latest Single:

Toujours

Latest Video: 

Favourite musician growing up:

John Lennon, Jeff Beck

Favourite musician now:

Too many to say.

Live show ritual:

A scotch after the set

Favourite local musician:

Leif Vollebekk

EP or LP?

Both, depends on the year.

Early bird or night owl?

Both

Road or studio?

Both, but lots of studio..

Any shows or albums coming up?

Album coming beginning of 2026 with another single before it in autumn of 2025. Shows around Québec & Europe to start mainly around the release of the record and on.

Where can we follow you?

Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Any good Indian food.

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Mount-Royal, so much life, and different nationalities.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

I live in the woods an hour north of MTL, so my favourite park is my backyard.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

La chèvre in Saint-Adolphe & In mtl it would be Casa del Popolo, L’escogriffe, Le Verre bouteille because of the vibe, size, layout & sound.

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Steve’s music store, I’ve been going there since I started playing music.

 

About Emilea Semancik 161 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to work as a freelance writer and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. Taking influence from journalism culture surrounding the great and late Anthony Bourdain, she is a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of books. You can find her food blog on Instagram: