Cohen was born September 18, 1972, in Montreal, but spent many years of his childhood living with his American expat mother, Suzanne Elrod, in Paris and in the south of France, after his parents separated.

[1][2] He spent parts of his childhood on the Greek island Hydra, in Greenwich Village, and in Los Angeles.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to focus on his music career, after having lived and played in bands in New York City.

"[5] His 1998 debut album was well regarded critically—Stephen Holden of The New York Times called it "grimly perceptive" and "a promising beginning".

Representatives from Capitol inquired about English-language material, and soon after being signed to a deal for his French album, Adam traveled to New York to meet with executives from Manhattan Records.

[10] He characterized his French-language work as musically distinct from his English recordings, the former being more "sumptuous and cinematic", and sounding like "Sade—if she were a Frenchman".

[1] In 2009, Adam recorded a cover of his father's song "Take This Waltz", which appeared on the benefit album War Child Presents Heroes.