Montaigne
Montaigne is a rising artist from Australia getting love all over by the media and fans. I wanted to get to know the real her. So this is what I asked and this is what she had to say.
Why do you think your style of music and others who are doing exactly like you is doing well compared to other artists who are doing traditional styles of music?
This question it seems to me is implying that what I do is the opposite of traditional which is, I suppose, progressive? Original? I appreciate that, thank you. I’m not exactly sure how to answer this question. What is traditional anymore? There are so many varieties of music and so many eclectic and creative uses of sound nowadays, from so many artists, I can hardly define ‘traditional’. I feel like perhaps this is addressing the entrance of more alternative music onto the commercial scene – I think that merely comes from people being less lazy about music. Because of streaming sites I think people are becoming more adventurous in the land of songs. Kudos to pop music for doing its own thing but I think even audiences of commercial pop are ready to hear something that doesn’t fit the uniform of commercial music as it is at the moment, they’re looking beyond their radiowaves. What’s played commercially is always evolving anyway, I think this is just a natural evolution into a new era of music. It’s pretty exciting.
Do you think it’s all about the songwriting or does timing and the right place at the right time has a key getting your music out there?
I think good songwriting and real hard work and perseverance is the key to getting your music out there. Luck and timing also plays a part. But read any success story for any kind of entrepreneur or artist
How important to you are music blogs in helping get your music out there?
Judging from what I’ve heard in the PR sphere, it seems as if music blogs play a really important role in allowing listeners and potential fans to connect with an artist and their music in an organic way. It doesn’t feel like forced or imposing self-promotion when another human with a person opinion and a subjective take on the song decides to post about it through a medium which is by nature quite personal and very easy to digest. Blogs have a lot of power and influence yet at the same time they feel really homely, really humble, really easy to connect with. So music blogs are really great if you want some of that natural, seemingly unforced growth.There’s also the fact that the internet is expanding all the time and it is a very loud and cluttered place; music blogs serve the role of identifying, organizing and highlighting music they like, and hence it’s easier for your music to be found as something worth the time spent listening to it amidst an overwhelming mass of online voices if they blog you.
What inspired you in the first place to give music a shot?
Probably opportunity. I’d always, since I was very, very young, wanted to be a singer for a living. You know, dancing round my living room to the Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack and all. As I got older, I found I also had a penchant for writing lyrics and music, – in fact it became an irrepressible and necessary act for me, a natural physiological reaction to existing as I tell people – but didn’t realize that one could make a living from it. I come from a family oriented around football (soccer) and I was pretty good at the sport, so that was the thing that I was going to capitalize on with music as an unexploitable passion on the side. I was going to be a professional player in a US college team, that was the goal. We were filling out applications for Ivy League US Soccer Scholarships, mum recommended I get a proper recording of me singing to put over my player highlights video in order to show that I had ~multiple talents~. I said how about I record one of my own songs? And so I did, and from there came my parents’ realization that I wasn’t half bad a singer/songwriter, then their efforts of online proliferation of my songs, and then the eventual stint in the triple j unearthed high competition which got me a fair bit of attention. Where I hadn’t had faith in myself initially, my parents and the triple j experience revealed that this was something I was possibly good enough to do as a life-long career. And so of course, with a lot of support from my parents, I decided to pursue music. And here I am now. Isn’t life funny.
Having tools like Soundcloud does it make your job easier when trying to gain new listeners to your music?
Of course. No one these days wants to buy something they haven’t tried out first, no one wants to make a purchase they might regret. Not many people want to pay that $1.69 and risk a dud experience, they could spend that money on something more reliable, like a cup of tea, right? So SoundCloud is wonderful because it’s easily accessible (accessibility and ease of is everything in a world where most things lie at the end of our fingertips). Moreover, it’s free. People love free stuff. From my experience, people will take free stuff even if it’s not totally necessary or relevant in a person’s life. So there’s that. And also it’s easy to share a SoundCloud link. And sharing has an obvious importance in gaining new listeners.
Do you think releasing EP’s and singles is a good way of keep momentum going before releasing a full length or spending time out of the spotlight writing songs is better?
Por qué no las dos? I do both. I have no trouble doing both. I’m writing all the time. Not because of external pressure but internal necessity. And then single and EP releases? I think these kinds of choices are situational. Every artist’s strategy is necessarily different. If you don’t have something you’re comfortable with putting out for whatever reason, don’t put it out. And vice versa and etc. And I mean, like I said, the songwriting is a non-issue for me, so I’m not much help there. Sorry!
How does a song happen for you?
Could start with lyrics, with a vocal riff that I flesh out, with a sequence of chords on guitar or piano, anything. Often my lyrics start from stream-of-consciousness processes and I refine tem later on. Vocal melodies and harmonies are most common starting points. Guitar and piano beginnings lately are infrequent. Never happens by plan eiter. I can’t put aside time for songwriting, it happens spontaneously and unpredictably. If I try to force it I grow frustrated and scrap whatever I’ve got altogether. The songs are shit when I try to force them.
Are there moments where your just not in the mood for writing music and need to do something else before you jump back into songwriting mode?
Again, I don’t set time for songwriting, I am perpetually in songwriting-mode. Most of the time I am not writing, I am living life etc, and when I feel a song coming on then I let the mood seize me & I pursue the idea & when I’ve fallen out of an inspired state of mind I stop & then back to life. That’s pretty much the cycle of my life.
Do you think YouTube has help save the music industry?
YouTube so far as it has been developed today has, I believe, indeed saved it to same extent. Firstly, it can be monetized so A+. Secondly, I think visuals play a huge part in an experience of a song. A really good music video can enhance a song, I think. You carry subconscious associations between the song and its video after you’ve seen it, and that can be extremely powerful. To me, at least. The visuals also help a band’s branding of course. I mean, it’s a big call to say that any one thing has saved the industry, but YouTube has definitely played a role. And it also facilitates discussion amongst listeners! It allows for greater engagement both with the song and with a community of listeners, which I think is really important.
Do you think being serious with your music at a young age has helped you?
I suppose so. I mean…helped me with what though? I’m going to take this as “helped you to pursue a music career”.You can be any age and have talent. And creative talent is important to making a career of an art. But it is important to remember that a career is a matter of maturity and experience. One must manage problems and make decisions. I know that personally, I lacked both maturity and experience at the beginning. I was 16, of course I did. Hey, I still lack them now. But I’m doing better. I’ve learnt more. Let’s be honest though, my saviours have been the experienced adults around me. My mum, my publisher, other industry people who’ve helped me out. It’s important I remain grateful and appreciative of these people, because like everything, you can’t do it without support of some nature. But I suppose my being serious at a young age has played some part. It’s just a part amongst many others I should not forget.
