今日吃瓜

It鈥檚 been an interesting year for Jess Cerro, who goes by the stage name of Montaigne. Originally slated to perform on the Eurovision stage, but with the cancellation of Eurovision 2020 and the onset of restrictions throughout Australia, Montaigne has been able to discover new ways of exploring her creativity.

Speaking with Star Observer, she said that 鈥渆motionally and creatively鈥� the past months have been 鈥渧ery fruitful. I have been practicing making original compositions more than ever, I think. It鈥檚 been a galvanising opportunity.鈥�

She has been writing more songs 鈥渢hat aren鈥檛 necessarily personal.” These “stories鈥� she said, 鈥渉ave taken a turn for the fantastical and the imaginative and that鈥檚 really exciting, like I feel really alive because of it.” She鈥檚 also taken this time to amass a dedicated audience on Twitch, a live streaming platform. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice to be able to share that with a pretty devoted loving audience that I鈥檝e accrued over the last few months.鈥�

Montaigne also spoke about her newfound interest in hyper-pop: a genre of music which combines both EDM and more traditional pop music.

The 鈥渋nteresting thing about hyper-pop is that its themes tend to be on the extreme side of sexuality and dominance… I think it鈥檚 a lot of queer people and marginalised people who once were the dominated and in the music can become the dominating鈥� although Montaigne acknowledges that she herself 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 know how to write it in terms of real human relationships.”

She has instead been writing within the genre of hyper-pop from the perspective of a 鈥減arasitic mushroom鈥� that 鈥渢akes over the bodies of insects.鈥�

鈥淚 wrote a song about that鈥� but 鈥渁nthropomorphising the mushroom so it seemed like it was just this very parasitic toxic person.鈥�

听Montaigne currently has a number of new projects on the horizon. In November, she will be the first Express Yourself-Queer Discovery Showcase. This showcase event is a combined effort by Mardi Gras and APRA AMCOS.

When asked about the significance of an event like this, Montaigne told Star Observer that 鈥淚 am a queer person, and if I鈥檓 going to do work it is ideally in space that resonates with me and shares ideals and values and paradigms about being.鈥�

鈥淧eople need to be represented in public spaces鈥� she stated, speaking about the significance of giving undiscovered queer artists a platform like that afforded to them through Express Yourself-Queer Discovery, 鈥渙therwise they don鈥檛 know that it is a valid way to be. She went on to say that 鈥渜ueer artists especially need to be represented in spaces that denote success and represent an artist鈥檚 work being acknowledged and celebrated and remunerated as well.鈥�

Montaigne has recently been an asking for an end to police and corrective services participating in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Montaigne stated that this was important to her because 鈥渨e saw what happened with the Black Lives [Matter] movement accelerating and increasing this year, for good reason.鈥� She went on to say, 鈥淚 think a lot of questions were raised in Australia about our own police force, which are also incredibly valid, especially around black deaths in custody and general indigenous incarceration numbers and percentages.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to try and remove police from scenes of marginalised celebration or events,” she continued, 鈥渂ecause the police have a history and a tendency to target those people more, assuming that they are less than or that they deserve it or that they are inherently prone to doing something wrong or transgressive. It鈥檚 important to show that we鈥檙e taking actual structural steps to eliminating the intensity of the presence of the police so that the government feels less reliant on using force, and especially police force to look after the country鈥� because 鈥渁t the end of the day what鈥檚 really going to protect people is public and social services that are available to everyone.鈥�

听When it comes to how politics influences her music, Montaigne affirmed that 鈥渋t鈥檚 definitely something I live in my life. I think politics is a big thing always, I don鈥檛 think it ever fades,鈥� and that 鈥渙f course this then becomes a feature of music and art,鈥� especially 鈥渂eing a queer woman of colour.鈥�

Montaigne was slated to perform as the representative of Australia for this years鈥� Eurovision Song Contest. The contest was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Montaigne will still perform at Eurovision 2021 with an entirely new song and performance.

鈥淲e actually had a meeting, like a first proper meeting, yesterday. I feel like, fairly, but not 100%, set on a song which I love a lot.鈥�

Reflecting on a year lacking in live performance opportunities, Montaigne is hopeful that she will be able to continue her digital success.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 doing more Twitch stuff and things in the video game world I鈥檓 hoping that there are more crossovers in the video game world because that鈥檚 something that I鈥檓 genuinely quite passionate about.鈥� She also added that 鈥淚 might be doing some song writing or composing for a new indie video game鈥� and that 鈥淚鈥檓 part of a Twitch squad that鈥檚 comprised mostly of Australian comedians and then me.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e tried to make comedy crossover events happen鈥� she said, 鈥淚鈥檇 like to do more of that stuff if anything ever arose.鈥�

鈥淚 think the digital thing feels compelling to me鈥� she went on to say, reflecting on all the opportunities that the digital world has afforded her over these past few months. 鈥淚 think all of that is appealing because I don鈥檛 think I can always depend on touring. Especially in this day and age, travelling is incredibly fraught.鈥�

With a number of different projects in the works, it鈥檚 clear that Montaigne鈥檚 creative spark has only been further ignited by the possibilities afforded by an increased emphasis on digital spaces over the past year.