The Life of Montaigne

When fresh-faced Jessica Cerro placed as a finalist of Triple J Unearthed High in 2012 with her catchy pop tune Anyone But Me, her mum was her manager and her most devoted fan. Now recording under the artist moniker Montaigne, the Sydney-based songstress is striking a chord with audiences right across the country.

As her first sold-out national headline tour approaches, City Hub caught up with Montaigne to find out more about this self-professed fantastic wreck.

Conceding the sophistication of her new sound, Cerro says, “I was just 16 when I did Triple J Unearthed – I’ve done a lot of growing up since then. I didn’t have much to write about back then, simply because I was a sheltered, private school, all-girls school kind of girl. The things I wrote about then were quite inane and insipid and boring.”

“I wasn’t reclusive, but at that time I was the kind of person who would rather stay at home on Tumblr if I had the option, rather than go out on the town with my friends. I was really into pop music. I was really into Glee at the time.”

After that early dose of Triple J fame, Cerro took time out from her music career to complete (and ace) her HSC at Loreto Normanhurst College in Sydney. While she still has a healthy respect for the pop canon, the wide-eyed ingénue has matured into an introspective artist with a penchant for Romance languages and moral-laden literature. Her new sound draws comparisons to Regina Spektor, Florence Welch, and Marina Diamandis of Marina and the Diamonds.

Borrowing her stage name from French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne, Cerro’s music reflects her own personal philosophical evolution.

“Michel de Montaigne was really real,” Cerro explains. “He was really progressive about learning and education and about talking about oneself and reflecting on oneself – not in a self-important way, but as a means to learning and evolving.”

“He emphasised the dangers of thinking that you’ve done all there is to do and thinking that you know all there is to know,” she adds, “There is always room to learn more and to treat others better.”

The philosopher made it his goal to describe humans, and especially himself, with honesty and frankness. Combining autobiographical observations, anecdotes and intellectual insights, he is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre.

Like her namesake, Montaigne is candid and self-reflexive. She says, “Being kind to people, and treating people better, is really important because we live in a world that is full of people and we have to constantly interact with these people in order to get anywhere in life. Michel de Montaigne reflected on himself in order to improve himself – and that’s kind of what songwriting is to me.”

“I’ve always been really open about my life. Maybe too open, I don’t know. My music is an extension of that,” Cerro explains.

“Solidarity is an important thing to me. It’s important to be able to share common human experiences – whether it’s about pain or suffering or frustration. I have no qualms about sharing that with people.”

“For example, my song I’m a Fantastic Wreck is about self-improvement. We’ve all done some messed up things in our lives. My principle on forgiveness is that everyone should be forgiven as long as they have the intention of doing a better job next time. “

At the tender age of 19, the accolades are rolling in fast and furious for Montaigne and her captivating voice. She was awarded the Next Big Thing Award at FBi Radio’s 2014 annual SMAC Awards; the New York Examiner touts her as an artist to watch; and Tone Deaf ranks her as one of Australia’s most talented young musicians.

Cerro’s mum is still one of her biggest fans – but her music has a few more loyal followers these days.

“My family is very supportive of my music career,” she says. “My parents enjoy music but they don’t sing or play anything. They like music but they’re not passionate about it. But my grandmother, she plays guitar and piano, and is a classical singer – she has quite a voice on her. They say that certain talents skip a generation.”

Having just wrapped up a tour with Megan Washington, Montaigne is now looking forward to taking the Life of Montaigne solo tour to audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

She says, “There is something raw and spontaneous about performance – it’s all about what you’re doing in the moment. Recording, on the other hand, is very perfected and precise. It’s about producing the best, most immaculate thing you can possibly produce – so it’s very different.”

“Performing I love because, really, that’s what I was invented for. I enjoy performing for people – I love sharing that experience with people, interacting with fans, and meeting people who enjoy what I do.”

Montaigne will perform songs from her new EP at Brighton Up Bar on April 24^th.