Jessica Alyssa Cerro (born 14 August 1995), who performs as Montaigne, is an Australian

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

musician and

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

streamer. Her debut album, '' Glorious Heights'', was released on 5 August 2016 and peaked at No. 4 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2016 she won Breakthrough Artist – Release for the album and was nominated for three other categories. In April 2016 she was a featured vocalist on

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the "larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) a ...

' track, "

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

", which reached No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. She was supposed to represent

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...

with her song " Don't Break Me", until the contest was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Instead, she represented Australia in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song " Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the ...

with the song " Technicolour", but did not qualify from the semi-final, becoming the first Australian entrant not to qualify to the final since the debut of Australia in 2015.

Biography

Early life

Cerro was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 14 August 1995, and was raised in the Hills District. Her father Gus Cerro was a professional football player who played in the Australian

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

, as well as for

Negeri Sembilan FA Negeri Sembilan Football Club is a Malaysian professional football club based in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, that competes in the 2022 edition of the Malaysia Super League. Founded in 1923, the club's home ground Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium. Nege ...

and

Pahang FA Sri Pahang Football Club () is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kuantan, Pahang. Founded in 1959 and has traditionally worn a yellow home kit since. At the beginning, club's home matches were held around the city public fields a ...

in Malaysia. Cerro has stated that her "ethnic background is a mixture of Argentinian, Spanish, Filipino and French".

2012–13: Career beginnings

Jessica Cerro was a

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

Unearthed High School finalist in 2012 with her indie pop song "Anyone But Me" but she waited until finishing high school to pursue her music career. In November 2012, Cerro signed a publishing deal with

Albert Music Albert Music, formerly J Albert and Son, is an Australian company with an estimated worth in 2009 of more than A$209 million. The company has major interests in music publishing and production and it earns significant royalties through its su ...

and spent the following two years refining her songwriting skills under the guidance of Michael Szumowski. In late 2013, Cerro decided to adopt the moniker Montaigne, inspired by the 16th century philosopher and essayist

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...

. Shortly after completing her HSC Montaigne began recording her debut EP with producer Tony Buchen (

The Preatures The Preatures were an Australian indie rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, who formed in 2010. The band consisted of lead vocalist and keyboardist Isabella "Izzi" Manfredi, guitarist and vocalist Jack Moffitt, bassist Thomas Champion, a ...

Andy Bull Andy Bull is an Australian alt-pop singer-songwriter and producer, based in Sydney. He is best known for his singles "Dog", "Keep on Running" and "Baby I Am Nobody Now"; as well as his prolific Australian touring. Bull also provides the singing ...

2014–16: ''Glorious Heights''

In 2014, Montaigne released her first single "I Am Not an End", which was added to high rotation on Triple J. In July 2014 Montaigne signed a management and recording deal with

Wonderlick Entertainment Wonderlick Entertainment is an Australian music company with its head office located in Sydney, Australia. It was founded by co-CEOs Gregg Donovan and Stu MacQueen in 2007, building on Donovan's existing list of clients. Donovan and MacQueen expan ...

. On 21 November 2014, she performed "I Am Not an End" for the radio station's

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

segment, along with her cover of

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

's "

Chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...

". The song was listed as its 36th most played song of 2014. The same day Montaigne also released her second single "I'm a Fantastic Wreck", in conjunction with the ''Life of Montaigne'' EP. "I'm a Fantastic Wreck" also received high rotation on Triple J and Sydney-based community radio station

FBi Radio FBi (call sign: 2FBI) station is an independent, not-for-profit community radio in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local emerging music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of wh ...

, which also listed the song as its eighth most played song of 2014. Montaigne was selected by

San Cisco San Cisco is an Australian indie pop band that formed in 2009 under the original name of King George, in Fremantle, Western Australia. The band are a three-piece, and currently consists of Jordi Davieson (guitar, lead vocals), Josh Biondillo ...

as the support act for their Run tour in November 2014. Shortly after, she was also chosen by

Megan Washington Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released three ...

to be the main support for her February 2015 national ''

There There "There There" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released as the lead single from their sixth album, '' Hail to the Thief'' (2003), on 26 May 2003. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Canada and Port ...

'' tour. In January 2015, Montaigne won

's Next Big Thing Award at its annual SMAC Awards, which recognises "the musicians, artists, performers, restaurants and events that shaped the Sydney's creative culture in 2014". Montaigne announced her first headline tour in February 2015, visiting Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in April. In August 2015, she released "Clip My Wings", the first single from her debut studio album, '' Glorious Heights''. In January 2016, Montaigne released "In the Dark", the second single from her debut album, along with the announcement of the In the Dark Tour. A music video for the song followed in March. The following month, she featured on

' song "

", which reached number 2 in Australia. In June 2016, Montaigne released the third single from her debut album ''Glorious Heights'', titled " Because I Love You". On 30 July, "Because I Love You" debuted at number 98 on the ARIA Singles Chart, marking Montaigne's first solo chart appearance. ''Glorious Heights'' was released a week later on 5 August. In November 2016, at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016, Montaigne won the

ARIA award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

for Breakthrough Artist – Release.

2017–2021: ''Complex'' and Eurovision

On 4 May 2017, Montaigne was featured on Akouo's single "Feel That". In 2018, she was featured on the track "The Best Freestylers in the World" from the

Aunty Donna Aunty Donna is an Australian surrealist comedy group formed in Melbourne in 2011. The group consists of performers and writers Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly, and Zachary Ruane alongside writer and director Sam Lingham, director Max Miller, and co ...

album, '' The Album''. In November 2018 Montaigne released "For Your Love" as the lead single from her upcoming sophomore album. In June 2019, she released the second single "Ready" alongside the announcement that the album would be titled ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''. On 9 August 2019, the album's third single "Love Might Be Found (Volcano)" was released. The album was released on 30 August 2019, and debuted at #19 on the ARIA albums chart. "Ready" plays over the end credits of the 2022 film '' Good Luck to You, Leo Grande'' starring

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

. On 6 December 2019, Montaigne, along with fellow singer Didirri, were announced as two out of the ten participating performers for ''

Eurovision - Australia Decides The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...

'' the Australian national final in which the winner would represent

Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 Australia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Don't Break Me" written by Montaigne (musician), Jessica Cerro, DNA Songs, Anthony Egizii and DNA Songs, David Musumeci. The song would have been perf ...

with the song " Don't Break Me". On 8 February 2020, she won the competition, and would have competed in the

, to be held in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

in May 2020, but on 18 March 2020, the EBU announced that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 has been cancelled due to the uncertainty created by the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On 19 March 2020, Montaigne made a Facebook post clarifying her feelings, saying "I've had my cry. I spent a couple of hours paralysed in bed, despondently scrolling through the many lovely tweet mentions from people expressing their love and support. I imagine I'll probably have a lot more cries in the next little while, for me and for the wonderful team who were working with me to make our vision come to life." She stated that she agreed with the cancellation choice saying it was "the most responsible and ethical decision that the EBU could have made." On 2 April 2020, SBS confirmed that Montaigne would represent Australia at the 2021 contest. Montaigne's

entry, " Technicolour", was released on 5 March 2021. Later, SBS announced that following a risk assessment, they would not be sending a delegation to Rotterdam and would instead compete remotely using a pre-recorded live-on-tape performance. Currently, Montaigne is the only artist to have competed in Eurovision without being present in the host city. On May 18, 2021 she competed in the first semi final of Eurovision 2021, however she did not qualify for the final, as she didn't finish within the top 10 countries. This marked the first time in Australia's participation that an Australian contestant failed to qualify for the final. It was later revealed that she had placed 14th in the first semi-final, with 28 points.

2021–present: ''Making It!''

On 15 March 2021, the podcast ''

My Brother, My Brother and Me ''My Brother, My Brother and Me'' (often abbreviated as ''MBMBaM'', pronounced ) is a weekly comedy advice podcast distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Regular episodes of the p ...

'' revealed their new theme song to be "My Life Is Better With You" a track written and performed by Montaigne specifically for the show. The song was officially released on 13 August 2021, alongside an official music video featuring Montaigne and the McElroy Brothers. On 22 October 2021, Montaigne released "Now (In Space)", the lead single from her third studio album. On 9 February, she was cast in the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World ...

musical comedy ''Time to Buy'', marking her debut lead role as an actress. Alongside the announcement, Montaigne revealed that her third studio album would be released in 2022. On 25 February 2022, Montaigne released "Always Be You" with

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

. In an Instagram post announcing the release, Montaigne said "It's pretty much the biggest deal in the world for me to be able to collaborate with him", crediting his book ''How Music Works'' as a "groundbreaking read ndtotally changed how I approached live performance." On 8 July 2020, Montaigne released "die b4 u" and announced the forthcoming release of her third studio album, ''Making It!'', which was released on 2 September 2022. In April 2022, Because I Love You was featured in episode 8 of the LBTQ+

teen drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

Heartstopper.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Notes

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(APRA) to recognise composing and song writing skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, , "1955" (with Hilltop Hoods & Thom Thum ) , , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are annual awards, which recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. , - , rowspan="5",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, , rowspan="2", ''Glorious Heights'' , , Best Female Artist , , , - , Breakthrough Artist , , , - , rowspan="2", "1955" (with Hilltop Hoods & Thom Thum ) , , Song of the Year , , , - , Best Video , , , - , Tony Buchan for ''Glorious Heights'' , ,

Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non- classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

, , , -

J Awards

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J and which are judged by the music and on-air teams from radio stations Triple J, ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

J Awards of 2016 The J Award of 2016 is the twelfth annual J Awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Austr ...

, ''Glorious Heights'' , Australian Album of the Year ,

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2016 The National Live Music Awards of 2016 are the inaugural National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of ...

, herself , Live Voice of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" ,

National Live Music Awards of 2017 The National Live Music Awards of 2017 are the second National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the ...

, rowspan="2" , herself , Live Act of the Year , , - , Live Pop Act of the Year , , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2020 The National Live Music Awards of 2020 are the upcoming 5th annual National Live Music Awards. The nominees will be revealed on 7 September 2020, which is when general public voting commences. The event is scheduled for 20 October 2020. The 2 ...

, herself , Live Voice of the Year , , -

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montaigne 1995 births 21st-century Australian women singers ARIA Award winners Australian women singer-songwriters Australian indie pop musicians Australian people of Argentine descent Australian people of French descent Australian people of Filipino descent Australian people of Spanish descent Bisexual women Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2020 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2021 Australian LGBT singers Living people Sony Music Australia artists