Montaigne (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Montaigne
Montaigne in April 2019
Born	Jessica Alyssa Cerro (1995-08-14) 14 August 1995 (age 29) Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Musician singer streamer
Years active	2014–present
Relatives	Gustavo Cerro (father)
Musical career
Genres	Art pop
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Labels	Wonderlick

Jessica Alyssa Cerro (born on August 14, 1995), known as Montaigne, is an Australian musician and singer. She is also a Twitch streamer.

Her first album, Glorious Heights, came out in August 2016. It reached No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2016, she won an award for Breakthrough Artist. In April 2016, she sang on the Hilltop Hoods' song "1955". This song became very popular, reaching No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Montaigne was chosen to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Her song was "Don't Break Me". However, the contest was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, she represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. Her song for that year was "Technicolour".

Early Life and Family

Jessica Alyssa Cerro was born in Sydney, Australia, on August 14, 1995. She grew up in an area called the Hills District. Her father, Gustavo Cerro, used to be a professional football player. He played in Australia's National Soccer League.

In 2019, Montaigne shared on Instagram that her family background is a mix. She has roots from Argentina, Spain, the Philippines, and France.

Music Career Beginnings

Starting in Music (2012–2013)

In 2012, Jessica Cerro was a finalist in a music competition called Triple J Unearthed High School. She sang an indie pop song called "Anyone But Me." She decided to wait until she finished high school to focus on her music.

In November 2012, Jessica signed a deal with Albert Music. For the next two years, she worked on improving her songwriting. Michael Szumowski helped her with this.

In late 2013, Jessica chose the stage name Montaigne. She was inspired by a famous writer from the 1500s, Michel de Montaigne. After finishing high school, Montaigne started recording her first EP. She worked with producer Tony Buchen.

First Album: Glorious Heights (2014–2016)

Montaigne performing in 2015

In 2014, Montaigne released her first song, "I Am Not an End." It was played a lot on the radio station Triple J. In July 2014, Montaigne signed deals with Wonderlick Entertainment for management and recording.

On November 21, 2014, Montaigne performed "I Am Not an End" for Triple J's Like a Version show. She also sang a cover of Sia's "Chandelier." "I Am Not an End" was one of the most played songs on Triple J that year. On the same day, she released her second song, "I'm a Fantastic Wreck," along with her first EP, Life of Montaigne. This song was also played often on Triple J.

Montaigne was chosen to open for the band San Cisco on their tour in November 2014. She also opened for Megan Washington on her national tour in February 2015.

In January 2015, Montaigne won the Next Big Thing Award from FBi Radio. This award celebrates artists who shaped Sydney's creative culture. In February 2015, Montaigne announced her first headline tour. She visited cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in April.

In August 2015, Montaigne released "Clip My Wings." This was the first song from her first studio album, Glorious Heights. In January 2016, she released "In the Dark," the second song from the album. A music video for "In the Dark" came out in March. The next month, Montaigne was featured on Hilltop Hoods' song "1955." This song reached number 2 in Australia.

In June 2016, Montaigne released "Because I Love You." This was the third song from Glorious Heights. On July 30, "Because I Love You" appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart. This was Montaigne's first song to chart on its own. Glorious Heights was released a week later, on August 5. In November 2016, Montaigne won an ARIA award for Breakthrough Artist.

Complex and Eurovision (2017–2021)

In May 2017, Montaigne sang on Akouo's song "Feel That." In 2018, she was on the song "The Best Freestylers in the World" by Aunty Donna.

In November 2018, Montaigne released "For Your Love." This was the first song from her second album. In June 2019, she released "Ready" and announced her new album would be called Complex. On August 9, 2019, the third song from the album, "Love Might Be Found (Volcano)," was released. The album came out on August 30, 2019. It reached #19 on the ARIA albums chart. The song "Ready" is played during the end credits of the 2022 movie Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.

On December 6, 2019, Montaigne was announced as one of the performers for Eurovision - Australia Decides. This is the show where Australia chooses its song for Eurovision. She performed "Don't Break Me". On February 8, 2020, Montaigne won the competition. She was set to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in May 2020. However, on March 18, 2020, Eurovision was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Montaigne shared her feelings about the cancellation on Facebook. She said she cried but understood it was the right decision. On April 2, 2020, it was confirmed that Montaigne would represent Australia in the 2021 contest.

Montaigne's song for Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was "Technicolour." It was released on March 5, 2021. Due to safety reasons, Australia decided not to send a team to Rotterdam. Instead, Montaigne competed remotely using a pre-recorded performance. She is the only artist to have competed in Eurovision without being in the host city.

On May 18, 2021, Montaigne performed in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2021. However, Australia did not get enough votes to reach the final. This was the first time Australia did not qualify for the final. Australia placed 14th in the semi-final.

New Music and Projects (2021–Present)

On January 3, 2021, the podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me announced a new theme song. On March 15, 2021, they revealed the new theme song was "My Life Is Better with You." Montaigne wrote and performed this song just for the podcast. The song was officially released on August 13, 2021. It also had a music video.

On October 22, 2021, Montaigne released "Now (In Space)." This was the first song from her third studio album. On February 9, 2022, Montaigne was cast in a musical comedy called Time to Buy. This was her first main acting role. She also announced that her third album would be released in 2022.

On February 25, 2022, Montaigne released "Always Be You" with Talking Heads' David Byrne. Montaigne said it was a huge deal to work with him. She said his book How Music Works changed how she thought about live performances. On July 8, 2022, Montaigne released "Die B4 U." She also announced her third album, Making It!, which came out on September 2, 2022.

In April 2022, Montaigne's song "Because I Love You" was featured in the Netflix series Heartstopper.

In 2023, a painting of Montaigne by Julia Gutman won the Archibald Prize. The artist said that Montaigne's music is unique and doesn't stick to one style.

In 2023, the video game Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical was released. Montaigne helped write songs for the game. Her work on the game was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Discography

Studio Albums

Extended Plays

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Montaigne (cantante) para niños