Monette

Monette

Interview conducted on November 27, 2020

By Dan Locke

She is a Mexican singer with the desire of expressing my rebel ideas about the society, its rules and encouraging to be aware of the world’s problems.

Genre: Dance/Rock/Electropop, with melodies and harmonies that add a dark touch.

You a singer, composer, and producer. What is your upbringing?

I started as a singer when I was 9 years old, I then took guitar lessons and eventually studied music production engineering as a career. During this time, I also took private singing and composition lessons. At the moment I am studying MA Music Production as I keep recording and producing my own music.

How did you discover music?

My first encounter with music was when I was 5 years old and lived in Nashville, Tennessee. I started taking piano and violin lessons and I loved it.

How did you start to write music?

I was about 10 years old, I grabbed the keyboard and started getting ideas until I had a melody and then I wrote lyrics for it. I kept trying to figure out how to write music because nobody taught me, so I analyzed the structure of songs I liked and tried to copy it.

How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?

I got my first guitar for my 13th birthday; my parents gave it to me. It was a pink electric guitar that said “Princess” on it. Pretty girlish but it was nice to finally have a guitar so I could learn how to play it, I still have it back at my parent’s house.

What was your first performance at like?

I started performing in small piano and violin recitals since I was 5 years old, then I performed with my first bands during high school and eventually decided to make my project as solo artist. My first Monette concert was really nice, it was a small venue but the place was full, some of my friends weren’t even able to get in, I think it was a great start.

What makes a good songwriter?

I think a good song will always be the one in which we can notice the feelings and ideas of the songwriter. Having songwriting and composition skills is important to accomplish the idea of a song you have in your head, but it is nothing without really “feeling” it.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

My first song is called “The World of My Dreams”. It is not recorded but I have the notebook in which I wrote the lyrics 15 years ago and I remember the melody. It is not a long song since I had no notion of songwriting when I wrote it. I was actually thinking of adding a part of it somewhere in my upcoming album.

How did you get your name?

I wanted my artistic name to be different from my real name “Andrea”, so I started searching for a name I liked. I then remembered I once made a regression activity into past lives while practicing yoga and the name “Monette’’ popped in my head. I can’t say I believe in past lives, but it was interesting to see how I kept so rooted to that name. I decided Monette would be the person who expresses what Andrea cannot.

Let’s talk about your upcoming album “Monotony” As I understand the original title was “Fantasy”?

My upcoming album is indeed called Fantasy. It will be an approach to science fiction taking place in a futuristic imaginary world. The songs talk about different aspects of a journey towards this magical place that is supposed to be perfect but is not, kind of utopian. I am still working on this album hoping to release it soon.

Monotony is the first single off of the album. Why did you pick that for the first single?

Monotony felt like a strong song for me in spite of its simplicity, it was also the song I had been working on the most because I liked it so much. It was almost complete when the time came on deciding the first single so I decided to go with it.

What is your favorite track on the album?

I think I will have to finish them before giving an answer to that; but as I said before, Monotony is a strong song on the album. There is this other song called “Dance”, which was the other option for the first single.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

Well there isn’t much touring, but I exercise 6 days a week and try to eat healthy. I recently moved to England and it has been hard for me because the food is very different from what I am used to in Mexico.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

I think streaming opens up a door for new emerging artists, as we now can put our songs available to anyone. I understand the effects this has on artists who earn from selling physical CDs as most digital platforms don’t pay much and CD purchases are going down, artists have been pushed to look for other ways to earn money apart from selling their music.

However, streaming also stops users from distributing content illegally, because now they can access it. Anyways, I think the industry will keep changing, everything is becoming digital and it was likely that music would also, it is part of the time we live in, we have to adapt and take advantage of the positive things.

Digital vs. vinyl?

As an audio engineer I can say the quality of vinyl is undeniable, the bad thing is that nowadays, we listen to music through digital platforms that really brings down the quality of the original song. On the other hand, as I said before, we have to keep adapting as the music industry changes. I do think it would be good to keep producing vinyl’s for fans who want to listen to music in high quality and like collecting them.

What are you’re feeling about President Trump immigration policy?

My song “Now I Know” talks a little bit about my feelings with immigration policy, I was so surprised when he said he would have a wall built between Mexico and USA. Although I can understand that illegal immigration may be an issue, his policy addresses discrimination towards Mexicans and other cultures. I’ve always seen USA as a diverse country where people can grow and the immigration policy kind of changed the way a saw the country, I am quite glad that Biden is now president.

Has the Me-Too movement helped female performers?

I believe it does. Me too movement has made people more aware of sexual harassment that mostly woman lives even within a work environment, although the movement has not stopped these issues, it gave more importance to it and I am certain that maybe now people think twice before harassing someone because they now we speak up and have support from people involved in this movement.

What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?

Although I am not a US citizen, I believe in equal rights for everyone, skin color, race and other factors are not something that should affect the way we treat people. Biden is now president and I think it is the right choice.

What is the mental health situation of the United State? How can the public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?

I think citizens should support and applaud the work that nurses and doctors have done in this pandemic. We should take care of them as they take care of us.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

I can’t tell you a song but I used to listen to the album “A Beautiful Lie” from Thirty Seconds To Mars when I was in secondary school and the first songs, I learned on guitar were probably from this album, it is a good memory I have.

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

It has affected in many ways already, the process of music-making has also become remote for example. My greatest doubt is how concerts will work because it has almost completely stopped and the online concert experience is not the same as being there, being part of that interaction. So, I think while covid-19 keeps affecting us, we will keep looking for other ways of achieving what we want, maybe virtual reality concerts. I believe, eventually, some of the things that we get out of Covid-19 will stick even if things get better.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

I have tried to make a routine and look for new activities. I exercise, work on my music, make video calls with friends, color mandalas, cook desserts, build puzzles, and have movie nights with my family.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

I have discovered that drawing mandalas calms me and I love cooking desserts which is something I retook during this time.

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. Which is your favorite streaming channel?

I stopped watching TV a couple of years ago because I lived on my own and didn’t mind not having a TV. Since then, I have been using Netflix, and I must admit I get really caught up watching series.

Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I see you did a couple of things during yourself quarantine. You did the cover for Nightmare- A flock of seagulls?

Yes, I asked my followers what songs they wanted me to sing and make covers of. I received some answers and decided to cover Nightmare. Although I haven’t made a full concert, I have done a couple of live streams where I sing and chat with my followers. In the most recent one, I tried British sweets and snacks for the first time.

With no real live music (mostly virtual shows) expect for things like Drive-In Theater shows with crowds for the past 6 months, what do you think will be the future of music?

Right now, the future is unpredictable, but I think Drive-in and virtual concerts will continue for some years until things get better. However, virtual events might still continue from now on. I also saw an interesting suit called Micrashell which will allow to have live events with an air filtering system included in the suit. It looks very futuristic; this might be the future of concerts.

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?

Social media is our strongest tool right now, bands and artists have to keep trying new things, engaging our fans in new activities, virtual concerts. We have to get creative.

Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home? Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music, and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?

Sadly, we don’t earn the same in virtual concerts because tickets are bought by screen and not by person; prices are also lower because it is not the same experience. I think we have to find other ways around it, in the end, concerts are an experience and artists become the entertainers, if we make a better streaming experience, more people will want to be part of it, perhaps a virtual reality experience can be more interesting and can be charged more.

For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?

I think it will be hard to get back to that since small venues can’t open, not even bars where musicians could be playing are open. Sometimes small venues also work as a place where people can get to know emerging artists, so it’s sad to see there is a lost opportunity there.

Since you are from Mexico. Do you think there will be a Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico?

Day of the dead was different this year, there were some virtual and online events people could attend, things kept smaller but it didn’t stop us from celebrating. People made their own altars at home and celebrated within their families.

With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it maybe the end of the music fest for the next couple of years?

Music festivals are usually huge events so yes, I don’t think there will be festivals soon unless they find a way to keep it safe, using the Micrashell for example.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

This is exactly what I talked about before, if we have to keep concerts virtual, I am sure we will find a way of making a more interactive and realistic experience. I think having holographic concerts in our living rooms is not a crazy idea, it is becoming a possibility.

How do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see myself as a successful artist, at least being able to have a bigger fan base, maybe two more albums, traveling enough to get my music heard around the world. I also want to start producing other artists.

How can people help to slow down the limit use of our resources?

We can help in every day activities by recycling, separating the trash, or donating useful things we no longer use. In Mexico the use of cars is massive, so I think we can also try to carpool and use public transport or a bike.

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