Montaigne (musician)

Jessica Cerro (born 14 August 1995), better known by her stage name Montaigne, is a Sydney-based singer-songwriter.

Jessica Cerro was a Triple J Unearthed High finalist in 2012 with her indie pop song "Anyone But Me" but waited until finishing high school to pursue her music career.

In November 2012, Cerro signed a publishing deal with Alberts Music 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. Shortly after completing her HSC Montaigne began recording her debut EP with producer Tony Buchen (The Preatures, Andy Bull).

In July 2014 Montaigne secured a management and recording deal with Wonderlick Entertainment and also signed to the booking agency, Select Music.

Shortly prior, Montaigne released her first single "I Am Not an End", which was added to high rotation on Triple J and listed as its 36th most played song of 2014. On 21 November 2014, she performed the single for the radio station's Like a Version segment, along with her cover of Sia's "Chandelier". 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, which also listed the song as its eighth most played song of 2014.

Montaigne was selected by San Cisco as the support act for their Run tour in November 2014. Shortly after, she was also chosen by Megan Washington to be the main support for her February 2015 national There There tour.

In January 2015, Montaigne won FBi Radio'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 Hilltop Hoods' song "1955", which reached number 2 in Australia.

In June 2016, Montaigne released the third single from her debut album, titled "Because I Love You". The album, Glorious Heights, will be released on 5 August 2016. On 30 July, "Because I Love You" debuted at number 98 on the ARIA Singles Chart, marking Montaigne's first solo chart appearance. She won the ARIA award in 2016 for best breakthrough artist.

In January 2017 she came #25 in triple j's Hottest 100 for the song 'Because I Love You'.