Montaigne is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician who came to prominence with the release of her debut studio album, Glorious Heights in 2016, which went on to peak at #4 on the ARIA Albums Chart and also earned her numerous accolades. Besides that, she also gained a reputation for her contribution as a featured artist for Hilltop Hoods hit track 1955.
Born Name
Jessica Alyssa Cerro
Nick Name
Montaigne
Montaigne as seen in a selfie taken in Sydney, Australia in March 2020 (Montaigne / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Residence
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality
Education
She trained as a songwriter for 2 years under the watchful eye of Michael Szumowski.
Occupation
Singer, Songwriter, Musician
Family
Father – Gustavo Carlos Cerro (Former Football Player)
Mother – Maria Cristina Respall
Siblings – Tijana Cerro (Sister)
Manager
She is represented by Jenny Hossain of WMA.
Genre
Art Pop
Instruments
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Labels
Wonderlick Entertainment
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
56 kg or 123.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Girlfriend / Spouse
Montaigne has dated –
Patrick Morrow
Montaigne as seen in a picture taken on February 21, 2015 (Bruce Baker / Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial (White, Hispanic, and Asian)
She has Argentinian ancestry on her father’s side and Filipino, Basque, Catalan, and Chinese ancestry on her mother’s side.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
She prefers to dye her hair in various shades including blue and grey.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Bisexual
Distinctive Features
Thick eyebrows
Oval face shape
Montaigne as seen in a picture taken on April 11, 2019 (Scarf2048 / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Montaigne Facts
She was brought up in Hills District, Sydney.
Montaigne’s father Gus played in the Australian National Soccer League in the past. Also, he contributed soccer skills to Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan Football Association and Pahang Football Club.
Her mother immigrated to Australia from Paco, Manila in the past, whereas, her father is from Rosario, Santa Fe.
She got her first break into the music industry after being named as a finalist in 2012 at the Triple J Unearthed High School competition.
Montaigne did not start her journey in music until she completed her schooling.
She signed her first deal with Albert Music in 2012. Later, in July 2014, she signed her very first record deal with Wonderlick Entertainment.
While learning to write songs, she sought inspiration from 16th-century philosopher and essayist Michel de Montaigne and decided to take on the stage name of “Montaigne”.
In 2014, Montaigne released her first single titled I Am Not an End.
The highlight of her career came when she was chosen as an opening act for fellow musician and songwriter Megan Washington for her 2015 tour. Earlier that year, she was also presented with FBi Radio‘s reputed Next Big Thing Award.
She released her debut album titled Glorious Heights on August 5, 2016. It earned widespread recognition and went on to earn 4th place on the ARIA Charts. Also, she was won the ARIA Award for “Breakthrough Artist – Release” and simultaneously got nominated for “Best Female Artist”.
The single Because I Love You from her debut album earned the 98th spot on the ARIA Charts and also got “Gold” certified.
