Séb Mont Battleground Interview

Removing the veil and entering the spotlight, songwriter, performer and vocalist Séb Mont returns in style with his new single Battleground available now. This single is also being released in conjunction with a cinematic music video directed and edited by James Plant, featuring a production comparable to releases of a top-40 artist signed to a major label, further solidifying, Séb Mont as a ground-breaking independent.

Battleground is an up tempo melodic-pop-anthem, featuring electronic production cadences with vocal accents similar to Halsey. The drive and emotion of this track is as fierce and moving as the heavy percussion, which is accurately reflected through the fast-pace choreography of the music video.

Séb is no stranger to performing and has built a organic following from street performances and busking around Melbourne. Séb has worked his way up to earning a spot regularly performing on Bourke street, Melbourne's most notorious location for talent, and has been doing so for over 5 years! Seb is also familiar to the stage and performing alongside copious amounts of talent, as he has been able to perform alongside fellow artists like Dan Sultan, Ella Hooper, Taylor Piggott and Clairy Browne.

Whilst busking has allowed Séb to hone and refine his ability in performance, he has also spent time sharpening his pen as a songwriter for other artists. His success in this field can also be seen through his awards and industry recognition as he received 'Song Of The Year' in the Top Ten Night song writing competition of 2017, placing ahead of 700 other entries. As Séb continues to spend more time in the studio, 2019 is now set to be his biggest year yet and propel Séb into the spotlight.

More info via: Facebook.com/SebMontMusic

Question: How would you describe your music?

Séb Mont: Dark, 80s, cinematic, pop.


Question: What inspired Battleground?/Can you tell us about the music video for Battleground?

Séb Mont: A lot inspired me when writing and making the visuals for battleground. Lyrically I was inspired by my personal experiences as well as others experiences with social media. Specifically how people perceive you versus who you actually are and how that can create sort of a mental and physical battle ground.

When creating Battleground I was really visually inspired by Distopian 80's sci-fi themed movies like Blade Runner. I really love the visuals and symbolism used in the movie like dark cold lighting contrasted with striking neon lights. I'm really fascinated and inspired by the visual effects and how they're used to establish themes such as good and evil, freedom and power. So I've used those techniques and symbolism within my video clip to really visually compliment the lyrics of the song and establish the dystopian, dark grungy feeling that the movies do.


Question: What motivates you most when creating music?

Séb Mont: Movies really motivate and inspire me; Bladerunner, the movie, was a big inspiration for me. I find that I am really inspired by visuals especially in movies or video clips. Just certain lighting and effects trigger my imagination and I come up with ideas and themes for visuals as well as lyrics. Personal experiences also really inspire my songwriting as well.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Séb Mont: I can't say I prefer one more than the other. Some days I want to write in the studio with amazing artists, other days I want to stand on a stage and sing my heart out. I really enjoy all the aspects of being a full time musician and can't imagine doing anything else.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Séb Mont: I'm a total sucker for pop music, I'm really loving Ariana Grande's God is a Woman at the moment!

I also love Katy Perry's, Taylor Swifts and The Weekends' new albums. I think those three really reflect the visuals and musical themes that I personally am expressing as an artist at the moment.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Séb Mont: The catalyst for me in becoming professional artists actually was watching the first season of The Voice, I was so inspired by the talent on the show that I just wanted to be on stage and start performing. A few years later I am now writing with for the 2016 winner on The Voice "Alfie Arcuri" its super cool to see a 360-spin to how I started music.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?
Séb Mont: Sia! Because she is one of my biggest inspirations as an artist and songwriter I would absolutely love to collaborate with her.


Question: What's next, for you?

Séb Mont: Currently I'm in the studio collaborating with artists and writing new music at every given opportunity. I'm hoping to release some new singles every few months.


Interview by Brooke Hunter