If you have listened to Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, or Britney Spears recently, then you are most likely familiar with Mont Duamel. The three-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer, who is also known as Mathieu Jomphe Lepine, has been writing and producing in the pop world for years, creating some of your favorite songs. Last year, Mont Duamel decided to branch out and release his own music in the form of his debut EP Find Yourself, which further revealed his character and artistry. Back in August, Mont Duamel returned with two new singles “Sunshine” and “New Light,” which continued to shed light (no pun intended) on the artist and usher in his upcoming Sunshine EP due out at the end of this year. We had the chance to chat with Mont Duamel about the project, his latest single “Young,” and his approach to making memorable music.
Photo via Instagram (@montduamel)
Photo via Instagram (@montduamel)Melodic Mag: Your new single “Young” is a lively pop track that focuses on holding onto the past. Can you tell us about how you made the track and the inspiration behind it?
Mont Duamel: It was made right at the beginning of the pandemic; I had just bought this new guitar and this is the first thing that came out of it. I remember recording the whole thing fairly quickly as if I didn’t wanna lose the moment. I first sang the melody, but the lyrics came months later.
MM: The lyrics on “Young” are more melancholy than the melodies and beats that we hear – how did you decide on pairing the lyrics with these warmer sounds?
MD: Even if the track was upbeat, I felt that there was something melancholic about it, a sort of nostalgia came to mind. I sometimes tend to reminisce about the past in a romantic way, sort of how we sometimes feel like everything was better back then, but then I catch myself and realize that this thought is not actually true.
MM: What are some of your favorite memories from when you were young?
MD: Spending the summers at my dad’s cabin felt like the best thing in the world. I think just the simplicity of it all. Yes, when we’re young there are a lot of things we can’t do and we wish we were, but that is also the beauty of it.
MM: Is there anything you did differently in creating your upcoming Sunshine EP than you did on your last EP, Find Myself?
MD: For this one, I wanted to push myself into new territories – exploring vocals as I sing more on the tracks and finding what I wanted to say, incorporating new instruments, and trying to keep this exciting for me.
MM: Do you have a special track on Sunshine that you are most excited for people to hear?
MD: The title track, for me, meant a lot because when I made it, it felt like the transition from the last EP to this one. Everything else on the EP kind of came to life from that one.
MM: When it comes to working on new material, which do you enjoy more – the brainstorming process or the production process?
MD: Like most musicians, I think I enjoy the brainstorming process more. This state is quite surreal, where you simply do stuff for a couple of hours and you have something to listen back to at the other end of that session. To me, that feeling will never get old. Finishing songs can be quite difficult, but it’s also so rewarding when you get to how you hear it in your mind.
MM: Are you more critical with your own releases than you are with the releases you work on with other artists?
MD: No, I think I’m very critical on both sides, but when you produce for other people, you don’t really have the final say in what will be released. [This] can be great because it makes you realize that we sometimes lose perspective with our own work, as we’re too much in front of it, so we judge it differently. Collaborating with people definitely helps a lot in that aspect.
MM: I read that you used a new guitar pedal named ‘Blooper’ when you worked on “New Light” – how have things been going with Blooper so far?
MD: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, but I guess like every piece of gear, you kinda get used to it. “New Light” was the very first use of that pedal, so I didn’t know how to use it, so you end up creating these so-called “happy accidents” a lot more. I guess the goal is to try to stay in that mindset, a constant state of innocence and wonder, so you can surprise yourself.
Thank you so much for your time, Mont Duamel! We are counting down the days until your Sunshine EP drops in December.
You can listen to Mont Duamel’s music on platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.
Keep up with Mont Duamel: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // YouTube // Website
