After years of lighting up Perth stages as a singer and dancer, local performance artist Mickey Montellá is stepping into a new chapter with the release of a video clip this week. Montellá’s music is a contrast to the live shows, characterised by a dark/witchy interior, layered with synth pop, trap, and elements of RnB, all present in today’s release of a cover of US pop star Fletcher’s 2020 hit Bitter. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with Mickey Montellá to find out how it all came together and why it’s just the beginning of more exciting times to come.
Congrats on the release of this track, how long has it been in the works for?
Thank you. It came together quite quickly being a cover song. When I first heard it, I was immediately pulled in. I think Fletcher is a real vibe, and this particular track was a major mood that sorta grabbed me by the throat. I knew I needed to cover it.
What was it about this song that made you want to recreate in your own style? And how was your approach different from the original?
The concept came together after I watched her video clip. As a gay man, I can obviously completely respect and admire where she went with it. It was sexy, gritty and girly yet had this masculine undertone to it. I thought a gay-boy perspective could be really cool too.
My approach definitely amplifies a more “witchy” aesthetic whilst maintaining a similar level of sex appeal. My version is shorter, so I wanted to layer it with a few different elements.
Other than Fletcher, who else has inspired you as a musician and as an artist and why?
I love Prince. I love Janet Jackson, and I adore Britney Spears. To me, these three artists just elevated my understanding of music and stage performance. They are the definition of “Performance Artistry” in my opinion.
And what can you tell us about the video clip? Where did the idea for it come from and how did it take shape once you were creating it?
I connected with Martin Poole from Speedlite photography, who will be involved in a lot of my upcoming content. I Showed him the official fletcher video for the song, and we both creatively built the idea from there. We managed to locate this really funky Airbnb, and just decked it out with décor, props, lighting etc. We had a killer creative team supporting us that night too, so big shout out to Dean and Vanessa and Kally.
How would you say this is different from what you have done previously as an artist?
It’s different in the sense that it’s more authentic to who I am. Pop and RnB is really where it’s at for me, so it’s cool to see the musical connection I have made compared to my other demos which are very different.
And is this a sign of things to come from Mickey Montellá? Can we expect more music like this from you in the future?
Yes, you can. I’m excited to release plenty more covers tracks and original material in the very near future, so please stay tuned.
