Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Mathieu Jomphe Lepine debuted his Mont Duamel project in 2020 with the goal to explore himself as a musician more than before. The new project found him breaking away from his work in the commercial pop world with artists such as Madonna, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears and more to release his aptly-titled and successful debut EP, Find Myself as Mont Duamel.
Flash forward two years, and Mathieu now has two EPs under his belt as Mont Duamel and is making good on his goal to discover new things about himself. While his debut EP served as a perfect introduction to the project and found him learning to trust his instincts and write what spoke to him without overthinking it, his newly released follow-up EP, Sunshine simply builds off of his honest and organic songwriting in a way that he simply hopes will brighten a listener’s day. With Sunshine out now, we caught up with Mont Duamel to look back on the past two years and discuss his plans for the future. Listen to Sunshine and read the interview now below.
Prelude Press: You began your Mont Duamel project almost exactly two years ago and since then, have released your debut EP, Find Myself and just released your new EP, Sunshine. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist in the two years since the start of this project?
Mont Duamel: I feel I’ve become more confident with the writing and singing part of it. Also getting more comfortable exploring personal stories and being able to put them in songs. I’ve written all the words with Jean-André Osorio, a good friend of mine and I feel like he’s helped me a lot to put those emotions and stories into words. I’ve known him for almost 15 years so I think that had a part to play in it as well.
You started this project with the goal to explore and discover new things about yourself as an artist – what have you learned about yourself lately?
I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is to really trust my taste and go for it without overthinking it. Even If it doesn’t work out at the end I’ll still learn something. I tend to have this perfectionism thing where I obsess over details and have this desire to make everything you do great but It also has this other side to it where It can ruin the songs you’re making. Overworking the songs and losing the core of what made it great or trashing ideas before they even come to life. I think perfectionism is fear at its core and once you know that you can make better decisions around it. I can recognize the fear and see it when It comes but not fall into it, especially not in the studio. Try to keep the studio a fun and safe place to be in where you can be free of expectations.
“I think perfectionism is fear at its core and once you know that you can make better decisions around it.”
Have you changed the way you approach making music since 2020?
Not really. I’ve explored new techniques and different ways to start ideas but It always comes back to just going into the studio with less expectations and more exploration. I find that leads to more interesting material than having too much expectation of what the song should be or what kind of songs you should make etc. Then I usually try to make 1-2 ideas everyday and overtime I start to feel like the best ideas stand the test of time and I know which one to finish.
Did you have any goals in mind when you first started working on Sunshine?
I wanted to build these songs around the songwriting and the vocals. That was a personal goal of mine, to explore what I could do vocaly and build from there. I wanted it to feel like an evolution from the first EP from my point of view.
Did you know that you’d even be making a second EP when you first started this project?
Yes even before I released the first EP I was already working on the 2nd EP. These songs kind of overlap and we’re built from parts even before EP 1. I see the Mont Duamel as a constant thing to build upon over time, that’s why I started the project. I wanted to have a way to release the stuff I usually make for myself alone in the studio and share that to the world. This whole project for me is a way to keep myself excited and inspired about music and If I can inspire others or have an impact in their life along the way then that’s really a blessing.
What was the most rewarding or exciting part of working on Sunshine?
For me It’s always building the first idea of each song. The initial feeling of making a demo you are excited about and no one has heard it yet and for now It’s just for you, that is an amazing feeling. Then the other rewarding part is having all the songs done and listening to the whole thing in a car or somewhere outside the studio. It feels like you hear it for the first time even If you’ve spent so many hours on them.
Sonically, was there anything you wanted to try or experiment with on this EP?
Since I made it so close to the first EP it was a pretty similar process but there were some differences.
I wanted to dig deeper into the idea of making the song feel alive and build organically over time, injecting little moments that only come in once. Trying to make the song feel like It was played by a human but using random noises or synth shots instead of live instruments like guitar or piano. I started using a lot more guitar pedals effects which was fun, to get out of the computer a bit and play with actual knobs. Finishing songs can be quite a challenge sometimes so anything to keep the journey fun is worth it.
What would you like for listeners to take away from Sunshine?
I think my only outside goal for this EP is for people to enjoy it. If It can brighten their day or inspire them to make anything creatively then the goal will be reached. When I receive messages from people saying how the music has impacted them I feel truly blessed to be able to achieve that. That’s exactly why I started making music as well, so many artists have had a huge impact on my life and have inspired me so I know the feeling. It’s one of the best feelings.
What’s next for Mont Duamel?
For now I’m just focusing on the next body of songs, whether It’s an EP or just singles. Taking my time to build the songs, I’m in no rush. I want to keep having fun and be excited about the project so I try to keep that in mind but I also want to release music to the world, It does feel good to share with others.
Do you have any live shows lined up?
Not yet but who knows maybe we’ll have something before the end of the year.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks to you for taking the time!
STAY CONNECTED WITH MONT DUAMEL: Instagram | Twitter | Website