Montana Joanna Shines With Smoky-Room Elegance, Smooth Star Power, And A Beautiful Solo Debut On “Same Stars”
- 🌟 Miles Carter
- 27 minutes ago
- 7 min read
By: Miles Carter
Montana Joanna turns “Same Stars” into a genre-blurring work of art, carried by soothing vocals, deliberate instrumentation, and undeniable creative elegance.
We got together with Montana Joanna for an exciting interview to delve into the stories and happenings behind the making of this latest original release, “Same Stars,” and learn more about the artist in "The Cage" Digital Magazine and we are excited to share it with you!
Begin Interview
The Cage: Hello Montana Joanna, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more excited to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Let’s start by saying we are genuinely excited to be part of your debut as a solo artist. We are sending love and support, and after hearing “Same Stars,” that support is wildly deserved. The song is an absolute work of art. The deliberate stringed melodic notes, gentle drums, and bassline pull everything into such an amazing performance. Then, when the horns come in, the whole track takes on this smoky-room, relaxed elegance that carries undeniable star power. Your smooth, unique, and standout vocals take it even further. In a sea of voices, yours would stand out immediately, and that soothing essence makes the performance unforgettable.
Q. Can you tell us what idea or emotion first birthed this beautiful song?
A. Thank you so much for the kind words. The song’s melody, chorus, and lyrics all came to me one morning as I was driving to work and I recorded them right away into a voice memo. It started off in a humorous way, kind of an inside joke with myself—I was just thinking “what would a love song between a human and an alien sound like?” and then I started to add all those astrology references into the lyrics. But the melody itself was worth exploring and I could hear the bassline behind it before I even got the bass into my hands.
Q. You mentioned that you have performed across various genres and with different bands. How would you describe the sound and style of those projects compared to the music you are creating now as Montana Joanna?
A. I play with 3 (technically 4 bands) which are all quite different. 64 Love Machine is a four piece that I sing and play synth in, and we are pop/funk/R&B covers and originals, so there’s some overlap in that style (“Same Stars” was originally one I brought to that band but it felt too jazzy to fit into what we were doing at the time.) Luminatrix is an indie-rock trio that plays all originals written by our guitarist Jenna McGrath, and I play bass and sing backing vocals. We also perform other original Luminatrix material as a duo version for smaller venues. And then I sing Kate Pierson’s parts in a B-52’s tribute called The Dead BeatClub, and I recently learned a set of Blondie songs on bass so we could open for ourselves as a Blondie tribute. So it’s a fair bit of different instruments and styles, but I will say that the singing is the common thread—my voice is classified as Mezzo Soprano so I’m usually covering the higher range parts, and that works out well as it's very comfortable for me.
Q. We read that you started learning bass guitar on your own in 2020, and clearly, you are one terrific teacher. How has that instrument influenced your career, your creative direction, and the way you now hear or build music?
A. I did start on my own but also have to give a big thanks to Nik West (former bassist for Prince and recording/performing artist of her own music) who started an online bass class that I joined very early on in the process. I credit my journey on the bass for getting me back into singing and performing. Without having that outlet, I would never have thought to start writing music. It has empowered me as a musician in a big way and I think as a songwriter it gives me a different perspective to be writing from the bass first—thinking of rhythm and root notes primarily, which leaves a lot of space to figure out interesting chord voicing for guitar or keys.
Q. Coming back to your vocals, your styling and delivery are so pointed while still sounding casual, smooth, and natural. You have a way of embracing a note, landing it with almost head-turning emphasis, and then letting it slowly disappear like a wave pulling back from the sand. Where did that vocal style come from, and has it always been part of your technique?
A. As a kid, I always wanted to sing but also had a lot of stage fright to work through. In college I finally started studying classical and jazz voice for fun and that gave me the fundamental technique for healthy, sustainable singing. When I started singing in bands I was figuring it all out on my own again, but last year I started up with a wonderful vocal coach named Amber Mogg Cathey with the intention of getting my vocals up to the standard I wanted for recording. I’m of the mindset that with music there’s no limit to how much you can improve, so I always want to be striving outside of my comfort zone. Amber is wonderful at coaching singers into finding their best and most authentic version of their own voice. And I mentioned Kate Pierson earlier, who I happen to know personally and would also consider a mentor. She once told me: “having a unique voice is about the best thing you can have as a singer” and I’ve embraced that, even though it also means you won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Billie Holiday refused to sing like anyone but herself, and Prince was known to go out of his way to sing in ways that others couldn’t imitate. I’ve imitated all 3 of those singers and countless others in my life because that’s how you learn. But now that I’m singing my own songs, I feel I’m just beginning to come into my own voice.
Q. You mentioned that live instrumentation is an important emphasis for your future. What are some of your favorite venues to perform in, and if you had complete creative power, would you rather share this kind of beauty with a huge audience or in a smaller, more intimate room?
A. I cut my teeth in music in the town of Madrid, NM where I lived for 4 years, doing the open mic nights and playing at the Mineshaft tavern, the Hollar (now Refinery 14), and The Blackbird Saloon so those spots are still very welcoming and fun for me. Bigger shows have been at Tumbleroot, the Sky Railway Flatcar,and the Santa Fe Plaza bandstand. I do find that a bigger audience is much easier in many ways because the crowd is already receptive. Intimate rooms get my nerves going because you know folks are listening very closely!
Q. You have already experienced so many different facets of music. When you meet someone for the first time, what is the first thing you want them to understand about you as a music creator?
A. I just want them to understand how much I love all aspects of the process—it’s not a professional career I’m chasing but to call it a hobby would also not do justice to my obsession. I’m still very new to it in comparison to all my peers so I’m always learning more, but in a few short years I’ve also worked hard enough to hold my own with great musical minds. Sometimes I think I worked so hard because I wanted to be taken seriously, and now that I am, I want to keep being someone who actively pursues mastery of the craft.
Q. Looking back over your musical career so far, has there been a moment that felt career-defining, either emotionally, creatively, or personally, that helped lead you to this solo chapter and where you are today?
A. Well the solo chapter isn’t separate from the collaborative band chapters—it’s all a simultaneous pursuit and I’ve gained so much insight from the bands about what it takes to write, record, and perform music. Because of that, I thought that releasing my own music for the first time would emotionally be an easy thing, but I’m finding it to be even more vulnerable. So the moment of saying “I’m going to set a release date and just do it, whether or not the track is perfect” has been a big one for me in growing into what an artist is. We make songs to be heard, and you need to know when that time has come!
Q. What are your intentions for your next releases? Do you see “Same Stars” as the foundation for this new solo chapter, or are you still leaving the door open for the different genres and styles you have explored in the past?
A. The other two songs I have set to release are certainly different in style, more clearly soul and singer/songwriter, but hopefully they still all feel related by similar production (instrumentation especially). I’m writing a lot of new music now and I try to just write what comes naturally and not put genre limitations on myself. I’m sure I’m not the only songwriter who, after writing what feels like a pretty original idea, worries they won’t be able to do it again…I’m grateful that this one worked out to be my first release because it’s a strong representation of the genre blurring that I’m all about!
Montana Joanna, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Montana Joanna’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
