Africa's best reggae/ragga dancehall Sensation!

Montess

Montess - Ivette Enjema Mbonde,  20.07. 1991, Buea, Cameroon


ML&L - Africa's best reggae/ragga dancehall Sensation! How you deserve this name?

Montess - First of all I will love to say thank God for his blessings upon my life and my music. I have been affiliated to the title ‘’Africa's best reggae/ ragga dancehall artists’’, it is not an easy thing I must say and that doesn't mean that in the continent there are no other people who can do better. No, of course there are, but I got nominated for one of Africa's most prestigious awards (AFRIMA) 2016 under that category with the likes of the big names, we know in Africa like Patoranking, Stonebwoy etc. This alone made me to know that I got more in me that what I was even thinking and the academy saw it. So I give thanks to God and my fans -Montessians.


ML&L - Where and what made you decide that you wanted to sing and dance?

Montess - Truth be told I had always loved to sing and dance all my life. I always knew I wanted to be in front of the camera somehow. And dancing had always been part of me from primary to secondary even up to university I always go for inter dancing school competitions and trust me I always made my schools proud.


ML&L - Why Montess? Is your stage name trademarked?

Montess - Montess is my stage name and I adopted this name because it has an attachment to my last name Mbonde. Hoping the Name Montess will definitely become a trademark in less than no time. And I know my first born will definitely bare that name.


ML&L - Who were your music influences?

Montess - I think music in general influences people a lot in different ways so my music can influence any body and I also get influenced by other people songs, a whole of artist.


ML&L - What albums did you grow up listening to?

Montess - Growing up I listened to artist like Brandy, Celine Dion and a whole others, but at a certain time like say during my university days I got so in love with reggae music's which I think its one of the reason why I'm doing it now.

ML&L - You are interested in modeling, acting, singing and dancing. How to combine them?

Montess - Yes, I do love singing ,dancing ,acting, modeling. Well I will say right now I am not doing all of them, but truth is as an artist there are certain things you can't avoid . Say singing goes a lot with dancing .They are like brothers and sisters, as for modeling, before I took singing seriously ,at one point in time I was so interested in modeling and acting and I got to act in a movie one time which I never got to watch.


ML&L - How would you define your sound? 

Montess - in few words I will say my music is a definition of who you are and how you feel.


ML&L - Is there a story behind your music?

Montess - Every artist has his or her own music story and I think me as a person I do have mine. I hoping to tell to world someday.


ML&L - What's the message you’re trying to bring with your songs ?

Montess - I think I am trying to preach love ,unity in my music and in my own way that I know how to.


ML&L - What live performance experience have you had?

Montess - I have had a couple of live performances home and abroad. Back at home I did a lot of live performances with the University of Buea orchestra, I also had the opportunity to perform The U.S. National Anthem with the UB choir at the Embassy of the United States CRTV Youth Day celebrations of 2015 and a whole a lot of others I can't start naming.

ML&L - How was working with Stanley Enow?

Montess - Working with the Bayangi bwoy @Stanley Enow was such a great experience for me to challenging but I got to learn a lot from him since his a bigger star. And the sweetest part of the whole work was during the video shoot when he himself took the camera and was encouraging me to work harder. I think he basically gave me some hope that I can make it and I see its working.


ML&L - With which singer would you like to cooperate?

Montess - Right now I think I want work with Patoranking from Nigeria. I love his music and he inspires me in his own way


ML&L - What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in the music industry?

Montess - One of the most difficult thing I have got to endure so far in the industry is what I term "Acceptance" our people are still trying to accept what we as Cameroonian artist can do. But I know with time they will accept us .


ML&L - Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations? 

Montess - I do work with Trackzone records and in Trackzone we work as a family .I have been with them for about 5 years.


ML&L - What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

Montess - If I weren't making music I think I would have been engaging in business ventures.

ML&L - Do you have any advice for new talents?

Montess - Yeah, I do and I will love will love to tell new talents that believe in yourself, keep been who you are and stay focused.


ML&L - You started working on your first solo album. When will be released album? What will it sound like? 

Montess - I can't tell for now when exactly the album will be released because we are still making plans on how to start working on it .But sure when everything is set I will let the public know.


ML&L - What are your plans ahead?

Montess - My plans ahead is to release new songs and get to work with other artist too.