The past 12 months have been a rollercoaster for singer-songwriter Jessica Cerro, aka Montaigne.
The Sydneysider won the public vote to represent Australia in last year's Eurovision Song Contest with her song Don't Break Me and then the COVID-19 pandemic forced organisers to cancel the competition.
Fast forward a (tumultuous) 12 months and once again, Montaigne put her life on hold to compete in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam using a song she co-wrote with David Hammer, Technicolour. The odds were against her. She was the only artist performing "remotely" from a studio on the other side of the world and she failed to make the final.
"We couldn't be more proud of Montaigne," said Eurovision Australian head of delegation and SBS commissioning editor Josh Martin.
"Her Eurovision performance was loved by millions of people around the world and the way she has represented Australia on the world's biggest music stage has been inspirational.
"Even though we won't be performing in the Grand Final, it's shaping up to be an incredible show and we wish all the qualifying countries the best of luck, the best of health, and SBS is forever proud to be a part of such an inclusive, creative and inspiring competition that brings people from 39 different cultures together in music."
The 65th Eurovision Song Contest will continue to be broadcast live and in primetime exclusively on SBS until May 23.
While disappointed at not making the cut, Montaigne was gracious and upbeat, taking the time to thank her fans for their "love and support" and giving a shout-out to fellow Eurovision performers Go_A, Dadi Freyr, Manizha, Roxen and The Roop.
She had this to say on Twitter: "Babes, look. I knew this would happen. We were at a severe disadvantage. But it's okay! I'm proud of the song and glad I got to share it with you on the Eurovision stage .. also excited to start releasing new music."
I spoke to Montaigne on the eve of this week's semi-final and she was looking forward to "the absolute crash at the end" of her Eurovision campaign.
"It has dominated my life - there have been pockets where I have been able to do other things but it's certainly been the most salient thing," she said. "I'm keen for that cathartic relief, that's for sure."
Montaigne's debut album, Glorious Heights,won an ARIA Award in 2016 for best breakthrough release. Her sophomore album Complex (2019) debuted at number 19 on the ARIA albums chart.
She is looking forward to releasing new music, saying she can "write songs forever" if she's "working with the right person".
She just needs to put the pieces of the puzzle together in the form of a cohesive body of work.
"I don't feel like I could do a proper concept album, ever, because I'm too interested in too many things to stay on one path consistently," she explained.
"I enjoy randomness but I also enjoy the neatness of an album; the dedication that an album represents to creating a body of work.
"Eurovision has been quite interesting and a challenge for me because it forces me to pick a theme and stick with it, and I've kind of enjoyed it; it's like 'here are my consistent parameters, let's do something that fits'. But I am definitely the kind of person who has ideas shifting in theme and aesthetic week to week."
Montaigne live on stage is a force of nature; wild and free, her incredible voice soaring to unfathomable heights.
"Live performance really feels like a playground. Anything can happen. For me personally, every show is very loose and unchoreographed and I just do what I fancy in the moment.
"I really enjoy improvisation, so live music is a great release."
