| About Monesque | Monesque is an original artist – songwriter, guitarist and singer from Brisbane, Australia, now living in Melbourne, and soon to relocate to Sydney. Inspired by many different musical styles, she set out to explore and develop her own unique sound without imitating her favorite artists. Fusing her own sound with other musicians, and their ideas, she has developed a totally original and unique style in her band formations. Her first band experience was playing saxophone in a punk band at the age of 14. (Although when she was 9 she took up trumpet inspired by black Americian jazz artists of the 30s, 40s & 50s and swing.) Since then she’s developed a music career as a soloist songwriter and fronted alternative indie guitar bands in Brisbane and Melbourne. Monesque is first generation Australian of Dutch immigrants who settled in Brisbane, Australia. She began her song writing and performing in Holland – Rotterdam and Amsterdam, when she went there to discover her roots. Whilst in Holland she also played her music in Paris and Brussels and wanted to fulffil a childhood held dream to sing on the streets of Paris like Edith Piaf. Her first solo gig was at a folk venue in Amsterdam. After 2 years she retuned to her hometown of Brisbane, where she produced the body of her work. To date she's written and approx. 170 songs, gigged consistently (solo and in original bands), culminating in her self-produced debut CD with her band, Novakade as a 3 piece – guitar, bass and drums. She’s been played on radio (4ZZZ Brisbane) as well as performing on it with occasional interviews. Since being on myspace for a year and a half, she has received airplay in Slovakia, England, Belgium and Brazil and the US. Monesque has undertaken a long musical apprenticeship and hopes to produce throughout her life. With a music history mostly based in Brisbane, and now Melbourne,as a soloist and band member, she has performed in front of many inner city venue audiences to thousands at outdoor festivals (eg. Livid, 4ZZZ Market Days, and political & environmental rallies). 4ZZZ’s gave her a lot of support in Brisbane and she’s done numerous live to airs (radio gigs) and interviews, as well as their annual market days. Monesque has also played art gallery openings, countless benefits (Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth, Animal Liberation, Green peace, I.W.D.) and university gigs – Griffith, QLD University, QLD University of Technology). She’s also composed an experimental soundtrack with keyboards for a film soundtrack. In Melbourne she has been getting paid solo gigs at inner city venues and played festivals in Melbourne and Victoria, including several Sustainable Living Festivals and the Mount Beauty Music Muster. Monesque relocated to Melbourne and got a music residency playing her music every week for 10 months, playing solo and working with producers. She also has produced her own music. Monique has a visual arts background and more recently she has been making her own videos to go with her music which can be seen on myspace and youtube. They have also been shown on Noise TV in Melbourne and can be viewed on myspace and youtube. Her style is explorative and diverse, covering a range of emotions, themes and topics in her songs, whilst never shying away from expressing her deeper sentiments in lyrics. Although inspired by many styles and growing up on a diverse musical diet and all that was alternative and independent, she mostly loves a good song and it’s been a lifelong dream to write them herself. Growing up in Brisbane, her biggest inspirations were her own hometowns greatest musical phenomenon’s, The Saints and the Go-Betweens. Female soul singers and jazz singers of the 50's and 60's inspired her to sing. Being from Brisbane, a sub-tropical environment, her music reflects the warm climate and lazy heat filled days of summer. A nice place with an easy relaxed lifestyle. But sometimes it's not all it seems in paradise. Monique Fietje, the person behind the name has dedicated her life to the exploration of the arts. She’s studied diverse visual art several times. She spent her puberty exploring the theatre, playing saxophone, writing poetry and epic film scripts – she would like to make films and animations, and be a writer one day too. Brought up to be a visual artist and studied various areas – fine art, design, printing, film & video, and multimedia. Monique has worked in computer-aided design and does the artwork for her CD’s, posters and webpage.She is finally producing her own videos to go on her CD’s. Monique was asked to produce a multimedia arts television program series, "W@RP TV" in Brisbane that was also chosen to be aired nationally on cable TV in Australia and also produced band segments, filing, editing and interviewing (off camera) bands and composers for it. |
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