We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matthew Miramontes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
When I first started doing music under the moniker MERCY, I had experience with live shows and photography. So the idea of switching gears to instead be in front of the camera and on the stage rather than behind on the production side of things was certainly challenging. But after some time watching how the structure of the artists that I appreciated would construct songs and move to performance, I felt that I could channel some of that into my own projects.
I basically set out to make a record to see if I really could do it, it became a continuous thing of setting this goal for myself and being my own worst critic, doing all the production. lyrics, art direction, and distribution by myself for my first two projects, even when I realized where I made mistakes. There are moments to look back at, see where I could flourish, and challenge myself to create an entirely new direction.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am still relatively new as a musical artist and have only been releasing for about a year now. My first project (This Art Hurt Me) was released in June of 2023 so its been great to look back and see the progress I’ve made in such a short time. I combine aggressive music with electronic and dance sounds, it becomes a hybrid of everything that I want to hear in music. From the industrial influences of the 90s to the sounds of the future, the combination has the music I make feel unique and continually shifting with each release.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to be able to change my style and sound with each record while still producing a coherent and identifiable amount of music. I don’t have a specific moment where I can measure success in most aspects, but being creatively engaged through each record would be some sense of success.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I’d say playing shows has to be the most rewarding aspect of making the music. While it’s fun to physically create in a studio or learn instruments. The real fun begins when you can see how people react and if something works or doesn’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/mercyisonline
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercyisonline/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
- Facebook: N/A
- Linkedin: N/A
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MercyIsOnline
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MercyIsOnline
- Yelp: N/A
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mercyisonline
- Other: https://mercyisonline.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Cirsty Burton – Personal Photo