Josh Monte

Tell us about yourself as an artist/musician. What do you do?

I play drums, piano, guitar, bass, and sing. I’m a self-taught producer, so I taught myself how to use FL Studio. I’m currently in school learning Pro Tools, which is pretty cool. I also like to draw and paint, which I do for fun. Overall, I hopefully make music that people end up thinking about.

How long have you been making music, and what sparked your interest in music?

I’ve been making music since I was in my Mom’s womb. She said I was constantly bumping around and stuff. I was doing flips apparently and making noise from the inside. That’s such a weird way to say it.

Tell us about your time at NOMU so far? Do you have a favorite memory or experience during your time here?

I’ve only been here for half of the semester. So I’ve been making a lot of friends pretty quickly and collaborating with great people. Every day, I meet someone that I haven’t already known. It’s fascinating to meet people from different backgrounds, places, states, and countries, who are all coming together to collaborate on music that is becoming something of its kind. I love it here.

When you're writing or playing music, what influences constantly inspire you as a musician/artist (specific artist, film, art piece, etc.)?

Mac Miller, Anderson Paak, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, and many more influence me. I could go on for days talking about my influences. Anything can inspire me. I feel like I can get inspired by random things that I hear daily. In the context of the question, I’ll have to go with those artists.

What are your plans or goals in your life now concerning school, music, or just personally, any other pursuits?

I would love to own a record label eventually. I’m a gymnast as well, so I do a lot of flips on the side. I act, so I do a lot of musical theater and audition for many films and television shows. I recently auditioned for a Marvel film, so that was pretty cool. I want to dabble in anything that has to do with art as much as possible. I want to be that jack of all trades where people are always shocked that I do all this stuff relating to the arts. I want to be as well-rounded as possible.

Any hobbies outside of music that you're interested in? I know you talked about it here and there in the interview, but is there any more you want to add?

I love to spend time with my dog, Moose. He’s huge, probably 140 pounds now. He’s not even two years old, so he’s still growing. I spend a lot of time with him as he loves to play fetch and swim.

Is there anything you’d like to add, anything you want to tell whoever might be reading this interview, or anything you want people to know about you?

Don’t let anything stop you. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything. I’ve had many people tell me too often that I can’t do that. You have to have the attitude of I don’t care. That’s the best way to go about life, and it’s going to get you farther.

Album Credits:

Gravity

The Man I Became
A Precious Friend of Mine
More than Strangers
Forget Us
Lying
New Year’s Kiss