The Sensual World of S.M. Mongstad

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Story by Bob Pomeroy

Sigrun Merete Mongstad is very theatrical. The Norwegian born singer plays the chartreuse in her stage shows with a smoldering sexuality that owes as much to Marlene Dietrich as Madonna. Backed by a five piece band, Mongstad creates the decadent atmosphere of a 1920's Berlin cabaret crossed with an American cocktail lounge from the 1950's.  The music is highly stylized jazz  designed for drinking and seduction. Mongstad projects an air of smoldering sensuality with a  persona that The overt sexuality of songs like "Inside of Me" and  "Love is Easy" and her casual delivery that betrays the sophistication of the arrangements.

A music conference isn't really a music conference unless there is some controversy. The reviews of the first day of the Access 2 Amssterdam conference were marked by a minor tempest over Danish neo-lounge singer S.M. Mongstad's opening night performance. The music critic for one of the Dutch papers objected to  Mongstad's overt sexuality and her slinky red dress that was sheer from the waist up. I was shocked that anyone is Amsterdam could be shocked by anything. What's so shocking about a sheer top with a sexy red bra underneath? Some people just don't know how to have fun.

If you're willing to be drawn into S. M. Mongstad's world, it is incredibly fun place to be.  Mongstad clearly enjoys playing the sex goddess on stage. She introduced her band members pointing out that they were both fine musicians and ever so sexy individuals. Her drummer received a mild chiding for not taking his shirt off. "He always plays without his shirt," She told me later. " So I got really mad at him and he wouldn't take it off. I had a talk with him after the show."

Sexuality is definitely a part of the S.M. Mongstad experience. It's like something in the air. An erotic tension in the air that is palpable. Merete explained, "I have a female bass player and, but all these boys are from different types. So it's kind of the same concept of a boy bands. There are these different types so that every teenage girl can find the one that she thinks, 'ah... he's the one!' That's what gives me the idea to present  them like that .For the audience, they're kind of my harem." S. M. Mongstad definitely has fun playing with our expectations in this way. How often do you see a woman talking about her band as sex objects?

"I'd describe (my show) as a live lounge nightclub act," Mongstad said. "Music for long drinks and cocktails a little bit cabaret. "The presentation in the very red dress, the contact with the audience. it's a  diva kind of style. She also described the atmosphere she creates as being " in a kind of film noir style.  I have sexuality in my performance. I am a sensual woman as well. The lyrics are very sad and heavy about this painful love that never works. Then the performance and music are light and there is humor. It's a way of talking about it so that it doesn't get so heavy .  For me, this particular kind of sensuality, I think of it as subtle."

"The S.M. Mongstadt,  that I played with here is my solo project," Merete says putting her career in context. "I am also still in two other bands. I am in a band called Kyed  in Denmark. We are a group of people who met because we all made score music for film.  We used a film music approach thinking very much in sound and mood. Sleazy, sexy or dark side. Female dark side. Working very much with images, both in music and text and trying to make it kind of catchy and melodic as well. We made the soundtracks for two quite long Danish motion pictures which has been shown in Europe as well. Then we made the score music for a porno movie called Constance." Constance was made by director Lars Von Triers filmstudio Zentropa .  "Inside of Me" from S.M. Mongstad's solo album was written for Constance. "It was the first attempt in Denmark at a cultural porn movie with beautiful models and big production."

"Jodeladies is pure girls band and it's more about entertainment. It's also about sex but in a different way. It's costumes and kind of a show band. We are in some connections considered a lesbian band, and we represented Denmark at the first Queer European Song Contest in Cologn, Germany the 26th of June. Our song is called "Free love and at least rom" (the rom you drink). Actually only two of the girls are lesbians, but the rest of us already have been declared so as well in Eurotrash".

Mongstad chaffs at the limitations of the Danish music scene. "It's a very small country and it's been dominated by the multinationals. There is a Danish version of the big world famous bands. Sometimes something interesting does pop up, but it's very mainstream oriented. It's very safe.."

To make her music accessible to as many people as possible, S.M. Mongstad writes and sings in English. "I want to communicate to the whole world," she explains. "Then again, I originally come from Norway, so I can't use my beginner language anyway. Also, in Denmark it's all about being understood. English, you learn it from when you're very small. Sometimes something happens when I write in English that an Englishman or American would never say. It gets a little twist that can be charming or funny. It's not correct but it works in a kind of naive way."

Mongstad has been taking the initiative on the recording front too. Just Another Blond was released by her Lucky Lips label. "I released the record myself" she explains . "I was with a Norwegian label that went bankrupt. After being on several smaller labels, I decided I could do it better myself."

Mongstad works hard to get her music out. She continues to work on soundtracks and other projects as well as exploring new markets for S.M. Mongstad. She has made some tentative contacts in the US, but for now she is concentrating on nurturing a European audience. "This is the third time we've been to Benelux," she told me.  "We were sent to a showcase in January and now have a booker and a manager.. Hopefully there will be a market in Benelux and also in Germany." Check out www.s-m-mongstad.dk for the latest developments in the sensual world of S.M. Mongstad.