Montell Fish Embodied His Alter Ego To Create 'Intercession Before Charlotte'
Well, one of them. Fish oftentimes creates characters for his projects; for this one he became dj gummy bear, a whimsical, wondrous representation of his youthful self.
Montell Fish Embodied His Alter Ego To Create 'Intercession Before Charlotte'
Well, one of them. Fish oftentimes creates characters for his projects; for this one he became dj gummy bear, a whimsical, wondrous representation of his youthful self.
Montell Fish’s Instagram comments section is filled with distressed and concerned fans – they’re worried the Christian musician has sold his soul to the devil.
The content that’s been troubling fans is that of “dj gummy bear” (stylized in all lowercase), whom Fish describes as “a mythical version of myself.” Despite the vibrance his name suggests, gummy bear’s aesthetic is dark and muted, leaning into grainy, black-and-white editing and all-black draped outfits. “He represents a younger version of myself who was filled with faith and curiosity and was wondering about all things related to God and religion,” says Fish.
Fish has released a handful of songs under the moniker before – including 2023’s viral “2 seater” – but Intercession Before Charlotte is his way of formally introducing dj gummy bear to his audience.
Courtesy Of The Artist
dj gummy bear is more than just a half-baked alter ago for Fish, who, with the help of his creative team, has written an entire book of lore – entitled Book of Charlotte – for the character. With five chapters out already, the biblically formatted text outlines the backstory of “prophet” dj gummy bear.
“In the sixth month of the second year of Bolsonaro’s reign, a dream game to Gummy, the son of Nevil, driver of Laina. In the dream, he was declared to give the people of Pindorma a Sound,” the first chapter dubbed “Gummy’s Dream” begins. “And so he arrived, both ready and able. He spoke in rhythms, repetitions, and proverbial melodies, to declare this dream to those who wished to hear it, and to warn those who didn’t.”
Courtesy Of The Artist
gummy bear isn’t a one-off experiment either: Fish often creates characters to tap into different parts of his past. “It helps me process stuff I went through because I can tap back into past feelings and experiences and then release music abstractly through different monikers,” he notes.
“Ghost Boy,” for example, was the identity behind his most recent project Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost. “There was no official Spotify profile like there is for dj gummy bear, but Ghost Boy was the identity behind that whole project,” he shared. “I was leaning into a grungier era, in both the clothes I was wearing and the sound I was going for. I used my voice in a particular way to get that super specific sound.”
But gummy bear is the furthest he’s gone in bringing a persona to life, not only fleshing out now five chapters of lore but also fully committing to what some describe as a satanic-inspired wardrobe.
Fish clarifies dj gummy bear is actually dressed as a jester. “The jester serves two main reasons,” he explains. “First of all, similarly to how a jester would distract a king, he’s trying to distract Montell away from turning to CHARLOTTE, which represents fame and all of the darkness that comes with it.”
“It’s also a distraction from CHARLOTTE. This EP is an acknowledgment of ‘Yes, I’m working on CHARLOTTE, but it’s not ready yet. I need more time before I bring the album to life.’”
Courtesy Of The Artist
While some artists would refer to the six-track EP as an interlude – arriving as a halfway point between 2022’s JAMIE and CHARLOTTE – Fish intentionally settled on “intercession” due to the word’s religious intonation.
He first dropped off “I Know I Failed You” in January, a track dripping in duality that draws from Fish’s adolescent feelings of failure and shame. “I know I failed you,” he repeats over a Tame Impala-esque psychedelic beat. “A lot of the teaching I underwent as a child made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, and I wanted to make this empowering track out of it. While the lyrics are bleak, the melody is happy and motivating. That’s my way of saying that I don’t have to live my life based on the standards other people have of me.”
The atmospheric “Irrational” arrived as the EP’s second single, which sees gummy bear more directly wrestling with his beliefs. “Is it rational? / All this damage that you’ve done,” he ponders on the chorus. “I didn’t mean to taunt you, girl / I just wanna show you love,” he continues. “It’s really about me trying to find the balance between my relationships and my religion.”
“Break From Her Spell” continues to explore this struggle, with “One in A Million” closing out the project on an upbeat note. But Fish assures listeners that the live shows, which kick off next week, will really bring the journey to CHARLOTTE to life. Accompanied by a live string section, Fish will perform the EP across a bevy of European venues including London’s Hackney Church.
“Some people might find it weird to hear me over these ambient and electronic beats and this type of production, but once people read the Book and get to know the characters, it offers a lot more clarity into the music – and all the shit I post on Instagram,” he laughs.
Stream ‘Intercession Before Charlotte’ on all major streaming platforms now.
