Monique Ortiz, continued 1 2 3
In 1990, the weekend after Monique had finished her junior year in high school, her twenty-eight year old brother was found dead in a hotel room just outside of town. Causes were "unknown". This tragic event proved to have a huge impact on Monique as an artist.
She had been writing music and lyrics since the age of eight, but after the loss of her brother, the mood and intensity of her work (musical and visual) grew dramatically, as well as the sheer volume that was being created. She hadn't put her songwriting skills with her instrumental talents until moving to Cambridge, Mass in 1996. A short chat with Morphine front-man Mark Sandman inspired her to pack her bags and start anew. More On Monique