It was a dream come true for Emma Lamontagne.
When the artist got the opportunity to film her latest music video on the Canadian Tire Centre ice, it was a special moment. The conversation though, on what jersey to wear for the video, arose prior to filming.
“We were debating whether we go numberless or with an actual player,” she said via phone call. “We ended up going with the German player because of my heritage there.”
As a half German, she went with number 18 on her back.
The Kingston born singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer is now on the cusp of releasing a new EP, including “Cut the Brakes”, of which the music video was filmed at CTC. Choosing to tie her Sens fandom with her roots and upbringing is something which crafts her identity when it comes to making music.
“I don’t watch music documentaries to motivate me in my career, I watch sports documentaries,” Lamontagne said. “For me it's the mindset…just watching how the brain is constantly in preparation and strategic modes, problem solving, trying to balance pushing yourself but also monitoring that you're not injuring yourself. The constant battles of how you have to be a spokesperson for an organization and your sport, but then also you’re a human being off the ice. I’ve always been drawn to how athletes work.”
Having played competitive badminton, swimming and basketball growing up, Lamontagne also draws motivation from her parents.
“(They) were really good at encouraging self-led activities and learning with me and my brother," she said. “Both of us are very independent people. It's really just been me finding a purpose that makes me want to tap into that energy that I have always had and music is a big part of that.”
She also mentioned the reward and validation that comes from the music she creates.
“There's no feeling that compares to when I finish a song and I look up at an audience and they have tears in their eyes, and I know that I had an impact and I unlocked an emotion that I maybe didn’t allow them to feel before. To see people be totally involved in a moment and we can let all of our differences slip away and we can just all be in one moment.”
Those moments are similar to the ones Lamontagne experienced when she moved to Ottawa in 2013, and found Sens hockey, coming to games with her dad because she had never lived in a city with an NHL team. She immediately fell in love with the game, the fans and the energy.
“It's not a team that was given to me by my family, it was really like ‘no I am an Ottawa Senators fan,” she said. “The atmosphere that the fans have. It made me feel like I was a part of something. The closest that I’ve ever come to what music does for me is sports and the Ottawa Senators specifically. What other team in the league gets eliminated from the playoffs and receives a 20 minute standing ovation. That’s the energy we have in this city for this team. It felt so natural to want to cheer on these guys.”
She particularly fell in love when the opportunity arose to sit in the front row right next to the Sens bench for a game.
“I got to sit there and just watch all the strategic playmaking, for me that's when it really piqued my interest just how the sport works.” Lamontagne said. “I figure out how something works and then fall in love with it. Having that so early on, getting to see up close, all the whiteboards, all the deliberation at the commercials, it absolutely changed my life.”
