Every year, new artists emerge, ready to be Los Angeles’ next great musical discovery, making their rounds through small club tours across the city. Inspired by the hippie enclaves of Topanga, the backyard punk scene of East Los Angeles or the coastal grunge of Venice Beach, each act has its own distinct sound. This week, A&E; columnist Kristy Pirone discusses Agoura Hill’s Monogem, a soul-pop group fronted by former “American Idol” contestant Jen Hirsh.
Katharine McPhee loses to Taylor Hicks. Jennifer Hudsonis voted off halfway through the competition and Kellie Pickler doesn’t last much longer either. “American Idol” doesn’t know a good thing when it sees one.
Despite plummeting ratings during its slow fall into obscurity, the once-great reality singing contest still attracts great talent, from Phillip Phillips to Monogem’s own Jen Hirsh, who was voted off in the semifinals of the show’s 11th season.
Scott Smith and Hirsh make up the Monogem duo, who will be performing at Bardot’s “School Night!” Feb. 17, showcasing their brand of electro-pop soul .
Although Hirsh only finished in the top 25 of Idol, Monogem’s first single made it to the Top 5 in Hype Machine’s popular charts and the group is poised to make a splash in Los Angeles’ independent music scene with the buzz surrounding their new self-titled EP. It’s apparent that yet another “American Idol” contestant was eliminated too soon. And judging by Hirsh’s musical evolution, the show and its promise of quick fame hinders singers’ abilities to find themselves as artists within Idol’s karaoke-style framework.
Agoura Hills-native Hirsh tried her hand at a solo career in 2010 before forming Monogem after her “American Idol” loss in 2012. She took her sound in a new direction, using her jazz-infused vocals over rhythmic, synthetic tracks mixed by her high school friend Smith for a more danceable style. The duo combined to form Monogem, which released its new EP nationwide Feb. 3, a technical tour-de-force of poppy hooks and ’80s-influenced synths.
Hirsh’s vocals have drawn comparisons to UCLA alumna Sara Bareilles, although she cites influences as far ranging as Canada’s Grimes and London’s James Blake. Meanwhile, Smith’s career as an audio engineer for acts like John Mayer, Colbie Caillat and Katy Perry provided him with the technical savvy to bring Hirsh’s voice to new heights, as the duo’s combined styles formed the pop-soul hybrid heard on its self-titled EP.
Songs like the 2014 single “Wait and See” show the perfect combination of Hirsh’s vocals and Smith’s production, with her soulful voice lending itself to a pure, pitch-perfect brand of unconventional pop music over Smith’s percussive beats and subtle use of bass. It’s the perfect example of what an artist in their post-Idol prime can do when they take the time to explore their own musical direction outside of the show’s microcosm and its promise of easy fame.
Monogem isn’t the only group that flourished after facing defeat on Idol. At the peak of Idol’s popularity in 2006, fan favorite Chris Daughtry was unexpectedly voted out during the top four round. Later, he formed the rock band Daughtry, whose debut album was certified platinum four times. Similarly, Idol runner-up Adam Lambert’s first album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, massively outselling that year’s winner, Kris Allen. But more importantly, Lambert seemed to find his groove in a post-Idol world, evolving musically and adopting his unconventional signature dark-eyeliner and punk-rock outfits.
The built-in fanbase brought through the worldwide exposure of “American Idol” certainly helped these acts find commercial success, and helped less-talented acts like the ostensibly tone-deaf Sanjaya Malakar find any success at all. But handing its winners a record deal and letting the public believe that winning Idol was the fastest road to success isn’t the best thing for its artists.
After losing Idol, many acts are forced to really think about what they want from their music, not what the Idol record label owners want, and to find their own musical footing. That is what Hirsh has done with Monogem, taking her music in a new direction that combines her classic voice with a modern mentality.
Today, Idol has begun its 14th season, ready to discard a new generation of artists who are too good for the show in the first place. Meanwhile, Hirsh has found a new sound she can have fun with. And it seems to be working, with magazines like Elle, Interview and Nylon praising the group’s soulful electro-pop.