Monica Ginestre, better known by her stage name Monica Lionheart, is an American electro-acoustic, singer-songwriter, producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist. She began her music career as a member of Iluminada, is the founder of the electronic rock band Zigmat, and collaborated in Pacha Massive before forming her own solo project in 2012.
Early life
Lionheart's early education began with piano lessons starting at the age of 5, while a large portion of her childhood was spent traveling from Spain to Puerto Rico. It was then that she began learning about songwriting and improvisation. Her father's eventual work transfer led Lionheart to San Antonio, Texas where she would spend her teenage years learning the flute and acoustic guitar. Later, while still in San Antonio, she attended Douglas Mac Arthur High School and played in their jazz and marching band, as well as singing in her school and church choirs.
However, it was not until she got accepted into her high school's advanced music theory class where she would finally begin to make her mark as a successful musician. She went to win the award for Best Original Composition, which led her to collaborate with the San Antonio Symphony's resident composer, Robert Xavier Rodríguez.
College years and iluminada
Lionheart attended the Berklee College of Music, where she received the Berklee Entering Student Talent Scholarship and the Ford Salute to Education Academic Award. There she majored in education and performed/composed with the electronica group Iluninada, as well as performed in the string and electronic ensemble Ideoplastic. iluminada quickly established themselves as one of the most innovative bands in Boston. Fusing elements of rock, electronic dance music, and trip-hop into a style of their own, the group united a diverse set of musicians whose distinct backgrounds collectively defined the band's sound. During this time, the band released a full-length album entitled The Ethereal Current and soon after, an EP titled, Transparent Walls. The band toured much of the US and England, opening up for acts such as Reel Big Fish and Wishbone Ash. One of iluminada's most memorable shows was at the Middle East Downstairs with Kaki King and St. Vincent (Annie Clark) as openers.
After graduating cum laude at Berklee College of Music, she decided to continue her education at New York University where she received the Dean's Academic Scholarship and graduated with a master's degree in Music Technology.
Zigmat
While in New York, Lionheart formed the electronic rock band Zigmat. The band became known as an explosive electro-rock band from New York City. The mixture of electronics, live rock, and Latin dance beats were often compared to the Brazilian Girls, Metric, Daft Punk, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Lionheart's bilingual lyrics, unpredictable light shows, and audience interaction combined and produced an exhilarating and multi-faceted performance. Zigmat began playing around New York City's East Village in clubs such as Piano's and Nublu, garnering a reputation as an unforgettable high-energy outfit. After selling out the well-known Mercury Lounge, they were invited to participate in rock festivals CMJ and LAMC. Their debut self-titled album was released in 2007 and became the first stepping stone for the band in the US. From there, Zigmat (Monica Lionheart) was asked to perform for a television commercial starring Gisele Bundchen. The commercial featured the song "So Sure".
Zigmat was later joined by various top musicians while touring in Mexico, Brazil and the US, in between playing notable venues in New York City. Such sold-out performances were held at venues such as the Canal Room, Highline Ballroom and Joe's Pub. Zigmat has also performed for the LAMC Festival and was chosen as the best emerging artist of LAMC in 2009, also participating at the CMJ festival and SXSW.