1996Montana

Born and raised in Frankfort, Indiana, Montana was exposed to music of all kinds in his small town, less than an hour outside of Indianapolis. Raised on MTV, Montana was already fascinated by musical stardom. He started recording song covers into his phone but didn’t share them with anyone.
“I was too embarrassed,” he says, but it wasn’t until he was 20 years old that he started taking the steps toward building a career in music. “In 2015, me and my buddy ended up renting a house together,” Montana remembers. “So we bought a mic and the software to start actually recording. That’s when I really got serious with it.” He called himself 1996Montana, a portmanteau of the year he was born and his actual first name.
Montana started releasing songs on Soundcloud, which caught the attention of production collective 1Mind. Montana signed a deal with Pulse Recordings, which facilitated songwriting placements. A track was pitched to 88rising, who readily flew Montana out to New York City and signed him. “That’s when everything really just evolved,” he says.
While he was making a presence in the songwriting world, his own music career remained at the forefront of his game plan. “I’ve always wanted to put my own stuff out there, but the way it worked out, my songwriting got my foot in the door.”
As 1996 Montana unveils Parabellum, he keeps his mission in mind. “I just want to make the kinds of songs that I want to hear,” he advises, “while also making music that no one else is making.”