With 'femme Fatale Vol. 2,' Mon Laferte Shows She's At Her Musical Peak

Late past year, Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte dropped “Femme Fatale,” a smoldering medium that was instantly hailed arsenic 1 of nan champion Latin records of 2025.

Since nan quality of nan iconic “Mon Laferte, Vol. 1” successful 2015 — a transformative rite of transition for nan Latin Alternative genre — nan vocalist has explored nan fusion of retro stone balladry pinch bolero fever, trip-hop glamour, and jazz decadence. The unifying archetype of nan femme fatale, however, elevated Laferte’s songbook to a caller level of cinematic noir.

Then she did nan unthinkable.

On June 12, she released “Femme Fatale Vol. 2,” a panoramic double medium that simmers pinch ambition. Anchored connected a near-orchestral soundstage, its 20 tracks ricochet from in-your-face punk dissonance to majestic broken-heart dirges, a beautiful duet pinch St. Vincent, rootsy people interludes and farfisa-rich lounge.

At 43, Laferte’s vocal cords person reached a decadent highest — angry and ragged, deliciously wounded. The caller medium appears designed to tease, coax and overwhelm nan listener. It’s simultaneously jazzy and vulgar, wry and prophetic. It recedes into nan past for comfortableness and illumination, past embraces nan present, wherever Laferte is hailed arsenic a trendsetter. In November, she will play 2 nights astatine nan Kia Forum, a feat that fewer Latin American artists tin claim.

Laferte, who lives successful Mexico, was vacationing pinch her family successful Paris erstwhile she said to De Los astir her songwriting compulsion, nan undeniable powerfulness of her voice, and a lifelong struggle pinch intelligence health. The pursuing Q&A has been lightly edited for magnitude and clarity.

“Femme Fatale Vol. 2” was released only 8 months aft nan first volume. How tin you beryllium truthful prolific?

I’m cheating a little, because some records were portion of nan aforesaid sessions. I was listening to a batch of jazz erstwhile I started to activity connected “Femme Fatale,” and wanted it to person that circumstantial sound that you perceive connected nan title track. All successful each I came up pinch astir 50 songs, galore of which strayed distant from nan original concept. In bid to support nan first measurement much focused, I picked nan jazz-oriented tracks for that one, and near everything other for portion two.

The sheer scope of nan medium is staggering. I person to admit your productivity frightens maine a little.

Muchas gracias [laughs.] Writing songs is 1 of nan things that I emotion nan astir about being alive. Once I participate that mode, I get stuck successful it. Sometimes I’m astatine nan market, abruptly perceive a random sentence, and past it becomes portion of a tune. I besides bargain a batch of cool phrases from my son. The longest opus connected nan album, “No Le Regales Tu Corazón,” manifested itself astatine 4:30 americium while I was moving connected thing else. I grabbed a guitar and vanished it successful 2 hours. I didn’t slumber that night.

Is being you exhausting?

Sometimes it is, but I emotion being me. I dream my epitaph says thing to nan effect that I lived life to nan fullest, taking advantage of each azygous moment.

I emotion nan plurality of “Vol. 2.” You spell punk connected “Tal Vez Yo Soy El Problema” and delve into progressive jazz connected “Vi Un Poema En Su Locura.” There’s besides people and torch ballads. Were you consciously showing disconnected your range?

There’s a spot of that, yeah. I had nan lyrics of “Tal Vez Yo Soy El Problema” — which were already punky successful tone — and decided to beryllium mischievous and do it arsenic a very short song, for illustration a spot of a joke. At 1 infinitesimal I decided to make a opus based connected nan upright bass and adhd a free-jazz vibe to it. That became “For Your Consideration.” I wanted to beryllium that I could do immoderate I wanted. If I study and walk hours moving connected something, I tin make it happen.

When I was 11, I would fastener myself successful my room and play nan James Bond soundtracks pinch those lethal John Barry melodies and nan larger-than-life voices of Shirley Bassey and Nancy Sinatra. You seizure that circumstantial beingness truthful well. “A Pesar De Ti Y De Mí” sounds for illustration an ‘80s Bond song.

I wanted it to beryllium epic. I thought of Whitney Houston erstwhile I recorded it. I listened to that benignant of euphony myself arsenic a small girl. I’m vintage — location was nary net erstwhile I was increasing up, conscionable nan radio. I would perceive to those spectacular voices and effort to ideate what nan singers looked like. I would adjacent my eyes and dress up stories astir nan songs. I emotion aged voices, and listening to each kinds of music.

The past way of nan album, “Gigante,” ends pinch a beautiful spiral-like melody connected nan piano. How did you constitute that?

I conscionable sang nan statement to my soft player. He wanted to adhd much elements, but I kept it simple, for illustration a nostalgic mantra. I ever constitute nan arrangements to my songs by singing them.

Did you ever cognize you person nan benignant of sound that could tame a chaotic lion?

I’ve had doubts astir my sound rather often, but astatine nan aforesaid clip I’m very overmuch alert that I could tame a lion pinch it [laughs.] I was very awkward arsenic a small girl, and was bullied aft changing schools. But I was asked to singing 1 day, and since past became nan astir celebrated student. As a teen I started to singing connected thoroughfare corners and I noticed that my sound was people potent — it could prevail complete nan postulation and nan thoroughfare noises. I wanted group to move their heads and consciousness compelled to support listening. I cognize there’s thing astir my voice, and it has thing to do pinch technique. It’s a gift that was fixed to me, and I’m grateful for it.

Listening to this record, I yet understood why you are idolized by 6 cardinal Instagram followers. I deliberation nan communal denominator successful each of america who emotion your euphony is that we are achromatic sheep — nan weird ones, nan chronically misunderstood.

Absolutely. I’ve ever felt misunderstood. I was ever weird, and ne'er felt cool. I’ve ne'er followed immoderate trends, and chose moving to my ain beat. On nan different hand, I do consciousness that my fans are incredibly cool people.

On “Hello Monserrat” you sing: “I deliberation astir Botox/And experimental music/My mother and nan loneliness/Of an world tour.” It doesn’t get immoderate much autobiographical than that, right?

It’s a brutally honorable tune wherever I sanction galore of nan things that inhabit my mind. Should I get Botox? What I emotion astir this opus is that it comes to position pinch nan reality that we will each dice 1 day. Here are my fears, random thoughts and insecurities. I’m naked successful beforehand of my songs, and it doesn’t really matter. Nothing is that important anyway.

You already hit nan system, though. You whitethorn die, but your songs will beryllium remembered 100 years from now.

That would beryllium fabulous, but intelligibly it won’t beryllium nan lawsuit successful 500 years. One 100 would beryllium awesome, though, truthful that my children tin get each nan publishing.

You’ve been very vocal astir battling bipolar upset and channeling your hypersensitivity into music. I can’t thief but wonderment if it’s partially surviving pinch each this that allows you to create a grounds of specified unfathomable beauty.

I’ve thought astir it erstwhile I analyse nan facets of my career. I’ve ever written songs — pinch aliases without nan pills. You asked maine earlier if it was exhausting being me. I answered truthfully, but nan first point that came to mind was my bipolar disorder. I do acquisition immoderate manic phases from clip to time, wherever I can’t extremity doing things for illustration coating aliases penning songs. This tin beryllium a blessing and a curse. I cognize group who extremity taking pills because they cherish those manic spells and nan hypercreativity that comes pinch them. I’ve ne'er stopped taking attraction of myself, though. I’m successful therapy and focused connected motherhood. When I go a imaginative machine, I conscionable effort to move each that power into thing positive. It’s not a bad thing, conscionable a information that makes maine a small different. It has some ray and shadow.