Maude Latour may not be the sun, but she is my rising star. The 24-year-old emerging singer-songwriter makes use of consistently catchy pop songs and a dynamic stage presence to path her way to fame — and has quickly integrated herself into being one of my favorite artists.
Latour’s career jump started in 2019 with the release of her first EP, “Starsick.” Since then, she’s been building her discography full of danceable pop tunes that garner themes of love and heartbreak, current issues and existentialism. What draws me to her music is her breathy vocals and rhythmic beats that make up her unique alternative pop sound.
The breakout star signed to Warner Records in 2021 ahead of the release of her 2021 EP, “Strangers Forever,” and her 2022 EP, “001.” Also under her belt, she has various singles to her name, including viral TikTok hit “One More Weekend,” which was released in 2020.
In June, Latour released her most recent EP, “Twin Flame,” and she departed on the “Twin Flame Tour” in September. Every track of the collection is danceable and most share dreamy lyrics and titles about falling in love and transcending a capacity of feeling that Latour thought she was capable of. The themes are evidenced by song titles like “Heaven,” “Lovebomb” and “I am not the sun,” along with the EP’s namesake, “Twin Flame.”
In my opinion, Latour’s greatest asset is her stage presence and interaction with fans. On Oct. 12, Latour made a stop at Big Night Live in Boston on her “Twin Flame Tour.” Throughout the night, I thought Latour put her impressive stage presence on the highest display especially as she led her fans with positive affirmations.
While performing “Trees,” a song from “001” dedicated to her late grandmother, Latour split the audience in two and had the groups sing different melodies of the lyrics, “everything is everything, and I see you in everything.” The exercise brought fans into the show and bolstered a sense of community.
Even more so, the end of Latour’s show did not disappoint. Before playing “Minerals & Diamonds,” a song from “Twin Flame,” she called on the audience to jump around and mosh. Little did fans know that she would jump into the crowd and dance along part-way through her song.
Fans went wild for the chance to dance with the singer. After she left the crowd, she kept up her high intensity performance and directed the audience to get low and jump high during her final songs of the setlist.
Another strength of Latour’s that I absolutely adore is her diversity of subject. While many of her songs speak to her personal experiences of love and heartbreak, some of her songs tackle real-world issues. Among them is “Lola,” a single released from “001.” The song is about the friendship Latour shares with a girl named Lola.
More deeply, Latour described, “this song is also about the girls and queer people that I love. I wanted to write a song about protecting my sisters, my real sister, and my friends.”
Dedicating the song to the queer and trans communities, Latour played the song at the Boston show, which repeats “keep my girls protected, I’m turned on when I’m respected” in the chorus.
After three EPs, Latour’s first studio album is finally in the works, posting on her Instagram Thursday, “bye new york… time to go finish the album.”
Latour has made a dazzling emergence to the pop music scene, and I know her upcoming album is sure to propel her further. With her strong vocals, experimental pop sound and incredible stage presence, the young star has only upwards to go — and I am excited to see what she produces.