Tone Glow 145: Mon Laferte
An interview with the Chilean singer-songwriter about her new tour, the importance of adapting, and growing up in Viña del Mar
Mon Laferte
Mon Laferte (b. 1983) is a Chilean singer-songwriter currently based in Mexico. Her major breakthrough album came in 2015 with Mon Laferte, Vol. 1, and she has spent no time resting on her laurels in the decade since. Throughout her career, she has fearlessly written music that has traversed a variety of styles, from bolero to ranchera, mariachi to cumbia, salsa to metal to art pop. Her ninth studio album, Autopoiética, was largely about reinvention as it coincided with her entering her 40s and becoming a mother. More recently, she has released a new single titled “Obra de Dios.” Laferte is currently on tour throughout the US and the dates can be found here. Joshua Minsoo Kim talked with Laferte on April 29th, 2024 via Zoom to discuss growing up in Chile, the difference between singing in English and Spanish, and her current tour. Special thanks to Guillermo Ignacio Morales Vitola for interpreting.
Joshua Minsoo Kim: I wanted to ask about growing up in Viña del Mar. Can you paint a picture for me of growing up in that space?
Mon Laferte: I think of the Pacific Ocean and its violent waves constantly hitting the rocks. It’s cold and overcast, but nonetheless it’s very calm.
Do you feel a connection to water? Do you swim often?
I don’t swim, but I am in love with the sea—and specifically that sea at Viña. When I moved to Mexico, I wanted to explore the sea there, but there weren’t any waves, it was warmer, and it had a nice turquoise color. It’s a nice sea for vacationing.
In thinking about your move to Mexico, what sort of things do you feel like you’ve gained there that you didn’t have back in Chile?
I fall into these geographical clichés—I like go to where it’s a little cloudy and cold. Chile is a country of poets, and people often go to the sea to write. Mexico, in the midst of all the chaos—and it is a different chaos—I felt like I didn’t live until moving here. Everything has been intense and everything has happened to me while I was here: I fell in love, I was robbed. Mexico is just very surreal; anything can happen in a day (laughter).
I’m thinking about a song like “Te juro que volveré” and how in that song, you mention this promise made to your mother and grandmother of returning to Chile. Do you mind talking about how having and raising a child has changed the way you think about yourself? Like, is there anything to be said with regards to how you view yourself now in relationship to your grandmother, your mother, and now your child?
In understanding myself more, and in understanding my mother and grandmother more, I’m a lot less judgmental. I can see them as women instead of just my mother and grandmother. In terms of being a mother, I have learned a lot of lessons and it has all led me to becoming a more practical person with regards to my creativity. Practicality is now a great asset; I’m a lot more practical now.
You’ve dabbled in so many different styles of music throughout your career. Do you feel like making songs in these different modes has taught you different things about yourself?
The only thing that we have in this life is constant change. I find that beautiful in the sense that we always have to adapt. Ever since I was a kid, I had this wish of being humble enough to constantly adapt to a new self. I get bored easily when I repeat myself, and doing so is not really honest. When you’re a curious person, change is always great.
On your newest album, Autopoiética (2023), you have a song like “Mew Shiny” that is sung in English. What’s the process for you to write and sing in Spanish versus English?
If we delve into this on a technical level, it’s easier to sing in English because of how you use your mouth—the way you use your tongue and palate is different. In Spanish, there are a lot more open vowels (sings a single note loudly with vibrato). Even though English isn’t my native tongue, I’ve been studying it for a while—I’ve been doing Duolingo (laughter)—and I’m trying to learn more words and technical aspects related to singing in English.
Are there any songs that you feel only became fleshed out after they were performed live?
That’s the beauty of a live show. You imagine things will go a certain way and then it turns out differently. There are different songs that have surprised me. “Pornocracia,” for example, has surprised me a lot because it has a lot of high notes—it ends up being more theatrical. “Mew Shiny,” too. It’s one of the more experimental songs both on the album and in my set, and it’s connected well with people.
I’m wondering if you could speak about your relationship with religion, if any. You have songs like “Levitico 20:9” and your new single, “Obra de Dios.”
I’m not a religious person—I think I’m agnostic. Still, I definitely respect everyone’s beliefs. Basically, this is about freedom of religion. You have to respect what everybody wants to do, and that’s fine by me. The role of religion in my work is more as an aesthetic, and as an aesthetic it’s really beautiful. In “Obra de Dios,” I was asking myself, “What’s the biggest thing that humanity believes in?” It’s God, Allah, these different names. And from that, I wanted to say with this song that we’re all works of God, that we’re all special, and that it’s a miracle that we’re all children of God.
Earlier you mentioned the beauty of trying new things and evolving. What new things are you trying on this tour that you haven’t tried at previous shows?
I’ve always been ambitious in terms of [visual] aesthetics; I believe they go hand in hand with the music. Last year, I was able to go to a lot of concerts and I learned that it’s no longer about the music. The music is of course important ,and it’s why people will go to a concert, but you have to bring more to the table. When things are visually striking, you leave the show more surprised. In these times, aesthetics are as important as the music.
Are there older songs that you’re singing now that you feel have taken on a new, expanded meaning in having performed them in 2024?
“Tu falta de querer” is a very important song in my career and it’s funny because at past shows, I was getting tired of singing this over and over again. I wanted to twist things a little bit and I’m now performing it by myself with an acoustic guitar. It becomes a communion with the audience. It doesn’t hurt anymore—the song is from when I was going through a breakup—but now it’s about feeling grateful. I really owe a lot to it because it was so successful.
There’s a question I end all my interviews with and I wanted to ask it to you. Do you mind sharing one thing you love about yourself?
Something that I love about myself is that ever since I was little—and this still surprises me—I’ve had the capacity to push through adversities. To solve them. I’m always able to see the good in the bad. There is this metaphor that I think of where there is a crumbling building but I am able to hold it in my hand. I always know that things are going to be alright. Also, I love my beautiful legs and hair (laughter).
Mon Laferte’s newest album, Autopoiética, can be heard on various streaming platforms. Her newest single, “Obra de Dios,” is out now. Laferte is currently on tour in the US and her tour dates can be found here.
Thank you for reading the 145th issue of Tone Glow. Keep adapting.
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