Maude Latour is a verified artist on Spotify and plays sold-out concerts, but she hasn’t even graduated from Columbia University yet. Her energetic indie pop music is fun but always honest, speaking to the ups and downs of being a college student.
No wonder she has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Now, Latour is on a tour of the U.S. and Toronto with 12 of her 14 shows already sold out. The tour started on March 12.
In 2019, Latour released her first EP, Starsick, featuring both upbeat, catchy songs like “Superfruit,” and more emotional tracks like “Shoot and Run” and “Lovesick.” Latour’s lyrics speak to the vast range of emotions young adults experience, particularly as they relate to love and relationships. In “Lovesick,” Latour sings about still having feelings for a past lover.
“Lovesick, love you till my heart stops / Love you ’til I’m carsick, love you ’til you’re starsick / Isn’t it amazing, despite all the space in the world I’m close to you,” Latour sings.
The line is one of Latour’s classic philosophical musings about our place and purpose in life. She marvels at the strange and seemingly impossible nature of two people being in the same place and time together, and on top of that, being in love.
Starsick also features the track “Ride My Bike,” Latour’s ode to riding her bike around Central Park to clear her mind. Even in such a lively song, Latour’s lyrics delve into the complexity of her emotions and thoughts.
Latour’s trend of pairing serious lyrics with more upbeat rhythms in her music continues through the songs on her EP Strangers Forever, including “Furniture” and her most popular song on Spotify, “One More Weekend.”
The track “Strangers Forever” is another one of Latour’s more emotionally raw songs. With ethereal backing vocals and instrumentation, Latour muses on feeling left behind in a relationship.
“I lovе you but you wanna be somebody else’s baby / You love me but you’re over it and you start to hate me / So after everything we’ve been through together / (Would it have been better stayin’) / Strangers forever?” Latour sings.
Latour’s voice, unique with its smooth but edgy tone, masterfully climbs the scale. Her vocals slip effortlessly between upper and lower registers and alternate between a strong sound and a near whisper.
Her vocal flexibility is also present in her most recent single, “Headphones,” as she glides between notes in the chorus, gradually making her way up the scale.
Latour’s skills and talent are evident in her ability to weave deeply emotional and reflective lyrics into a funky kind of indie pop, making her music both catchy and thought-provoking. Her lyrics reach into the hearts and minds of fellow college students, speaking to the experiences of growing up to her young audience.
As a result of her incredible voice and exciting instrumentation, Latour is a star—one that is only growing brighter.
Featured Graphic by Liz Schwab / Heights Editor
