With 'Femme Fatale Vol. 2,' Mon Laferte shows she's at her musical peak

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Set us as preferred Late last year, Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte dropped “Femme Fatale,” a smoldering album that was instantly hailed as one of the best Latin records of 2025.Since the appearance of the iconic “Mon Laferte, Vol.1” in 2015 — a transformative rite of passage for the Latin Alternative genre — the singer has explored the fusion of retro rock balladry with bolero fever, trip-hop glamour, and jazz decadence.

The unifying archetype of the femme fatale, however, elevated Laferte’s songbook to a new level of cinematic noir.Latin Grammy-winning chanteuse Mon Laferte released her jazz pop LP, “Femme Fatale,” in October.The album begs the question: What’s a “normal life” to a liberated woman?Then she did the unthinkable.On June 12, she released “Femme Fatale Vol.

2,” a panoramic double album that simmers with ambition.Anchored on a near-orchestral soundstage, its 20 tracks ricochet from in-your-face punk dissonance to majestic broken-heart dirges, a lovely duet with St.

Vincent, rootsy folk interludes and farfisa-rich lounge.At 43, Laferte’s vocal cords have reached a decadent peak — angry and ragged, deliciously wounded.The new album appears designed to tease, coax and overwhelm the listener.

It’s simultaneously jazzy and vulgar, wry and prophetic.It recedes into the past for comfort and illumination, then embraces the present, where Laferte is hailed as a trendsetter.

In November, she will play two nights at the Kia Forum, a feat that few Latin American artists can claim.Laferte, who lives in Mexico, was vacationing with her family in Paris when she spoke to De Los about her songwriting compulsion, the undeniable power of her voice, and a lifelong struggle with mental health.The following Q&A has been lightly edited for length and clarity.“Femme Fatale Vol.

2” was ...