Maude Latour is making her mark, her latest EP “Starstruck” is filled with shimmering melodies and poetic lyrics. She perfectly encapsulates that vulnerability of your early 20’s, those first shaky feelings of adulthood. We talked to the rising artist about Greek poetry, love, and her inner-revolution.
Tell me about “Lovesick” I love the meaning behind it.
Maude: Lovesick is a very special song to me. It was a culmination of me being truly sick of song structure and all I wanted was to be bathed in a sonic pool of choirs and harmony and spoken words. I just wanted to make a symphony. I was waiting to write “lovesick” for a long time-- I generally write from titles, and I knew what this title meant to me. It truly is the comfort I’ve provided myself through heartbreak: oh, this feeling is a physical disease and I currently am infected by it and that’s okay and it’s beautiful. I think there’s a lot of guilt in heartbreak when you’re angry with yourself for being hurt… and we just can’t think like that.
I feel like there needs to be more Greek poetry in songs, what peaked your interest in that subject?
Maude: Honestly, this is a perk of being in school while I pursue music. My literature class at Columbia inspired everything about this song, my amazing professor brought me to tears on a regular basis. We read so many wonderful texts in that class, from Vergil to Symposium… so much is on love-- It’s very close to the root of what inspires me.
I love that the video for “Lovesick” is based on your relationship, did that feel like it was too personal or too real?
Maude: I can hardly watch the Lovesick video, it breaks my heart because yes, it is too real and too personal, and it cuts me so deeply that this story in my life has been so perfectly captured. I am so grateful for it though, because that is why I make music, in hopes that I can truly bottle up a fragment of my life. And that is exactly what this video and song really did for me, as painful as it is. Life imitates art, I guess.
The EP is so gorgeous, what was some of the inspiration behind the songs?
Maude: Thank you for saying that. I’m honestly deeply proud of this body of work. All I want is to truly become myself inside my head and outside of it, and I really believe I painted a piece of my world and dreams accurately and it makes me feel meaning. The themes are truly consistent throughout, that’s why it means so much to me when I can tell someone has deeply listened to it. The strains of an inner-revolution that somehow teaches us to view life through the transcendent and surreal lens it deserves…this is my mission.
What else has been inspiring you lately?
Maude: I am being inspired on a day to day basis. Honestly it’s 2020 that has really inspired me the most. I actually believe this switch into the new year will be a catalyst for a lot of people on the verge of self-discovery. I am just trying to read and listen and soak up everything in my path, collecting every thing that resonates with me. I am inspired by the words I’ve been reading, our collective understanding
What has been the biggest challenge for you in the music industry?
Maude: Remembering that I cannot adhere to the templates or paths of other artists. I am completely unique and it is only an exercise of trust my vision and my vision alone.
What’s your best piece of advice for young women?
Maude: I just can no longer tolerate watching women being treated poorly or treating themselves poorly. I am truly fuming with rage lately and seeing the reality of my gender’s patterns, habits, and untapped power. If women exercised their full potential we would tap into infinite strength and power— I am tired of being taught not to completely love myself and act as loud and proudly confident and trust my voice. I am holding myself to an extremely high standard for how I think women need to make sure they are treated, demanding space and taking it up. I need other girls to do the same.
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