Mon Laferte
is one of Latin music's great shapeshifters. The 14 tracks on
FEMME FATALE
, her followup to the experimental rhythm collision of 2023's
Autopoiética
, take on the male myth of the femme fatale (
Laferte
has often been referred to as "the femme fatale of Latin Music") and her own relationship to the term, and valiantly redeems it as feminist manifesto reflecting her intelligence, style, self-determined sexuality, and fiery heart. Her songs journey through introspection and darkness before cultural history loses authority to her self-determination, using metaphor, symbolism, and even mysticism in her lyrics. In late 2024 and in July 2025,
played the femme fatale Sally Bowles in a Teatro Insurgentes production of Cabaret in Mexico City. For this recording and concerts,
has changed her appearance to add import to her songs. Consequently, jazz and cabaret are the primary musical influences here, while the latter is now the overriding theme in her live shows.
Co-produced with longtime collaborator
Manú Jalil
, the pair enlisted a large studio cast that includes reeds, winds, brass, and strings. There are special guests in key songs including the singles "La Tirana," co-written and recorded with
Nathy Peluso
, and "Esto Es Amor" with
Mateo Sujatovich
of
Conociendo Rusia
. The title-track opener is introduced by clarinet and brass in a jazz progression underscored by brushed drums, sparse bass, and whispering piano. Her first-person lyrics autobiographically describe a "deadly woman" who uses her charms, beauty, sophistication, and mystery to lay men's souls to waste. "Mi Hombre" is a jazz guitar-flavored lounge blues (think
Billie Holiday
) that juxtaposes images of Madonna and whore: "I warned you, I do everything wrong..." and "I'm a magnet for hurting..." in her difficulty remaining faithful to the man before her. "Otra Noche de Llorar" weaves jazz, girl group pop, and swing to frame an emotional lyric wherein the protagonist addresses a cheating, soon to be ex with bravado amid her pain.
Diego Franco
's baritone sax solo is a gem. "Esto de Amor" with
Sujatovich
is one of the set's finest moments as a jazz waltz meets vintage soul and pop with amorous intensity, one of the song's lyrics translates as "Baby, eating your lips is religion." While "Veracruz" weds jazz and ranchera under an imposing bassline, "El Gran Sen¿or" is a steamy orchestral bolero. "La Tirana" with
Peluso
also uses the ballroom bolero form when sliding into jazz and ranchera as strings swirl, mariachi horns cascade, and piano drives them. Two friends discuss their romantic problems with men who lack empathy and vulnerability. The depth of loss and sadness reflects the protaganists' desire for self-claimed redemption amid strings, bass, and drums. "My One and Only Love" finds the singer in the company of
Natalia LaFourcade
and
Silvana Estrada
in a gentle yet militant feminist waltz before the swinging big-band blues of "Vida Normal" closes it out.
is consciously provocative in its lyrics and stories, but it is profoundly courageous; musically, it stands as her most sophisticated, poetic, and adventurous recording to date. ~ Thom Jurek