Maude Latour On Debut LP ‘Sugar Water,’ Evolving from Earlier Music, and What Makes A Great Song (Exclusive)

Meet Maude Latour—a delightfully emotional, girly-pop singer-songwriter who released her debut full-length album, Sugar Water, on August 16. She’s also one of the judges for this year’s American Songwriter Song Contest, which closes on December 9. Latour knows how to tap into the often complicated feelings of Gen Z while refusing to limit herself to just one audience. She does so with slick beats, clever writing, and airy vocals. 

Speaking with American Songwriter via email, Latour commented on the differences between writing a full-length LP versus her 2019 EP Starsick and how she’s evolved from her previous work. She also spoke about today’s music industry, her influences on the new album, and what she looks for in a great song.

Maude Latour Releases Sugar Water, a Cohesive Project that Explores Youthful Hindsight with Matter-of-Fact Vocal Delivery

Sugar Water is full of great songs. “Too Slow” stands out for its clever writing and Latour’s deadpan delivery of every lyric. She has a certain style in her vocals that’s simultaneously bubbly and matter-of-fact. It’s distinct in other songs as well, like “Whirlpool,” which alternates between that pragmatic delivery and high-reaching octaves. The title track keeps things light yet sultry, taking listeners through a shimmering beat and a decidedly sexy chorus of Can you spit sugar water straight into my mouth? 

“I was focused on an entire journey of highs and lows—hoping that the person listening would be different by the end,” says Latour of the process for Sugar Water. Truly an understatement, as there’s no doubt listeners will be fundamentally changed in their DNA by the time they reach the end of this 12-track album.

Maude Latour is now 24, but she still possesses a knack for capturing the sweetness and wild impulsiveness of teenage years. She’s not so far removed from those years, but her early work—which was mostly written during her own teenage years—has the taste of youth deeply entrenched in youth. Sugar Water, however, explores that time as a retrospective, looking back on being young and inexperienced and, sometimes, wanting to “finish what we started,” as she sings on “Save Me.”

“I think it’s important to me that I keep evolving and growing as I put out music,” says Latour. “I never want to make the same thing twice, so this is an older version of me trying to tell an older story.”

What is Latour Looking For in a Great Song?

For this album, Maude Latour tapped into the albums that inspired her as a teenager. “These iconic albums like Born To Die, ANTI, Melodrama, CTRL, [and] Golden Hour, that really just let you enter a new reality, that’s what inspired me to make something cohesive and concise,” she says, naming albums by Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, Lorde, SZA, and Kacey Musgraves. “I love [looking] into people’s worlds and feeling how transported we can be [through music].”

As for the American Songwriter Song Contest, Latour shares that she’s looking for a song that will “push music to a new level.” She does that herself on the new album, pushing the limits of indie-pop music and creating a cohesive piece that travels through years, conflicting emotions, hazy memories, and dreamy sighs.

“I think there’s such [a] thing as a perfect melody, a perfect feeling, a perfect essence,” she says. “If a song can take you there, you just know. I’m looking for unique lyrics, unique vocals, and a fresh way of making a song. Someone who does something special, pushing music to a new level. Or just undeniably powerful and moving and freeing,” adding, “I’m so excited!”

Featured Image via American Songwriter