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Mon Laferte
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Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte (born 2 May 1983) better known as Mon Laferte, is a Chilean and Mexican singer-songwriter. Her musical style spans genres including pop, rock, bolero, cumbia, and salsa, reflecting her versatility.[2] She gained recognition during the 2010s for her melodramatic style and stage presence.[3][4] In 2025, Billboard named her one of the best female Latin pop artists of all time.[5]
Key Information
Laferte has sold more than 4.8 million album-equivalent units in Mexico, making her the best-selling Chilean artist of the digital era.[6] Her releases Mon Laferte, Vol. 1 (2015), La Trenza (2017), "Tu Falta De Querer", "Amárrame", and "Mi Buen Amor" have been certified diamond or higher by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON).[7] Her accolades include five Latin Grammy Awards (the most for a Chilean artist), a Musa Award, two MTV Europe Music Awards, four MTV MIAW Awards, and three Grammy Awards nominations.
Early life and education
[edit]Laferte grew up with her mother Myriam Laferte Herrera, her maternal grandmother Norma, and her younger sister Solange, in their hometown of Viña del Mar, Chile.[8] In 1992, at the age of nine, she won first prize in a contest organized by Orlando Peña Carvajal school.[9] She was given a guitar, on which she first began to compose her own songs.[10] At the age of thirteen she got a scholarship to study music for a year and a half at the conservatory in her hometown, although she preferred the self-taught path to the academic one. She honed her skills by playing in bars in Viña del Mar and Valparaiso.[11][12][13]
In August 2007, Laferte emigrated to Mexico. In 2008, she began performing in Veracruz and Mexico City as Mon Laferte.[14] On November 30, 2022, after living and working in Mexico for more than 15 years, Laferte was granted Mexican citizenship.[15]
Career
[edit]In 2003, Laferte, then known as Monserrat Bustamante, entered the Chilean reality competition series Rojo. That same year, she released her first studio album, La Chica de Rojo. The album had great success in Chile, receiving Gold and Platinum certifications. She became part of the Clan Rojo and was on the television series for four seasons.
In 2007, Laferte decided to start a new chapter in her musical career by moving from Chile to Mexico City, where she began singing in nightclubs and recording cover songs.[16] In 2009, she released a single titled "Lo mismo que yo", which was to be the lead single for an upcoming album.[17] The same year, Laferte was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, effectively putting a halt to her album.[18]
Around the time of her battle with cancer, she abandoned her original stage name and took on the name Mon Laferte, expressing that the name represented a new beginning for her:
"Mi cambio de nombre no es por querer ser otra persona, es que las circunstancias de la vida me han llevado a cambiar mucho y sentí que tenía que empezar de cero."[19]
Laferte decided to scrap the album she was recording in 2009, and returned two years later with her second studio album, titled Desechable. The next year, in 2012, she was invited to judge the second season of the Chilean version of The X Factor, called Factor X, along with Karen Doggenweiler, Tito Beltrán and José Luis Rodríguez.
It is also at this time her presentation at the beginning of 2012 as a vocalist of the Mexican heavy metal female band Mystica Girls, with whom in February 2014 she recorded the album titled Gates of Hell.[20][21]
In 2013, she released her third album, Tornasol. She received media attention in 2015 with her single "Tu falta de querer" from the album Mon Laferte, Vol.1. In 2016, she won a MTV Millennial Award for the "Latin Video of the Year"[22] and receiving two nominations on the Latin Grammy Awards of 2016 for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album.
Laferte released her fifth album La Trenza, her most acclaimed album to date, in 2017. Her single with Colombian rock star Juanes, "Amárrame", won the Best Alternative Song award at the 18th Latin GRAMMYs,[23] in which she was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Record of the Year.[24] She also wins the category "Best North Latin Artist" in the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards.[25][26][27]
In February 2018 she released the single "Antes de Ti" that was nominated to the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards as "Song of the Year". The video for the single was also Mon Laferte's directorial debut.[28] In June 2018, she co-hosted the 2018 MTV Millennial Awards in Mexico City at the Mexico City Arena along with the Venezuelan YouTube personality La Divaza.[29] During the year 2018, Mon worked on her sixth studio album, Norma , which was recorded in a single session in studio A of Capitol Studios of Los Angeles, the recording was made in one shot, without using the overdubbing technique of audio layers, but all the instruments playing simultaneously to give the material the feeling of live recording. In this recording 13 musicians participated. Omar Rodríguez-López was in charge of the album's production and the recording engineer was Bruce Botnick. The album was released on November 9th 2018.

On October 26th 2018, she collaborated with American singer Gwen Stefani on her new Christmas album on a cover of the song "Feliz Navidad" by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. At the end of 2018, the international television network HTV nominated Mon Laferte in the "Best Southern Artist" category of the Heat Latin Music Awards 2019.
In January 2019, she was announced to participate in the American Music Festival Coachella. In February 2019, Mon Laferte received her first nomination at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in the Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year category, Female. Also the Album Norma received a Gold record in Mexico for 30,000 copies sold. In May 2019, the singer announced her U.S. tour, under the headline "La Gira de Norma". The tour started on August 10th, 2019, in Seattle's Neptune Theatre, following a European tour that same Summer.[30] On 14 November 2019, Mon Laferte made headlines with her act of political protest, exposing her breasts at the Latin Grammys to display the message "En Chile Torturan Violan y Matan" (English translation: In Chile they torture, rape and kill) on her bare chest.[31][32][33]
On 19 November 2019, Laferte was interviewed by Patricia Janiot from Univision. In that interview, Mon Laferte justified the looting and burning of numerous supermarkets and other buildings by saying that "they were only material goods". When asked if she condemned violence, she said, "I do not approve of any kind of violence. Now, if you ask me personally, if I have to go burn down a supermarket that has robbed from me my entire life to demand the basic rights I feel I deserve, I will do it!" She accused the police and armed forces of burning the dozens of subway stations that were burnt by rioters on 18 October 2019.[34]
On 30 November 2019, Laferte was subpoenaed by Chilean prosecutors to give a statement regarding the evidence she may or may not have to support her accusation that Chilean police and armed forces actively participated in the burning of subway stations. Chilean police announced that, depending upon her statement, they might press criminal charges against her.[35] The charges were later dropped.[32]
In 2021, Laferte contributed a cover of the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist.[36] In June 2022, she announced her Mexican citizenship during a press conference stating “Llevo 15 años en México, tengo un hijo mexicano, mi pareja es mexicana. Pero esto es hermoso, es la cereza del pastel!” The now Chilean Mexican singer stated that she was happy to have her new nationality since she has called Mexico her home for the past 15 years. During which time she built up and created her career as the persona we now know as Mon Laferte.
In 2023, the film Migration was released, in which she sang a spanglish cover of the song Survivor[37][38].
Visual arts
[edit]
On 11 March 2020, she debuted as a visual artist in the solo exhibit entitled Gestures at the Museum of the City of Mexico, containing 76 art pieces. Laferte commented she had painted for ten years as a self-taught artist with some lessons from her father, a painter himself.[39]
In January 2023, she performed for the first time at the Olmué Huaso Festival, returning to the Patagual stage, where she had performed when she was little. On the occasion she was accompanied by the traditional Oaxacan female group Mujeres del Viento Florido in the entirety of her show, playing her greatest hits.[40] At the concert she invited the singer Chabelita Fuentes, with whom she sang "La Enagüita", a classical Chilean tune.[41] She also took the opportunity to sing "Canción sin miedo" by the Mexican singer Vivir Quintana, provoking the admiration of the public.[42]
Personal life
[edit]She resided briefly in Los Angeles, CA in 2021. Her husband is Joel Orta, a musician who is a guitarist for the Mexican rock band, Celofán. She and Orta married in October 2022, eight months after the birth of their son.[43] Due to the radiation treatment she received in 2009 for thyroid cancer, she underwent fertility treatments in California in order to conceive her son. Although there are some English-language songs on her album, 1940 Carmen, she does not speak English fluently and instead used Google Translate to write them.[44] She is a vegan, feminist and an LGBTQ+ rights activist.[45]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
- La Chica de Rojo (2003)
- Desechable (2011)
- Tornasol (2013)
- Mon Laferte, Vol. 1 (2015)
- La Trenza (2017)
- Norma (2018)
- Seis (2021)
- 1940 Carmen (2021)
- Autopoiética (2023)
- Femme Fatale (2025)
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Latin Music Awards | 2019 | Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Female | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [46] |
| Copihue de Oro | 2007 | Female Artist | Monserrat Bustamante | Won | |
| 2017 | Popular/Tropical Group or Singer | Mon Laferte | Won | [47] | |
| Revelation | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Artist of the Decade | Won | [48] | ||
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) | Seis | Nominated | [49] |
| 2023 | Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album | 1940 Carmen | Nominated | [50] | |
| 2025 | Autopoiética | Nominated | [51] | ||
| Heat Latin Music Awards | 2019 | Best Artist Southern Region | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [52] |
| 2020 | Nominated | [53] | |||
| Best Rock Artist | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Nominated | [54] | |||
| Latin Grammy Awards | 2016 | Best New Artist | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [55] |
| Best Alternative Music Album | Mon Laferte Vol.1 | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Album of the Year | La Trenza | Nominated | ||
| Best Alternative Music Album | Nominated | ||||
| Record of the Year | "Amárrame" (with Juanes) | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Alternative Song | Won | ||||
| 2018 | Song of the Year | "Antes de Ti" | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Best Alternative Music Album | Norma | Won | ||
| 2020 | Best Alternative Song | "Chilango Blues" | Nominated | ||
| Best Rock Song | "Biutiful" | Won | |||
| 2021 | Song of the Year | "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" (with Alejandro Fernández) | Nominated | ||
| Best Regional Song | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Song | "La Mujer" | Nominated | |||
| Best Singer-Songwriter Album | Seis | Won | |||
| 2022 | Song of the Year | "Algo es Mejor" | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Best Alternative Song | "Traguito" (with iLe) | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Album of the Year | Autopoiética | Nominated | ||
| Best Alternative Music Album | Won | ||||
| Record of the Year | "Tenochtitlán" | Nominated | |||
| Latin Recording Academy | 2023 | Leading Ladies of Entertainment | Mon Laferte | Won | [56] |
| Luces Awards | 2019 | Concert of the Year | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [57] |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2016 | Best Latin America North Act | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [58] |
| 2017 | Won | [59] | |||
| 2018 | Nominated | [60] | |||
| 2019 | Won | [61] | |||
| Musa Awards | 2020 | Artist of the Year | Mon Laferte | Won | [62] |
| Song of the Year | "Plata Ta Tá" | Nominated | |||
| Collaboration of the Year | "La Danza de las Libélulas" (with Manuel García) | Nominated | |||
| "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" (with Alejandro Fernández) | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Album of the Year | Seis | Nominated | [63] | |
| Collaboration of the Year | "La Mujer" (with Gloria Trevi) | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Video of the Year | "Tenochtitlán" | Nominated | [64] | |
| Natida Awards | 2019 | Chileno de las Artes | Mon Laferte | Won | [65] |
| Premios Gardel | 2019 | Collaboration of the Year | "Amor (En Vivo)" (with Los Auténticos Decadentes) | Nominated | [66] |
| Premios Juventud | 2021 | Best Regional Mexican Fusion | "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" (with Alejandro Fernández) | Nominated | [67] |
| Girl Power | "La Mujer" (with Gloria Trevi) | Nominated | |||
| "Se Portaba Mal" (with Kany García) | Nominated | ||||
| Premios Lo Nuestro | 2022 | Pop Artist of the Year | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [68] |
| Premios Pulsar | 2018 | Artist of the Year | La Trenza | Nominated | [69] |
| Album of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Artist | Won | ||||
| Song of the Year | "Amárrame" | Won | |||
| Most Listened Song on Chilean Radios | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Artist of the Year | Norma | Nominated | [70] | |
| Album of the Year | Won | ||||
| Best Pop Artist | Nominated | ||||
| Song of the Year | "El Beso" | Won | |||
| Most Listened Song on Chilean Radios | "Amárrame" | Won | |||
| 2020 | "El Beso" | Won | [71] | ||
| 2022 | Album of the Year | Seis | Nominated | [72] | |
| Best Singer-Songwriter | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Artist | 1940 Carmen | Nominated | |||
| Artist of the Year | Mon Laferte | Nominated | |||
| Most Listened Song on Chilean Radios | "Tu Falta de Querer" | Won | |||
| 2024 | Album of the Year | Autopoiética | Won | [73] | |
| Best Singer-Songwriter | Nominated | ||||
| Song of the Year | "Tenochtitlán" | Nominated | |||
| Artist of the Year | Mon Laferte | Nominated | |||
| SHOCK Awards | 2016 | Best New Artist or Group | Mon Laferte | Won | [74] |
| Spotify Awards | 2020 | Most Listened Pop Artist | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [75] |
| Telehit Awards | 2016 | Best Rock Artist | Mon Laferte | Won | [76] |
| 2017 | Best Pop/Rock Artist | Won | [77] | ||
| Best Act | Won | ||||
| MTV MIAW Awards | 2016 | Buzz Artist | Mon Laferte | Won | [78] |
| Collaboration of the Year | "Palmar" (with Caloncho) | Nominated | |||
| Video of the Year | "Tu Falta de Querer" | Won | |||
| 2017 | Mexican Artist | Mon Laferte | Won | [79] | |
| #Instacrush | Nominated | ||||
| Collaboration of the Year | "Amárrame" (with Juanes) | Nominated | |||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | "Antes de Ti" | Nominated | [80] | ||
| Mexican Artist | Mon Laferte | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | UP WOMEN! | Nominated | [81] | ||
| Mexican Artist | Nominated | ||||
| Video of the Year | "El Beso" | Won | |||
| Music Ship | "Amor" (with Los Auténticos Decadentes) | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Mexican Artist | Mon Laferte | Nominated | [82] |
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rojo, La Pelicula | Belén | Chilean film |
| 2013 | Japy Ending | Eli | Peruvian film |
| 2024 | Mon Laferte, te amo | Self | Documentary |
| Year | TV series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2007 | Rojo Fama Contrafama | Contestant |
| 2006–2007 | El Baile en TVN | Singer |
| 2012 | Factor X | Judge and mentor |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Mon Laferte: "Hacer 'música cebolla' es como mi revancha"". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 12 November 2018.
- ^ Agarzábal, Nicolás (12 August 2018). "Mon Laferte, la chilena que quiere desbancar a Shakira". Clarín.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Mon Laferte". Musicapopular.cl. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Mon Laferte Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ Roiz, Pamela; Leila Cobo; Ingrid Fajardo; Griselda Flores; Sigal Ratner-Arias; Isabela Raygoza; Jessica Roiz (31 March 2025). "Best 50 Female Latin Pop Artists of All Time, Ranked: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Abache, Melina (15 July 2021). "Mon Laferte que conquistó al mundo con sus canciones para corazones rotos". Vogue (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ "Certificaciones". AMPROFON. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
To visualize the certifications, in ARTISTA type "Mon Laferte" and in CERTIFICACIÓN type "Diamante".
- ^ "La vida antes de Mon Laferte: El largo camino que recorrió Monserrat Bustamante para convertirse en la estrella que es ahora". Theclinic.cl. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Mon Laferte". Mon Laferte. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "El ritmo latino de Mon Laferte". Vogue.mx. 9 June 2017.
- ^ "A Mon Laferte las críticas le son indiferentes y hoy actúa en el Vive Latino". Excélsior (in Mexican Spanish). 19 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ Muñoz, Elisa (29 November 2019). "Mon Laferte: topless y reguetón para que el mundo mire a Chile". Cadena.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ Interview in Dulce Patria. 13 May 2016. Radio Cooperativa.
- ^ "El Mercurio | SABADO| Página 9 | sábado, 08 de abril de 2017". 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Mon Laferte ya es mexicana; Ebrard le entrega su carta de naturalización". Proceso.com.mx. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Entrevista con Mon Laferte". Indierocks.mx (in European Spanish). 14 September 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Con look Lily Allen, ex estrella de "Rojo" adelanta nuevo disco". Emol.com (in Spanish). 18 May 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "El radical giro de Mon Laferte: "Ya no me reconocen"". Lasegunda.com. La Segunda. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ "La Tundra Revista | Mon Laferte en concierto en Londres" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ Valle, Luis Del (15 November 2017). "Tenemos que hablar del no tan oscuro pasado metalero de Mon Laferte". BuzzFeed.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Exposito, Suzy (10 December 2019). "So, How Was Your Decade, Mon Laferte?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Todos los ganadores de los premios #MTVMIAW 2016 – MTV America Latina". Mtvla.com. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "Mon Laferte Wins Best Alternative Song". Grammy.com. 16 November 2017.
- ^ "18a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY". Latingrammy.com.
- ^ "Here's the full list of MTV EMA 2017 winners | NME". Nme.com. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Newman, Vicki (14 November 2017). "A full list of winners from the MTV EMA Awards 2017". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "THESE ARE THE BIG WINNERS AT THE 2019 MTV EMA | Noticias | MTV EMA". Mtvema.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Arbona-Ruiz, Marisa (23 February 2018). "Mon Laferte: After A Stellar Year, A Directorial Debut". Npr.org. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Mon Laferte co-host 2018 MTV Millenial Awards". 24Horas.cl. 24 Horas. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Exposito, Suzy (28 May 2019). "Mon Laferte Announces U.S. Headlining Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Chile protests: Government bows to demands for referendum". Bbc.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ a b McGowan, Charis (27 April 2021). "Mon Laferte: The Chilean pop sensation challenging repression". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Cepeda, Eduardo (15 November 2019). "Mon Laferte Poses Topless on Grammy's Red Carpet in Support of Chile". Remezcla.com. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "Mon Laferte habla con Patria Janiot de la crisis política que se vive en Chile". 19 November 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Carabineros anuncia "acciones civiles y penales" contra Mon Laferte y pide a Fiscalía que cite a cantante tras dichos sobre quema de estaciones de Metro - La Tercera". Latercera.com. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ He, Richard S. (10 September 2021). "Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best". Loudersound.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Survivor (Film Version) - John Powell & Mon Laferte: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts". Shazam. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "Survivor (Full Version) - Mon Laferte: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts". Shazam. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ MacMasters, Merry (11 March 2020). "Mon Laferte, la pintora, expone en el Museo de la Ciudad de México". La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Mon Laferte arrasó en Olmué 2023 con emotiva presentación". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Con guiños a la cárcel de mujeres, a las mamás y homenajes varios: Mon Laferte se luce con emocionante show en el Festival de Olmué". Adnradio.cl (in Spanish). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ ""¡Emocionante!": Mon Laferte destacó en Olmué con interpretación de "Canción sin miedo" junto a la agrupación Mujeres del Viento Florido". 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Mon Laferte se casó con Joel Orta, el padre de su hijo: "Hasta el infinito y más allá"". infobae (in European Spanish). 22 October 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Lopez, Julyssa (29 October 2021). "How Mon Laferte Unlocked a New Honesty in Her Songwriting". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Abache, Melina (15 July 2021). "Mon Laferte que conquistó al mundo con sus canciones para corazones rotos". Vogue (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Cobo, Leila (12 February 2019). "Ozuna Leads 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards Finalists: Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ Comunicaciones, Compañia Chilena de. "Estos fueron los ganadores al Copihue de Oro 2017". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "La "barra pop" rugió: Estos son los ganadores del Copihue de Oro 2021". La Cuarta (in Spanish). 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List". Grammys.com. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Willman, Chris (8 November 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Fernandez, Suzette (21 November 2018). "J Balvin Tops Heat Latin Music Awards Nominations: See Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Fernandez, Suzette (18 February 2020). "J Balvin & Farruko Lead Heat Latin Music Awards 2020 Nominations: See Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ Roiz, Jessica (1 July 2021). "Anitta, Karol G, CNCO & More Win Big at Heat Latin Music Awards 2021: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Mon Laferte". Latin Grammys. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Garcia, Thania (29 August 2023). "Latin Recording Academy Reveals Honorees for 2023 'Leading Ladies of Entertainment' Ceremony". Variety. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ "Premios Luces 2019: revisa la lista de nominados y vota aquí por tus favoritos". Elcomerico.pe. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "alkilados, j balvin, maluma, manuel medrano y sebastián yatra han sido nominados como 'mejor artista latin américa central'" (in Spanish). MTV LA. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "taylor swift lidera las nominaciones de los mtv ema 2017" (in Spanish). MTV LA. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Karol G, J Balvin y Manuel Turizo, entre los nominados a los MTV Europe Music Awards 2018" (in Spanish). El Espectador. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Todos los nominados a los Premios MTV EMA 2019: Ariana Grande encabeza la lista" (in Spanish). Billboard Argentina. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Estos son los ganadores de los Premios MUSA 2020". Futuro (in Spanish). 5 December 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ Rojas, Fabián Nuñez (3 December 2021). "Premios MUSA 2021: Lista completa de ganadores". Rock&Pop (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ Quiroz, Nelson (7 December 2023). "Premios MUSA Sprite 2023: revisa la lista completa de ganadores". Radio ADN. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Mon Laferte y José Maza entre los finalistas del Premio Chileno del Año". M.cooperativa.cl. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "Premios Gardel 2019: noche de nominación, música y encuentro". Infobae (in Spanish). 18 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Lista completa de nominados a Premios Juventud 2021". Univision. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Nominados Premio Lo Nuestro 2022: lista completa de artistas". Univision. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Mon Laferte y Gepe lideran las nominaciones en los Premios Pulsar 2018". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 24 April 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Premios Pulsar 2019 ya tienen fecha de entrega: serán en julio". Rock & Pop (in Spanish). 17 June 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Javiera Contador, Humberto Sichel y Natalia Valdebenito serán los animadores de los Premios Pulsar 2020". Súbela (in Spanish). 3 July 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Premios Pulsar vuelven a la presencialidad y debutan en la Estación Mapocho". La Tercera (in Spanish). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ Cordero, Melanie (3 May 2024). "PREMIOS PULSAR 2024: CONOCE LA LISTA DE NOMINADOS Y NOMINADAS". Los 40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Ellos son los ganadores de los Premios Shock 2016". SHOCK. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Spotify Awards 2020: Conoce a los finalistas de la primera edición". Telemundo (in Spanish). 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ "¡Ellos son los ganadores de los Premios Telehit 2016!" (in Spanish). TVyNovelas.com. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "¡Ellos son los ganadores a los Premios Telehit 2017!" (in Spanish). 11 November 2017.
- ^ "todos los ganadores de los premios #mtvmiaw 2016". MTV Latinoamerica. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ "¡Todas las categorías y nominados!". mtvla.com (in Spanish). 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "¡Ya tenemos fecha y locación para los MIAW 2018!". MTVLA.com (in Spanish). MTV Networks. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "J Balvin lidera las nominaciones a los premios MTV MIAW 2019". Publimetro. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "Estos son los nominados a los MTV MIAW 2021". Billboard Argentina. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Mon Laferte on Facebook
Mon Laferte
View on GrokipediaNorma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte (born 2 May 1983), known professionally as Mon Laferte, is a Chilean-Mexican singer-songwriter, composer, and visual artist whose music fuses Latin alternative, indie pop, bolero, cumbia, and ranchera genres.[1][2] Born in Viña del Mar, Chile, she relocated to Mexico City in 2003, where she developed her career, eventually gaining dual nationality and achieving commercial success with albums selling millions worldwide.[3][4] Laferte has secured four Latin Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album for Autopoiética in 2024, and two Grammy nominations, establishing her as one of Chile's most streamed artists globally.[5][6] Her rise to prominence began with the 2015 release of Mon Laferte Vol. I, featuring hits like "Tormento," followed by sold-out arena tours across Latin America and beyond.[3] Defining her public persona, Laferte has engaged in political activism, most notably protesting alleged police brutality and human rights violations during Chile's 2019 social unrest by baring her chest on the Latin Grammy red carpet with the message "En Chile torturan, violan y matan," an act that drew both acclaim and accusations of inciting violence.[7][8][9]
Early Life
Childhood in Viña del Mar
Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte, known professionally as Mon Laferte, was born on May 2, 1983, in Viña del Mar, Chile, a coastal city renowned for its vibrant cultural scene.[2] She grew up in a working-class family amid economic hardships, including her father's abandonment, which left her mother and grandmother as primary caregivers in a modest household.[10][11] These circumstances instilled early responsibilities, as she contributed to family support from a young age, shaping a worldview rooted in resilience and community interdependence.[12] Viña del Mar's local environment exposed her to Chile's musical traditions during her formative years, with neighborhood influences fostering an initial connection to songwriting and performance.[12] At around age nine, she experienced a pivotal moment of artistic awakening during a school singing competition, where performing evoked a profound sense of magic and emotional depth.[13] By ages 13 or 14, amid ongoing financial strains, she composed her first original song, signaling self-directed creative inclinations in music that persisted despite limited resources.[14] These early encounters with performance and expression, unguided by formal training, highlighted her innate draw to the arts as an outlet within a constrained socioeconomic context.[13]Family Challenges and Formative Experiences
Mon Laferte, born Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte, experienced an abusive family environment during her childhood in Viña del Mar, Chile, characterized by parental neglect and economic hardship.[11] Her father abandoned the family early in her life, leaving her mother to raise seven children amid persistent financial instability, which forced the family into survival strategies without paternal support.[15] This separation exacerbated household tensions and instilled in Laferte a premature sense of independence, as she navigated poverty that included periods of hunger and instability in a working-class coastal community.[11][16] Compounding these familial dynamics was childhood sexual abuse, which Laferte publicly revealed in her 2024 Netflix documentary Mon Laferte, Te Amo. At age 13, she entered a coercive relationship with a 34-year-old man who exploited her vulnerability, marking a period of mistreatment that extended emotional and psychological trauma from an already fractured home.[16] Earlier experiences of mistreatment dating back to age seven further eroded her sense of security, contributing to a formative resilience forged through adversity rather than nurturing.[17] These events, as detailed in the documentary, highlight systemic failures in protection and support, shaping her later thematic explorations of pain, betrayal, and self-empowerment without resolving into professional narratives.[11] During adolescence, music emerged as a critical emotional outlet for Laferte amid this turmoil, providing a private means to process trauma and assert agency in an environment lacking stability. Self-taught through imitation and intuition, she turned to singing and songwriting to externalize inner conflicts, fostering personal catharsis that built emotional fortitude independent of formal structures. This practice, rooted in raw expression rather than instruction, underscored music's role in cultivating her introspective depth and thematic focus on vulnerability and recovery in subsequent personal reflections.[11]Education and Initial Artistic Pursuits
Laferte received a limited formal education in Viña del Mar, attending local schools during her early childhood before dropping out around age 13 to support her family amid poverty and to begin performing music.[18][19] This decision reflected the economic pressures of her upbringing, where she prioritized practical survival and artistic self-development over continued schooling.[13] At age 13, she briefly benefited from a music scholarship at a local conservatory in Viña del Mar, studying for approximately one and a half years, though this represented her primary structured training before shifting to independent pursuits.[20] Concurrently, Laferte engaged in self-taught experimentation with visual arts and music, learning guitar through practice after receiving one as a prize in a childhood contest and developing painting skills autodidactically, supplemented by occasional guidance from her father, who worked as a painter.[13][21] Her early creative explorations were shaped informally by exposure to Chilean folk traditions and ranchera music prevalent in Viña del Mar's cultural environment, fostering an intuitive foundation for later genre blending without reliance on institutional pedagogy.[6] This self-directed approach underscored her preference for experiential learning over formalized paths, evident in her pre-18 pursuits of songwriting and artistic expression amid familial challenges.[13]Professional Beginnings
Entry into Visual Arts and Music
In the early 2000s, Mon Laferte, born Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte, pursued visual arts alongside her nascent musical interests in Chile, creating works in drawing, painting, and engraving that reflected personal expression before gaining wider recognition.[22] These efforts laid groundwork for an interdisciplinary approach, though formal exhibitions occurred later in her trajectory. Her formal entry into music came in 2003, when she competed on the Chilean talent show Rojo: Fama Contrafama under the name Monserrat Bustamante, performing covers across pop and ballad genres for a national television audience on TVN.[23] The program, which emphasized live vocal and performance skills, exposed her abilities but resulted in elimination without a win, limiting immediate breakthroughs despite positive jury feedback on occasions.[24][25] Following Rojo, Bustamante engaged in local performances in Santiago, blending emerging rock and folk elements in smaller venues, which honed her stage presence amid Chile's underground scene without achieving commercial prominence at the time.[26] This period underscored the symbiotic development of her visual creativity—evident in rudimentary designs and sketches—and musical experimentation, prior to broader professional shifts.Participation in Competitions and Early Performances
In 2003, at the age of 19, Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte, performing under her birth name, participated as a contestant in the Chilean television reality competition Rojo: Fama Contrafama, a program focused on emerging musical talents.[27] Her appearances provided initial exposure, leading to a recurring role on the show across multiple seasons, though she encountered professional setbacks, including rejection from a producer who deemed her voice unsuitable for pop genres.[27] These experiences highlighted the competitive barriers in Chile's limited music industry, fostering resilience amid inconsistent recognition.[28] Beyond television, Laferte performed live in small venues such as bars and clubs in Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, and Santiago during her teenage years and early twenties, often covering popular Latin artists with minimal production support.[13] These gritty, resource-constrained gigs allowed her to refine a raw, emotive stage presence, drawing small audiences while navigating economic hardships that restricted access to professional equipment or broader opportunities.[29] During this period, her early songwriting efforts centered on personal themes of family struggles and emotional turmoil, composed informally without formal recording, serving as a creative outlet amid rejections and financial instability.[13] These compositions, scribbled in notebooks or tested in live settings, reflected unpolished introspection rather than commercial aspirations, building the foundational grit evident in her later work.[28]Relocation to Mexico and Independent Start
In August 2007, Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte relocated from Chile to Mexico City, seeking greater artistic freedom after feeling constrained by the local music scene where she primarily performed covers of other artists' songs.[13] Upon arrival, she sustained herself through street performances and gigs in bars, singing covers to build experience in an unfamiliar environment.[13] Her early years in Mexico were marked by financial hardship and health setbacks, including a 2009 diagnosis of thyroid cancer that halted progress until recovery via surgery.[13] Post-recovery, she adopted the stage name Mon Laferte—drawing from her surname—to signify a fresh artistic identity and reinvention, beginning performances under this moniker in Mexico City and Veracruz by 2008.[13] Laferte immersed herself in Mexico's independent music circuit, networking through small venues and gradually cultivating a local audience via raw, unpolished shows.[12] This bootstrapped phase culminated in her self-released debut album Desechable on June 23, 2011, recorded over two years with limited resources, marking her entry into original songwriting and production without major label support.[30]Musical Career
Breakthrough Albums and Genre Fusion
Mon Laferte's self-titled album Mon Laferte, Vol. 1, released on August 21, 2015, by Universal Music Mexico, represented a pivotal breakthrough, blending traditional bolero structures with rock instrumentation and Latin alternative sensibilities to create raw, emotive hybrids.[31][32] The record's 11 tracks emphasized introspective lyrics delivered through live-band dynamics, including blues-rock edges and chamber-pop arrangements that contrasted the era's more electronically polished Latin mainstream productions.[32][33] Its lead single, "Tormento," released with a music video on November 10, 2015, propelled initial acclaim via its visceral fusion of bolero melancholy and rock urgency, amassing views and establishing her as an emerging force in Latin music circuits.[34] Building on this momentum, her 2017 follow-up La Trenza, issued on April 28, showcased an expanded genre palette incorporating cumbia rhythms and pop accessibility alongside folkloric mariachi and Andean influences, further diversifying her sound while retaining thematic depth in romantic turmoil and personal resilience.[35][36] Tracks like the cumbia-inflected "Amárrame" (featuring Juanes) highlighted this evolution, earning a 2017 Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Song and underscoring her skill in merging roots traditions with contemporary appeal.[36] Commercially, La Trenza marked her strongest chart performance to date, reaching number four on Billboard's Latin Pop Albums chart and contributing to over 1.5 million digital sales across Latin America.[37] Throughout these releases, Laferte's approach privileged organic live instrumentation—drawing from rock, bolero, and cumbia ensembles—over studio-heavy effects, fostering a gritty authenticity that distinguished her from slicker pop contemporaries and amplified her fusion's emotional immediacy.[38] This stylistic integration not only garnered critical nods for innovation but also laid the groundwork for broader regional recognition by 2017.[35]Major Releases and Commercial Success
Norma, released on November 9, 2018, represented a pivotal point in Mon Laferte's commercial trajectory, with the album selling 150,000 units across tracked markets.[39] Recorded in a marathon session at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, it featured a blend of genres that contributed to its reception amid her rising profile.[40] Her seventh studio album, Seis, arrived on April 8, 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing production elements influenced by her collaborator Joel Orta while maintaining her signature fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds.[41] The release underscored her adaptability, with streaming platforms driving much of its consumption in a disrupted market. Across her discography, Mon Laferte's catalog has generated over 5 billion streams on Spotify as of late 2025, equivalent to millions of album units when accounting for standard conversion metrics of approximately 1,500 streams per unit.[42] Pure album sales exceed 810,000 copies globally, with earlier works like Mon Laferte, Vol. 1 (2015) and La Trenza (2017) each moving 330,000 units, providing a baseline for her sustained commercial viability.[40] These figures reflect empirical popularity primarily in Latin markets, bolstered by digital platforms rather than traditional physical sales dominance.[43]Tours, Collaborations, and Recent Projects
Following a three-year hiatus from U.S. touring, Mon Laferte initiated the Autopoética Tour on February 29, 2024, in Puebla, Mexico, with subsequent performances across multiple Mexican cities including Toluca, Querétaro, Monterrey, Tijuana, and Mérida in March.[44] [45] The tour extended to the United States in May 2024, featuring dates in Rosemont, Illinois (May 2 at Rosemont Theatre); Boston, Massachusetts (May 5 at Orpheum Theatre); New York City (May 7 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden); Atlanta, Georgia (May 9); and Lake Buena Vista, Florida (May 10), among 16 total North American stops supporting her album Autopoética.[46] [47] Further legs encompassed Latin America and Europe, culminating in Viña del Mar, Chile. The tour promoted Autopoética, released in November 2023, which fused electronic and alternative elements and secured the 2024 Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.[48] In a notable collaboration from her preceding 2021 album Seis, Laferte partnered with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández on the ranchera track "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor," released as a single in September 2020, blending her alternative style with traditional Mexican folk influences.[49] In July 2025, Laferte signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) for global representation across all areas excluding Latin America, positioning her for expanded international opportunities.[50] The album Autopoética earned a nomination for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards.[51] Complementing these efforts, the Netflix documentary Mon Laferte, te amo, directed by her and premiered on August 1, 2024, documented segments of her global touring experiences alongside personal reflections on motherhood and trauma.[11]Artistic Identity
Musical Styles, Influences, and Themes
Mon Laferte's musical style integrates traditional Latin American genres such as bolero and ranchera with modern pop and rock elements, creating a versatile sound that emphasizes emotional depth and rhythmic vitality.[6] Her arrangements often feature acoustic guitars and orchestral flourishes alongside electric instrumentation, as evident in albums like La Trenza (2017), where bolero-infused tracks blend with upbeat cumbia rhythms.[52] This fusion reflects a deliberate revival of mid-20th-century Mexican and Chilean folk traditions, updated with contemporary production techniques to appeal to broader audiences.[13] Key influences include ranchera icon Chavela Vargas, whose raw, defiant vocal delivery shaped Laferte's approach to interpreting heartbreak and sensuality in songs like those on SEIS (2016), and Chilean folk artist Violeta Parra, whose poetic storytelling informed Laferte's integration of autobiographical narratives into folk-rock structures.[13] Additional inspirations encompass Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa for thematic intensity and international figures like Nina Simone and Björk for experimental vocal phrasing and genre-blending.[12][53] These draw from a playlist curated by Laferte herself, highlighting a spectrum from bolero standards to alternative rock, underscoring her eclecticism without diluting regional roots.[54] Lyrically, her work recurrently probes themes of romantic love, emotional trauma, and female empowerment, prioritizing visceral, unfiltered expression over metaphorical detachment. In "Amárrame" (2017), co-performed with Juanes, the narrative depicts a paradoxical craving for bondage as a metaphor for intense, secretive affection—"Ay, quiéreme de a poco / Pero que no me dé cuenta"—evoking masochistic vulnerability intertwined with seductive agency.[55] Broader motifs include post-breakup reckoning and resilience, as in tracks exploring "amor's aftermath," often rooted in personal experiences of loss and recovery, fostering a cathartic intimacy that resonates through direct, confessional phrasing.[52] Her sound has evolved from the acoustic intimacy of early releases like Desenchufada (2015), characterized by stripped-down guitar and vocal arrangements, to more layered electronic and downtempo experiments in later projects, incorporating trip-hop beats and synthesized textures for atmospheric depth.[56] This progression is verifiable in production credits, such as those on 1940 Carmen (2021), where English-language songs mark a shift toward hybrid electronic-folk hybrids influenced by time in Los Angeles and personal milestones like pregnancy.[57] The transition amplifies thematic rawness, using production to heighten emotional contrast rather than overshadow lyrical candor.[51]Visual Arts Integration and Stage Persona
Mon Laferte's stage persona embodies a glamorous yet campy theatricality, featuring vintage-inspired sheath dresses, sharp eyeliner accents, and rose-adorned coiffures that amplify her melodramatic vocal expressions during live performances.[58] This visual styling, rooted in nostalgic and emotional layering, transforms her concerts into immersive narratives of heartbreak and resilience.[58] In productions like the 2024 Autopoiética tour, Laferte incorporates elaborate theatrical elements, including opulent baroque gowns for herself and synchronized dancers clad in pink or white unitards evoking Renaissance figures, paired with stage projections of backlit blue skies shifting to stormy cosmic motifs.[59] These props and visuals—such as weather-themed backdrops during songs like "Te juro que volveré"—heighten the dramatic delivery of her bolero-infused tracks, fostering a multisensory emotional intensity.[59] Her music videos further merge visual artistry with performance, exemplified by the surreal, dreamlike sequences in "Tu Falta de Querer" (2015), filmed amid the decayed grandeur of a historic gold and silver mining town to symbolize profound relational loss through ethereal, haunting imagery.[52] Laferte's parallel practice as a painter, yielding over 1,000 works as a therapeutic response to personal traumas including abuse and depression, informs this performative visual language by emphasizing cathartic self-expression across mediums.[21] Exhibitions such as Te amo, Mon Laferte Visual (displayed at Parque Cultural de Valparaíso in 2025) and Autopoiética (at Matucana 100 in Santiago, 2024) underscore this integration, often aligning with tour cycles to extend her artistic persona beyond music into tangible visual realms.[21][4]Evolution in Songwriting and Production
Laferte initially crafted her music through independent, self-directed production, relying on minimal setups for raw, intimate recordings during her early years in Mexico. This solo approach defined her breakthrough self-titled album Mon Laferte Vol. 1, released on April 28, 2015, where she handled much of the songwriting and basic production herself to capture unpolished emotional authenticity.[14] Post-2015, following the album's viral traction via online platforms, Laferte shifted toward professional studio collaborations and live band integration to expand her sonic palette. Her 2017 album La Trenza marked this transition, co-produced with Manú Jalil and incorporating ensemble recordings that layered genres like bolero and cumbia with fuller instrumentation, diverging from prior minimalist methods.[51] Similarly, Norma (2018) was captured in a single intensive session at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, emphasizing collective band dynamics to preserve spontaneous energy over isolated crafting.[60] By the time of Autopoiética (November 10, 2023), Laferte's process had evolved to embrace digital tools such as computer-generated beats and synthesizers, enabling intuitive, genre-fluid compositions that transitioned fluidly within tracks, like the trip-hop-to-salsa arc in "40 y MM." This album deepened her autobiographical songwriting, drawing from personal renewal concepts inspired by autopoiesis theory, with lyrics chronicling immigrant struggles, motherhood's dualities, and self-transformation in songs like "Tenochtitlán" and "Metamorfosis." Such refinements reflect adaptations to digital workflows, informed by online inspirations and streaming feedback loops that prioritized reinvention over repetition.[51][58]Activism and Public Stances
Advocacy for Women's Rights and Social Justice
Mon Laferte has publicly supported the legalization of abortion in Chile, aligning her stance with demands from the 2019 social protests that included calls for reproductive rights amid broader demands for equality.[7] She demonstrated this position by wearing a green bandana, the international symbol for abortion rights advocacy, during high-profile events.[61] In response to gender violence, Laferte has voiced opposition to femicides and domestic abuse in both Chile and Mexico, countries where such incidents remain prevalent.[20] On March 9, 2020, she endorsed the women's strike in Mexico City protesting femicides through social media posts, highlighting the urgency of addressing violence against women on International Women's Day.[62] Her advocacy extends to performances and statements decrying systemic failures in protecting women, as seen in her participation in events amplifying anti-violence messages during regional feminist mobilizations.[63] Laferte has integrated these concerns into her music, using collaborative projects to denounce gender-based violence and promote solidarity among women across Latin America. For instance, her work on tracks like those in the Mujeres del Viento Florido project serves as a symbolic hymn against such abuses, performed live to rally audiences in Chile and Mexico.[64] These efforts emphasize awareness and cultural expression over direct fundraising, though they align with broader regional campaigns like #NiUnaMenos that seek to eradicate femicide through public pressure.[13]Engagements with Chilean Politics and Human Rights
During the 2019 estallido social in Chile, which erupted on October 18 amid protests initially sparked by a subway fare increase but rapidly expanding into demands for addressing deep-seated economic inequality, inadequate healthcare, and education access, Mon Laferte actively aligned herself with demonstrators.[7] She participated in street protests in Santiago, inhaling tear gas and witnessing police responses firsthand, later describing the violence as including thousands of injuries, hundreds of cases of eye trauma from rubber pellets, and dozens of deaths attributed to security forces.[7][65] Laferte demanded constitutional reforms and the resignation of President Sebastián Piñera, emphasizing her own background from a poor Viña del Mar neighborhood where opportunities were scarce, as a basis for understanding protester grievances over systemic exclusion.[7] On November 14, 2019, at the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, Laferte staged a prominent protest by exposing her chest painted with the message "En Chile torturan, violan y matan" ("In Chile they torture, rape and kill"), drawing global attention to allegations of police brutality and human rights violations during the unrest.[7][65][66] This act highlighted documented reports of excessive force, including sexual violence and arbitrary detentions, amid the protests' escalation, which by late November had prompted Piñera's government to agree to a referendum on constitutional change.[7][8] In response to her public criticisms, Chilean authorities briefly charged her with inciting violence by alleging military complicity in looting, though the case was dropped; Laferte defiantly stated during a televised appearance that authorities could arrest her for expressing her views.[7] Laferte extended her engagement through free public performances during the protests, including a concert at Valparaíso's women's prison on November 2019, where she addressed the incarceration of marginalized individuals as a symptom of broader societal exclusion, inspiring her song "Se va la vida."[7] Her advocacy implicitly called for accountability on police conduct, as evidenced by her repeated condemnations of state violence that disproportionately affected vulnerable groups, including indigenous communities amid overlapping demands for Mapuche land rights recognition within the broader protest movement.[7][67] Following the October 2020 plebiscite, where 78% of voters approved drafting a new constitution to replace the 1980 Pinochet-era document, Laferte voted in favor of the change from Mexico, where she resides, and publicly supported the process as a response to the estallido's underlying inequalities.[68] In August 2022, ahead of the exit plebiscite on the proposed text, she confirmed her intention to vote "Apruebo" (Approve), framing it as a continuation of demands for reform.[69] After the September 2022 rejection by 62% of voters, Laferte attributed the outcome to widespread fear in Chile rather than substantive flaws in the draft, while expressing personal disappointment during a European tour.[70][71]International Statements and Media Appearances
In April 2021, Mon Laferte featured in a BBC article highlighting her efforts to challenge repression in Chile, where she articulated support for women's rights and critiqued state responses to social unrest, stating her origins in a poor neighborhood informed her stance against inequality.[7] She affirmed her readiness to distance conservative-leaning supporters by prioritizing advocacy over broad appeal, positioning her music as a vehicle for confronting entrenched conservatism.[7] Laferte's international media engagements often reflect alignment with Latin American movements emphasizing economic redistribution and anti-neoliberal demands, as seen in her 2019 BBC discussion on leveraging her platform amid Chile's protests to amplify grievances rooted in poverty and exclusion.[72] These appearances underscore her extension of domestic activism to global audiences, though her fanbase spans ideological divides, evidenced by sustained popularity in conservative regions despite polarizing rhetoric.[7] Through social media, Laferte has amplified real-time advocacy with international resonance, posting content on human rights that correlates with measurable engagement surges from followers beyond Chile, including in the United States and Europe, during peak protest periods like late 2019.[7] This digital outreach complements formal interviews, enabling direct statements on repression that reach millions, as tracked by platform metrics during her calls for solidarity.[72]Controversies
2019 Latin Grammys Protest and Backlash
On November 14, 2019, during the red carpet of the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Chilean singer Mon Laferte opened her dress to expose her bare chest, upon which the message "En Chile se torturan, violan y matan" ("In Chile they torture, rape, and kill") was painted in black ink.[66] [73] The gesture protested reported instances of police brutality, including allegations of torture, sexual violence, and fatalities, amid Chile's nationwide demonstrations against economic inequality and government policies that had intensified since October 18, 2019.[8] [65] Laferte's Instagram post of the protest image amassed 876,000 likes within days, while videos of the moment circulated across global media outlets including The Guardian, USA Today, Billboard, and Fox News, amplifying international attention to the Chilean unrest at a time when human rights organizations documented over 20 deaths and thousands of injuries linked to security force responses.[74] [75] [7] The demonstration elicited polarized responses: supporters, including activists and fellow artists, lauded it as a bold act of solidarity that elevated awareness of documented abuses such as eye injuries from rubber bullets and sexual assaults in detention, as reported by Amnesty International during the protests.[76] [9] Critics, however, decried the topless display as exhibitionist or unsuitable for a family-oriented awards ceremony, with online discussions highlighting concerns over indecency and accusations that it prioritized shock value over substantive advocacy.[77] [78] While no major organized petitions emerged against her specifically for the act, the backlash reflected broader cultural divides on using nudity in political expression, particularly in conservative sectors of Latin American society.[9]Criticisms of Artistic Choices and Political Positions
Critics within Chile's visual arts community have questioned the merit of Mon Laferte's forays into visual art, arguing that her exhibitions benefit from institutional favoritism tied to her celebrity rather than artistic excellence. In February 2025, more than 500 visual artists issued an open letter protesting the extension of her exhibition "Te Amo, Mon Laferte Visual" at the Parque Cultural de Valparaíso, claiming it displaced previously scheduled works by emerging creators and exemplified a prioritization of media-driven fame over substantive quality and meritocracy in cultural funding.[79][80] Art publications have echoed this, portraying her visual output as emblematic of an "uncultured bureaucracy" lacking distinction and reflecting broader tensions between popular celebrity and elite artistic standards.[81][82] Detractors have similarly faulted her performance choices for emphasizing provocative political gestures at the expense of artistic focus, particularly during high-profile events. Her decision to expose her breasts on the red carpet of the Latin Grammy Awards on November 14, 2019, bearing the message "En Chile torturan, violan y matan" ("In Chile they torture, rape and kill") in reference to the ongoing social unrest, drew accusations of relying on shock tactics to amplify activism rather than advancing musical expression.[83][65] This approach, observers note, has alienated segments of traditional Latin audiences who prefer apolitical entertainment.[7] On political positions, conservative voices have lambasted Laferte for perceived hypocrisy and selective emphasis in her advocacy, especially regarding the 2019 Chilean protests. Commentators from right-leaning outlets have labeled her a "hypocritical communist" who profits from capitalist markets—evidenced by her commercial success and international tours—while using her platform to endorse insurrectional rhetoric that fueled the unrest, including calls aligning with demands for systemic overhaul without addressing protester-led destruction of infrastructure.[84] During her February 2020 performance at the Viña del Mar Festival, she incorporated anti-government slogans and pro-protest messages, igniting backlash from sectors viewing such interventions as biased toward left-wing narratives that overlook balanced accountability for violence on both sides. These stances, critics contend, reflect an inconsistent outrage that targets state responses while excusing radical elements within the movements she supports.[84]Responses to Public Criticism and Fan Alienation
Laferte has publicly defended her protest actions as deliberate strategies to secure international visibility for human rights concerns in Chile, emphasizing that the global attention garnered outweighed localized backlash. In a November 2019 interview following the Latin Grammys incident, she stated, "Al final yo me quedo con la visibilidad internacional, con que se enteró el mundo de lo que está pasando," prioritizing awareness of ongoing issues over personal criticism.[85] She has rejected characterizations of her methods as gratuitous or driven by misogynistic undertones, attributing such critiques to discomfort with feminist expressions while affirming her right to use bold tactics against systemic violence, including rape and torture. Laferte has noted experiencing rejection for her feminist positions but maintains they stem from fear rather than validity in the accusations.[86] In 2023 and 2024 interviews promoting Autopoiética, Laferte described adapting her songwriting to integrate political themes more subtly into universal emotional narratives, avoiding didacticism: "No tengo una responsabilidad social, no tengo que empoderar ni educar a nadie," focusing instead on authentic expression to broaden appeal. She explained balancing social messages by channeling them through personal emotions, stating, "I just do the best I can. Emotions are always" at the core.[87][51] Metrics indicate sustained fan engagement despite reported alienation from her stances, with Spotify monthly listeners reaching a peak of 15.3 million in 2024 and total streams exceeding 5 billion across her catalog by October 2025. These figures reflect resilience, as her audience grew amid controversies, evidenced by consistent chart performance and tour attendance.[42][88]Personal Life
Relationships and Motherhood
Mon Laferte entered a relationship with Mexican musician Joel Orta, her production manager and guitarist for the band Celofán, prior to their marriage on October 21, 2022, in a private ceremony.[89] [11] The couple welcomed their son, also named Joel, on February 10, 2022, following Laferte's announcement of her pregnancy on August 18, 2021, via Instagram Live.[90] [91] Laferte has described motherhood as a profound shift, emphasizing the challenges of balancing it with her touring schedule while seven months pregnant during parts of her U.S. tour in early 2022.[92] Laferte's prior romantic involvements include a relationship with Roberto Olea, as well as an earlier partnership with an older man marked by abuse, which she has reflected on in personal accounts.[93] [51] These experiences contributed to themes of emotional vulnerability in her songwriting, though she has prioritized family stability post-marriage.[15]Health Struggles and Personal Recovery
In the documentary Mon Laferte, te amo released on Netflix in August 2024, Laferte disclosed experiencing eating disorders for many years, linking them to deeper personal wounds addressed through therapy.[11] She has emphasized therapy's pivotal role in managing her mental health, stating it "helped me a lot" in processing these challenges.[11] Additionally, in 2022, she revealed reaching a point of contemplating suicide amid mental health struggles but credited professional therapy with averting crisis and restoring balance.[94] Laferte's recovery gained momentum following the birth of her son in October 2021, which she described as "a big part of my recovery," providing emotional grounding amid ongoing professional demands.[11] Her relocation to Mexico earlier in her career further supported stability, offering a contrast to her Chilean origins and fostering a sense of peace essential to healing.[11] Unlike prevalent patterns in the music industry involving substance dependency, Laferte has maintained abstinence, explicitly stating, "No bebo, no consumo drogas. Dejé de fumar," thereby avoiding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco despite surrounding temptations.[95] This discipline, sustained over years, underscores her proactive approach to preserving mental and physical well-being.[51]Citizenship and Cultural Identity
Mon Laferte, born Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte in Viña del Mar, Chile, relocated to Mexico City in 2007 to expand her musical career beyond local Chilean circuits.[12][1] After establishing residency and professional success there, she applied for and received Mexican naturalization on November 30, 2022, following a mandatory period of over 15 years' residence, during which she sang Mexico's national anthem at the ceremony.[96][97] This status complements her original Chilean citizenship, which she has not renounced, allowing dual nationality under both countries' laws. Her bicultural identity manifests in artistic expressions that blend Chilean folk elements with Mexican ranchera and bolero traditions, as seen in albums like Norma (2018), where she incorporates regional instrumentation from both nations.[12] In interviews, Laferte has described herself as existing "from here and there," rejecting strict attribution to a single national music scene and emphasizing a pan-Latin American integration forged by her migration.[12][20] This navigation underscores her retention of Chilean roots—rooted in personal history and occasional returns—while embracing Mexico as a cultural and professional home, influencing lyrics that explore displacement and hybrid belonging. Mexican citizenship has enhanced her operational flexibility, including seamless intra-regional travel and residency for tax purposes tied to her primary domicile in Mexico City since 2007.[12][1]Recognition and Impact
Awards and Nominations
Mon Laferte has won five Latin Grammy Awards, with additional nominations across various categories.[5] Her first win came in 2017 for Best Alternative Song with "Amárrame" (featuring Juanes) at the 18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.[98] In 2024, she received the Best Alternative Music Album award for Autopoiética at the 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards held on November 14.[5] [4] She has earned three Grammy Award nominations, with no wins to date.[99] These include Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for 1940 Carmen in 2023 and for Autopoiética at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025.[99] [100] In 2025, Laferte received nominations for the 26th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Otra Noche De Llorar," announced on September 17.[101]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Latin Grammy | Best Alternative Song | "Amárrame" (feat. Juanes) | Won[98] |
| 2024 | Latin Grammy | Best Alternative Music Album | Autopoiética | Won[5] |
| 2023 | Grammy | Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album | 1940 Carmen | Nominated[99] |
| 2025 | Grammy | Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album | Autopoiética | Nominated[99] |
| 2025 | Latin Grammy | Song of the Year | "Otra Noche De Llorar" | Nominated[101] |