May 12, 2023 | ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT | By Katie Rowley
If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love Llamapalooza. Despite having only attended the event once, last year, it is my favorite Colorado College tradition. There is something so amazing about spending the last weekend on campus surrounded by a community of people you’ve gotten to know and love throughout the last couple of years. And, the day-drinking is pretty nice too.
My excitement for Llama has slowly built this semester as my friends and I planned out outfits and awaited the dropping of the setlist (although my expectations were not high). Last year I had only heard of one artist, Mothe, and I heard that Kenny Hoopla was a bit… disappointing. But I can say with full confidence that this year will be better.
On April 20, Emmaline Hawley ’24 and I were walking to class when she spotted the Llamapalooza poster hanging up outside Hybl. Directing my attention to it, we both screamed when reading Maude Latour’s name.
Hawley and I are both huge fans of Latour and have spent many late-night drives cathartically screaming along to her songs. So, it is safe to say that we are extremely thrilled to see her perform for free!
But, when gushing to my peers about how excited I am to see Latour, they don’t seem to share the same enthusiasm. Many of them ask, “who?” or just look at me in confusion.
I guess she is not as well-known as I believed, and her 667,000 Spotify listeners do not include the entire population of CC. I suspect many readers that made it this far also are unaware of Latour. But fear not, I am here to provide you with all the information you need to know before her performance in a week.
Maude Latour is a 23-year-old singer who, despite being a nepotism baby (her dad is CEO of Dow Jones, if any econ majors want to do some networking during Llama), her music career didn’t take off until she started posting on TikTok during the peak of the Pandemic (circa 2020).
While working on her music and blowing up on TikTok, Latour was also, impressively, earning a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Columbia University. She graduated last June, making her, in my opinion, the best artist to play at a college music festival.
Since 2019, Latour has released three EPs and numerous singles. On April 20, she teased the release of a “new project” coming sometime in June on her Instagram. This could potentially be a new album containing three of the singles she has released this year.
In 2022, she performed at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and All Things Go.
So, I am sure you’re asking me: Katie, what kind of music does she make? And what songs should I make sure I know?
Hawley and I would describe Latour’s music as “girly-pop,” which we would define as music made for the girlies by the girlies. Think “1989” by Taylor Swift, MUNA, Wet Leg, Chappell Roan, Marina and the Diamonds. It’s fun. It’s music you can scream to in your car with your best friends. It’s music you can listen to while you get ready for a pregame.
Latour’s songs range from spiritual anthems exploring the euphoria of falling in love to proclamations of love for your best friends to the epic highs and lows of college romance. There literally is a song for everyone.
Although I recommend listening to all of her discography (and I am hoping she plays all her discography at Llama), if you only care about having a base level of knowledge so you can sing along to some of the words, here are the essential songs to know:
- “One More Weekend.” Easily her biggest hit, “One More Weekend” has over 36 million streams on Spotify. There is no doubt she’ll play it at Llama, and odds are that you have probably already heard it. It is also situationally perfect, as Latour sings about having one last weekend on campus with her “situationship,” a situation I am sure many people on this campus can relate to.
- “Cyclone.” An upbeat, catchy song about loving and growing with your friends: perfect to scream along to on Worner Quad surrounded by your friends.
- “Lola.” Similar to “Cyclone,” Latour blends the line between platonic relationships and romantic relationships in “Lola.” Through a mantra-like chorus, Latour reminds all of the girls in attendance how to heal and respect yourself through the love you have for your friends.
- “I am not the sun.” This is Latour’s latest release and someone on YikYak called it, “a fire stoned song,” which, they are not wrong about. It is a synth-heavy, spiritual adventure that I hope she’ll open her set with.
Regardless of what she plays, her set is going to be fantastic. And, once you’ve delved into her music, you can start asking yourself the important questions about what to wear, where to stand, and, more broadly, what to expect?
Hawley, who has previously seen Latour, anticipates a “pretty interactive [show]… there’s lots of call and response and storytelling.”
I would also beware of a lot of dancing and screaming, specifically from me.
As for what to wear, I recommend an outfit that embodies the summer. Y2K. Something neon. Something fun. Something flirty.