Mon Laferte

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Bustamante and the second or maternal family name is Laferte.

Mon Laferte
Mon Laferte in 2022
Born
Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte

(1983-05-02) 2 May 1983 (age 40)
Viña del Mar, Chile
Other namesMonserrat Bustamante
Citizenship
  • Chile
  • Mexico
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • composer
  • painter
Years active2003–present
Spouse
Joel Orta
​
(m. 2022)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels

Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte (born 2 May 1983) better known as Mon Laferte, is a Chilean and Mexican musician, singer, composer and painter. Her musical style is diverse, spanning across different genres such as pop, rock, bolero, cumbia, and salsa, showcasing her versatility and creativity.[2] Throughout the 2010s, she gained widespread recognition for her melodramatic style and "captivating stage persona".[3][4]

With over 1.5 million digital records sold in Latin America between albums and singles, she has established herself as the best-selling Chilean artist of the 21st century. Some of her hits include "Tormento", "Amor completo", "Si tú me quisieras", "Tu falta de querer", "Amárrame," and "Mi buen amor." Laferte has won four Latin Grammy Awards (the most for a Chilean artist), two MTV Europe Music Awards and has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.

Early life and education

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.[5] In 1992, at the age of nine, she won first prize in a contest organized by Orlando Peña Carvajal school.[6] She was given a guitar, on which she first began to compose her own songs.[7] 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.[8][9][10]

In August 2007, Laferte emigrated to Veracruz, Mexico. In 2008, she began performing as Mon Laferte.[11] On November 30, 2022, after living and working in Mexico for more than 15 years, Laferte was granted Mexican citizenship.[12]

Career

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.[13] In 2009, she released a single titled "Lo mismo que yo", which was to be the lead single from an upcoming album.[14] The same year, Laferte was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, effectively putting a halt to her album.[15]

Around the time of her battle with cancer, she abandoned her original stage name and introduced the world to 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."[16]

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.[17][18]

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"[19] 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,[20] in which she was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Record of the Year.[21] She also wins the category "Best North Latin Artist" in the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards.[22][23][24]

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.[25] 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.[26] 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. The production of this album was in charge of Omar Rodríguez-López, the recording engineer was Bruce Botnick. The album was released on 9 November 2018.

Mon Laferte in 2020

On 26 October, a collaboration was published for the new Christmas album of the American singer Gwen Stefani, in a version 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 first tour date is set for 10 August 2019, in Seattle's Neptune Theatre, following a European tour that same Summer.[27] 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.[28][29][30]

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.[31]

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.[32] The charges were later dropped.[29]

In 2021, Laferte contributed a cover of the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist.[33] 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.

Visual arts

Mon Laferte at her solo exhibition in Mexico City

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 has painted for ten years as a self-taught artist with some lessons from her father, a painter himself.[34]

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.[35] At the concert she invited the singer Chabelita Fuentes, with whom she sang "La Enagüita", a classical Chilean tune.[36] She also took the opportunity to sing "Canción sin miedo" by the Mexican singer Vivir Quintana, provoking the admiration of the public.[37]

Discography

Main article: Mon Laferte discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are presented annually by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2022 Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) Seis Nominated [38]
2023 Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album 1940 Carmen Nominated [39]
Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Mon Laferte Best New Artist Nominated
Mon Laferte Vol.1 Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
2017 La Trenza Album of the Year Nominated
Best Alternative Music Album Nominated
"Amárrame" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Alternative Song Won
2018 "Antes de Ti" Song of the Year Nominated
2019 Norma Best Alternative Music Album Won
2020 "Chilango Blues" Best Alternative Song Nominated
"Biutiful" Best Rock Song Won
2021 "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" Song of the Year Nominated
"La Mujer" Best Pop Song Nominated
Seis Best Singer-Songwriter Album Won
"Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" Best Regional Song Nominated
2022 "Algo es Mejor" Song of the Year Nominated
2023 "Traguito" (with iLe) Best Alternative Song Pending
Billboard Latin Music Awards

The Billboard Latin Music Awards are presented annually by Billboard magazine and recognize outstanding chart performances.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Female Mon Laferte Nominated [40]
MTV Europe Music Awards

The MTV Europe Music Awards was established in 1994 by MTV Europe to award the music videos from European and international artists.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Mon Laferte Best Latin America North Act Nominated
2017 Best Latin America North Act Won
2018 Best Latin America North Act Nominated
2019 Best Latin America North Act Won
MTV Millennial Awards

The MTV Millennial Awards, held annually in Mexico, were established in 2013 by MTV Latin America to award music artists.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Mon Laferte Buzz Artist Won
"Tu falta de querer" Video of the Year Won
"Palmar" (with Caloncho) Collaboration of the Year Nominated
2017 "Amárrame" (with Juanes) Collaboration of the Year Nominated
Video of the Year Nominated
Mon Laferte #InstaCrush Nominated
Mon Laferte Mexican Artist of the Year Won
2018 Mon Laferte Mexican Artist of the Year Nominated
"Antes de Ti" Video of the Year Nominated
2019 "El Beso" Video of the Year Won
Mon Laferte Arriba Mujeres Nominated
Mon Laferte Mexican Artist of the Year Nominated
"Amor" (with Los Auténticos Decadentes) Ship Musical Nominated
2021 Mon Laferte Mexican Artist of the Year Nominated
Premios Juventud

The Premios Juventud are awarded annually by Univision to honor pop culture of young Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2021 Best Regional Mexican Fusion "Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor" Nominated [41]
Collaboration Between Female Artists "La Mujer" Nominated
Collaboration Between Female Artists "Se Portaba Mal" Nominated
Premios Lo Nuestro

The Lo Nuestro Awards are awarded annually by Univision recognize the most popular Spanish-language music.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2022 Best Pop Solo Artist "Mon Laferte" Nominated [42]
Shock Awards

The SHOCK awards held annually in Colombia. They recognize artistic and technical excellence in the arts and sciences of recorded music, through public voting. It has become a prestigious award in national and international music.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Mon Laferte Best Artist or Group "New Latin American Wave" Won
Heat Latin Music Awards

The Heat Latin Music Awards are presented annually by HTV to reward the best of Latin music.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Best Artist Southern Region Mon Laferte Nominated [43]
2020 Nominated [44]
Best Rock Artist Nominated
2021 Nominated
Spotify Awards

The Spotify Awards founded in 2020 is the first-ever award ceremony 100% based on user-generated data from Mexico and Latin America.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2020 Most Listened Pop Artist Mon Laferte Nominated [45]
Telehit Awards

This is an annual award show run by the Mexican music channel Telehit.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016 Mon Laferte Best Artist or Rock Band Won
2017 Best Pop / Rock Artist Won
Best Act of the Night Won
You saw my joke Won
Viña del Mar International Song Festival

The Viña del Mar International Song Festival is a music festival that has been held annually during the third week of February in Viña del Mar, Chile. Started in 1960, it is the oldest and largest music festival in Latin America.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 Mon Laferte "Gaviota de Oro" Won
"Gaviota de Plata" Won
"Reina del Monstruo" Won
2020 "Gaviota de Oro" Won
"Gaviota de Plata" Won
Copihue de Oro

The Copihue de Oro is an award created by the Chilean newspaper La Cuarta to recognize the figures of the world of entertainment and entertainment in the country.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007 Mon Laferte Female Artist Won
2017 Best Group or Popular/Tropical Singer Won
Revelation Nominated
2021 Mon Laferte Artist of the Decade Won
Pulsar Awards

The Pulsar Awards were created in 2015 by the Chilean Copyright Society (SCD) of Chile to recognize the best of the musical creation of that country in the period of one year.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Mon Laferte Artist of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Artist Won
La Trenza Album of the year Nominated
"Amárrame" Song of the Year Won
"Amárrame" Song most listened to on Chilean radiosSong of the Year Won
2019 Mon Laferte Artist of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Artist Nominated
Norma Album of the year Won
"El Beso" Song of the Year Nominated
"El Beso" Video of the Year Nominated
"Amárrame" Song most listened to on Chilean radiosSong of the Year Won
2020 "El Beso" Song most listened to on Chilean radiosSong of the Year Won
Gardel Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 "Amor" feat. Los Auténticos Decadentes "Collaboration of the Year" Nominated
Lunas del Auditorio

"Lunas del Auditorio" is a recognition granted by the National Auditorium to the best live shows in Mexico.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 Mon Laferte Pop in Spanish Nominated
Eliot Awards

"Eliot Awards" is a recognition in México to Spanish-speaking digital leaders who through their talent, effort, originality and impact are generating highly relevant content on social networks.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 Mon Laferte Social Sound Won
Fans Choice Awards

"Fans Choice Awards" is an Award for the Best Signature of Autographs and / or Showcase of the Year in Mexico, organized by Showcase Entertainment S.A.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2017 Mon Laferte Rock Won
2018 Rock Nominated
2019 Rock/Indie Nominated
Salsa/Cumbia/Tropical Won
Latin Pop Nominated
2020 Rock Nominated
2021 Female Pop Artist Nominated
Mariachi / Music Ranchera Female Soloist Nominated
Best Female Video (Feat.) Nominated
2022 Mariachi / Music Ranchera Won
Musa Awards

Musa Awards was created to distinguish the best of music in Chile.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2020 Que Se Sepa Nuestro Amor "National Collaboration of the Year" Nominated
"La Danza de Las Libélulas" Nominated
"Plata Ta Tá" "Song of the Year" Nominated
Mon Laferte "Muse Artist of the Year" Won
Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico (SACM)
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018 "Tu falta de querer" "Presea Exito SACM" Won
"Amárrame" Won
2019 "Mi Buen Amor" "Presea Exito SACM" Won
Natida Awards

Natida, Chilean of the Year Awards are a set of recognition awards given to individuals based on contributions of excellence, exceptional achievements and / or outstanding behavior.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Chileno de las Artes Mon Laferte Won [46]
Luces Awards

The Luces Awards are a recognition of the best of Peruvian art, cinema, literature and other cultural expressions by the newspaper "El Comercio".

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Concert of the Year Mon Laferte Nominated [47]

Filmography

Films
Year Film Role Notes
2006 Rojo, La Pelicula Belén Chilean film
2013 Japy Ending Eli Peruvian film
Television
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

References

  1. ^ "Mon Laferte: "Hacer 'música cebolla' es como mi revancha"". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). 12 November 2018.
  2. ^ Agarzábal, Nicolás (12 August 2018). "Mon Laferte, la chilena que quiere desbancar a Shakira". Clarín.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Mon Laferte". Musicapopular.cl. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Mon Laferte Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ "La vida antes de Mon Laferte: El largo camino que recorrió Monserrat Bustamante para convertirse en la estrella que es ahora". Theclinic.cl. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Mon Laferte". Mon Laferte. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  7. ^ "El ritmo latino de Mon Laferte". Vogue.mx. 9 June 2017.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Interview in Dulce Patria. 13 May 2016. Radio Cooperativa.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Mon Laferte ya es mexicana; Ebrard le entrega su carta de naturalización". Proceso.com.mx. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Entrevista con Mon Laferte". Indierocks.mx (in European Spanish). 14 September 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Con look Lily Allen, ex estrella de "Rojo" adelanta nuevo disco". Emol.com (in Spanish). 18 May 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  15. ^ "El radical giro de Mon Laferte: "Ya no me reconocen"". Lasegunda.com. La Segunda. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  16. ^ "La Tundra Revista | Mon Laferte en concierto en Londres" (in European Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Exposito, Suzy (10 December 2019). "So, How Was Your Decade, Mon Laferte?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Todos los ganadores de los premios #MTVMIAW 2016 – MTV America Latina". Mtvla.com. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Mon Laferte Wins Best Alternative Song". Grammy.com. 16 November 2017.
  21. ^ "18a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY". Latingrammy.com.
  22. ^ "Here's the full list of MTV EMA 2017 winners | NME". Nme.com. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  23. ^ Newman, Vicki (14 November 2017). "A full list of winners from the MTV EMA Awards 2017". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  24. ^ "THESE ARE THE BIG WINNERS AT THE 2019 MTV EMA | Noticias | MTV EMA". Mtvema.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  25. ^ Arbona-Ruiz, Marisa (23 February 2018). "Mon Laferte: After A Stellar Year, A Directorial Debut". Npr.org. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Mon Laferte co-host 2018 MTV Millenial Awards". 24Horas.cl. 24 Horas. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  27. ^ Exposito, Suzy (28 May 2019). "Mon Laferte Announces U.S. Headlining Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  28. ^ "Chile protests: Government bows to demands for referendum". Bbc.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  29. ^ a b McGowan, Charis (27 April 2021). "Mon Laferte: The Chilean pop sensation challenging repression". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  30. ^ Cepeda, Eduardo (15 November 2019). "Mon Laferte Poses Topless on Grammy's Red Carpet in Support of Chile". Remezcla.com. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  31. ^ "Mon Laferte habla con Patria Janiot de la crisis política que se vive en Chile". Retrieved 9 April 2021 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ "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.
  33. ^ He, Richard S. (10 September 2021). "Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best". Loudersound.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ "Mon Laferte arrasó en Olmué 2023 con emotiva presentación". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  36. ^ "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). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  37. ^ "«¡Emocionante!»: Mon Laferte destacó en Olmué con interpretación de «Canción sin miedo» junto a la agrupación Mujeres del Viento Florido".
  38. ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List". Grammys.com. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  39. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  40. ^ Cobo, Leila (12 February 2019). "Ozuna Leads 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards Finalists: Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  41. ^ "Lista completa de nominados a Premios Juventud 2021". Univision. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  42. ^ "Nominados Premio Lo Nuestro 2022: lista completa de artistas". Univision. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  43. ^ Fernandez, Suzette (21 November 2018). "J Balvin Tops Heat Latin Music Awards Nominations: See Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  44. ^ Fernandez, Suzette (18 February 2020). "J Balvin & Farruko Lead Heat Latin Music Awards 2020 Nominations: See Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  45. ^ "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.
  46. ^ "Mon Laferte y José Maza entre los finalistas del Premio Chileno del Año". M.cooperativa.cl. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  47. ^ "Premios Luces 2019: revisa la lista de nominados y vota aquí por tus favoritos". Elcomerico.pe. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.

External links