Spotlight On: VAGABON

ABOUT this week’s podcast guest + radio hour featured interview:

In the past few years we’ve experienced so much collective and personal grief, and many songs and albums written during that time became more personal, and vulnerable. There were also artists who responded to the darkness with technicolor, turning up the joy, and in some cases, leaning into creating dance music that was club ready during a time when we might not be quite ready to go back to the club. The multi instrumentalist, producer, and singer songwriter Laetitia Tamko even surprised herself when many of the songs she wrote in the wake of the loss of her best friend and closest collaborator, were rhythmic electro-pop gems. A feeling of celebrating life, and giving herself the gift of solace and fun in the music she was creating came together on a new collection of songs for her third full length album, Sorry I Haven’t Called. Laetitia was born in Cameroon, and moved to the States when she was thirteen. With French as her native language, and West African music her childhood soundtrack, Laetitia’s path to becoming the artist we now know as Vagabon was one she charted entirely on her own, and even at first, in secret. While in college studying engineering, Laetitia found a supportive community in the DIY Brooklyn indie and punk scene, and in 2014 she put out her debut EP as Vagabon on Bandcamp, Persian Garden. Three years later, her breakthrough full length debut Infinite Worlds came out, and in 2019 Vagabon’s critically-hailed self-titled album was released on Nonesuch Records. We celebrate Vagabon’s new high water mark of an album, Sorry I Haven’t Called, and welcome back Laetitia Tamko as this week’s SHERO in the Spotlight.

A condensed version of this interview is featured on the SHEROES Radio hour this week. Here’s what else you’ll hear:

New music from Lucius, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Jobi Riccio, and Brittany Howard.

We celebrate what would have been Tina Turner’s birthday on Sunday, November 26th.

Our Radio SHERO is Margot Chobanian from the Colorado Sound, who spins a track by the Armenian band Ladiniva.

Listen to the syndicated public radio SHEROES Radio hour, below: