The multi-genre musician shares the 'Vagabops' that inspired her new self-titled album.

When Laetitia Tamko, aka Vagabon, released her critically-acclaimed debut album Infinite Worlds in 2017, she was still working full-time as a software engineer. But for the 26-year-old Cameroonian indie-rock star, it was always plan B. What she really wanted to be doing was making music for a living. “Engineering for me was an exercise in what my mom always told me, which was, you can do the hard work now and you’ll graduate at 22. Then you’ll have your whole life to do this other thing,” she told Document in a recent interview. A month after releasing Infinite Worlds she quit her job and has been playing music ever since.

Now based in Brooklyn, Tamko has quickly gone from playing DIY clubs in Bushwick (she played her first show in 2014 at Silent Barn) to playing festivals like Primavera, FORM Arcosanti, and Iceland Airwaves. Vagabon, her new self-titled sophomore album, finds her expanding her musical pallet, progressing from polyrhythmic punk-inspired guitar anthems into luscious electronic pop arrangements that give greater stead to her absorbing singing voice. This set of songs, which she aptly titled “Vagabops,” showcases the range of musical styles—post-punk, indie-rock, alternative hip hop, and R&B—that informed her latest work.

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