Charlotte Cardin
May 18, 2027
Volkshaus, Zurich
Charlotte Cardin has never let herself be pigeonholed into a single style—a theme she takes to the next level with her upcoming third album, “Midnight, mon amour,” set for release on January 29, 2027. Since establishing herself as one of Canada’s most exciting and impressive artists, the Montreal-born singer has built a career in which she effortlessly shifts between pop, R&B, jazz, and whatever else catches her ear. That’s exactly what she’ll showcase on her tour when she performs live at the Volkshaus in Zurich on May 18, 2027.
With her 2021 debut album *Phoenix*, she became an instant sensation and won the Juno Awards for “Album of the Year,” “Pop Album of the Year,” “Artist of the Year,” and “Single of the Year”. She continued her success with her second album, “99 Nights,” which was once again honored as “Album of the Year” and “Pop Album of the Year.”
Now Cardin returns with her most ambitious album to date. On “Midnight, mon amour,” Cardin explores duality and delves into the tension between societal expectations and the parts of ourselves that we hide. She addresses the contrast between day and night, as well as the ever-present contradictions of being a woman. Cardin and her longtime musical partner Jason Brando approached the album with this tension in mind. The result is, as Cardin describes it, a “shadow album”: a space for the shameful fantasies, private longings, and less polished sides of ourselves that we don’t necessarily reveal to the outside world. “This musical playground of duality—and the knowledge that we’re allowed to explore these two sides—has truly opened up a whole new level of creativity for me,” she says. She is fascinated by the aspects of being human that we’re most inclined to hide in the light of day. This interplay also extends to the album’s use of language: Cardin switches between French and English to express different sides of herself.
“I chose one door, but all those other doors still exist, and sometimes I think about them,” she says, adding: “That brings us back to this duality: being so happy in a relationship and embracing it, but at the same time being allowed to grieve the ‘what if’ questions and the lives you didn’t choose.” It’s a feeling she returns to again and again throughout the album: not a rejection of the life she’s chosen, but the realization that accepting one path doesn’t extinguish curiosity about the others.
Even as Cardin delved deeper into the more intimate and contradictory aspects of the album, she was aware of how these songs would come across outside the studio. Throughout the production, she and her collaborators paid special attention to the wind instruments and how their arrangements could be adapted for the stage. They developed a set that can be expanded or scaled down depending on the size of the venue. “The live aspect is one of the most exciting parts of my work,” she says. “I love writing music, but I also love thinking about how that translates to a live setting.” What her music will sound like live will be revealed on May 18, 2027, at the Volkshaus in Zurich.
This instinct reflects Cardin’s broader approach to her work. Music is only part of her vocabulary; cinema, literature, fashion, and her experience as a model also shape the way she tells stories. Her role models are just as diverse: she cites Canadian pop icons like Céline Dion and Avril Lavigne, as well as Ella Fitzgerald and the lyrics of Kacey Musgraves. Since her own voice is raw and unmistakable, she feels particularly drawn to artists with distinctive voices.
Although “Midnight, mon amour” was created in Canada, London, and Paris, Cardin says that Montreal is the place where her creativity flows most naturally. “When I’m in Montreal, something very creative comes out of me,” she says. “I have so many connections and so many memories of Montreal.”
All these memories, influences, and contradictions that have accumulated over time find their way into the new album, which ultimately asks the question: What happens when we stop trying to choose between the different versions of ourselves and instead give them all room to exist?
Translated with DeepL
