Mon Laferte can really sing about love, and her latest album, La Trenza, showcases just how well she can tell a love story. While she might not be a household name in the U.S., the Chilean singer has racked up hundreds of millions in YouTube plays with songs like "Tu Falta De Querer" (Your Lack of Love) garnering over 110 million plays alone. Her other hit song "Amárrame" (Tie Me Up) features Colombian rocker Juanes and lends its name to her current tour.

Houstonia caught up with Laferte while she was just kicking off her tour that will bring her to the Bayou City once again this Wednesday, May 31. 

You’re from Chile, but your career has blossomed in Mexico. How does where you live influence your work?

“I live in Mexico City. From Viña del Mar (Chile) to Mexico there are so many differences, even little ones. Singing between Valparaiso and Viña de Mar, I did a few shows, but in Mexico City I do a ton of shows. It gets crazy. For a musician, it’s an interesting place because there are a lot of possibilities.”

You take a ton of tattoos, how many do you have and what’s the latest one?

"I don’t know; I lost count. My newest one is a cat."

In one of your videos you're singing inside of an old-school Mexican taxi. Was that real? How did you fit in there?

"It was inside a real 'vocho' (Volkswagen Beetle), it took us a while to find one. They are so hard to find. We were super-squeezed inside with the camera, but we made it."

You have a new album that you’re touring with this summer. What’s the process like on this album?

"Each album is different. This is my fourth album, so you learn all kinds of different things as you go forward. I was inexperienced the first time and didn’t know about the technical stuff in the studio. For me, on the last album I was talking more about difficult things in my life. And on this album it’s more like a love letter I wrote while I was traveling the world with my music. I would write songs and play my guitar in hotel rooms. The energy of this album is different. My other albums were more about filling it up with effects, electric music, more electric guitars and this one is more acoustic."

I see you like to use the accordion a lot in your music.

"Yes, on this album we use the accordion a lot. The accordion is always being used in Chile. The traditional music of Chile is called Cueca, and it used the accordion. It’s an instrument that’s very Chilean and also very Mexican."

Mon Laferte comes to Houston Wednesday, May 31. Tickets from $26. Doors at 7p.m. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd. More info at scoutbar.com.