Charlotte Cardin Unveils Two New Singles Ahead of Third Studio Album Release

Charlotte Cardin has just wrapped up a whirlwind stint at Paris Fashion Week, but she's not here to talk about designer clothes. Instead, she's gearing up for something much bigger: her highly anticipated third studio album.

The Canadian singer-songwriter cut her teeth in the fashion world back in the mid-2010s when she would often walk the runways for top designers like Jacquemus and Christopher Kane. Her striking features - think Jane Birkin cheekbones and statuesque height - made her a standout, even among seasoned models.

Cardin's life is divided between Paris and Montreal, but it seems that her focus has finally shifted to music. This week, she unveiled two new singles: the catchy "Memories and its French counterpart Souvenir. These tracks serve as the official introduction to her upcoming album, Midnight, Mon Amour.

The album marks a major milestone for Cardin, who released her sophomore LP, 99 Nights, in 2023. That record swept the Juno Awards, earning album of the year, and now she's ready to take on the world with her new material.

Cardin's announcement comes just as she's preparing to launch into the final stretch before the album's January 29 release date. Partnered with The Orchard and Cult Nation, Midnight, Mon Amour promises to be a game-changer for this talented Canadian musician.

Charlotte Cardin's debut album Phoenix was a massive success in Canada, making her the first artist from the country to top the nation's Billboard albums chart since Céline Dion in 2016.

The road to her third record took an unexpected turn early last year when she decided to put her plans on hold. Initially, she had intended to spend all of 2025 focusing solely on the album, but they already had a few songs written and were eager to get started.

However, fate intervened in January when Cardin's song Feel Good went viral in France, thanks in part to its popularity on TikTok. The song quickly racked up over 100 million streams worldwide and sent Cardin on a whirlwind tour of European promotion.

The sudden surge in popularity shifted the plans for her album, but not in an unwanted way. Instead, it gave Cardin the opportunity to work on new material while still promoting Feel Good abroad. This allowed her to balance her creative pursuits with her growing fame.

Cardin returned to Montreal periodically to work on the album a few songs at a time, co-writing and producing music with her longtime partner Jason Brando and producer Sam Avant.

Cardin's collaborative process with her partner Jason Brando has been a key factor in shaping the album's sound and themes. The two musicians have developed a deep understanding of each other's creative processes over time, allowing them to dive into complex emotions and ideas during their songwriting sessions.

These sessions typically involve the duo engaging in lengthy discussions about psychology, emotions, and personal experiences, which helps inform the music they create together. In fact, Cardin notes that most of their sessions are spent talking for around 90% of the time, dissecting their feelings and exploring new ideas.

The album's conceptual framework was initially conceived as a double LP with mirror versions of the same songs, but darker and more nostalgic in tone. Although this idea evolved into a single project, the duality of this concept has had a lasting impact on the final product. Cardin explains that it gave her permission to explore extremes and push the boundaries of her creativity.

As a result, the album touches on themes of fantasy, dreams, and suppressed emotions, mirroring Cardin's own bilingual identity. The record seamlessly shifts between French and English, with each language serving as its own distinct emotional world. This duality is at the heart of the album, reflecting Cardin's own experiences and perspectives.

The French-Canadian singer-songwriter is known for her unique blend of Gallic electro-pop and warmer, more retro-leaning songcraft. However, she has found that using English as a creative outlet allows her to tap into a different side of herself. In an interview, Cardin revealed that writing in English gives her that little bit of extra distance and perspective needed to express herself in new ways.

This duality is reflected in the soundscapes of her upcoming album, which seamlessly blends the icy synths of her earlier work with lush orchestral arrangements. The addition of saxophones adds a new layer of depth and texture to her music, creating a rich, romantic whole that defies easy categorization. Saxophones were introduced as an experiment, but they proved to be the missing ingredient in many songs.

The songwriting process was collaborative, with Cardin working alongside fellow Montrealer Patrick Watson and producer Brando. Together, they took a more free-form approach, adding saxophones whenever a track felt like it needed something extra. The result is a unique fusion of styles that veers between the grandeur of the orchestra hall and the infectious energy of the dance floor.

One song in particular underwent a significant transformation during this process. Cardin had been working on a melancholic ballad, but it wasn't quite clicking. It was only when they decided to abandon the original drop that the song began to take shape as a more upbeat rom-com. This new direction allowed them to tap into the track's hidden potential.

The single has been accompanied by a music video choreographed by Amy Gardner, which captures the kinetic energy of Cardin's music in a visually striking way. The video features Cardin dancing with a partner between shadows and mirrors, translating the song's effervescent spirit into movement.

As Charlotte Cardin prepares to release her third album, movement has become a vital part of her creative process. The singer-songwriter has found that expressing herself physically allows her to tap into new forms of storytelling beyond just lyrics.

Cardin's comfort level with physical expression has grown significantly over the past few years, enabling her to push the boundaries of narrative in her work. This newfound confidence is evident in the visual elements accompanying her music, which now play a crucial role in conveying her artistic vision.

The videos for Take Me Back" and "The Way We Touch showcase Cardin's bold approach to storytelling through movement. In Take Me Back, she performs a wrestling-inspired dance routine on a rugged coastline, while in The Way We Touch," she channels her inner cabaret star in a smoky underground music hall.

Cardin remains committed to crafting immersive worlds through her visual output, even as social media platforms have changed the way people consume music. While short-form clips may garner more views online, Cardin believes that music videos offer a unique opportunity for world-building and bringing mythology to life.

With Midnight, Mon Amour on the horizon, Cardin is already thinking about how to translate her album's themes and characters into live performances, even if tour dates have not been announced.

Charlotte Cardin's upcoming third album has revealed a mix of intense emotional highs and lows, mirroring her diverse live performances that range from small clubs to massive arenas in various countries.

This dichotomy is not new for Cardin, who has become accustomed to adapting to different settings due to varying levels of fame across regions such as the US, UK, France, and Canada.