Biography
Halo Maud emerged in the mid-2010s as a French artist whose blend of prog, psych, and trance-like indie pop carried audible echoes of Björk, Blonde Redhead, and Broadcast; the project issued its debut album on Heavenly Records in 2018. Following a brief hiatus and after contributing vocals to the Chemical Brothers’ 2023 album For That Beautiful Feeling, Halo Maud resurfaced in 2024 with Celebrate, a second album that remained pop-oriented while venturing into more demanding artistic territory.
The project is the work of Maud Nadal, who spent her childhood in rural France before relocating to Paris and entering the music scene in the early 2010s as guitarist and singer with the psychedelic outfits Melody’s Echo Chamber and Moodoïd. After appearing on multiple Moodoïd releases, she stepped forward as Halo Maud in the mid-2010s. The project’s first recordings comprised the self-released three-song single “Du Pouvoir/Power,” issued in early 2017, followed later that year by one side of a split single with the band O for the La Souterraine Magic Vinyle Club. Producer Robin Leduc and three drummers assisted on these tracks. The single drew the attention of Heavenly Recordings, which reissued it in 2018.
By then Nadal had already begun tracking the debut Halo Maud album alongside Leduc, Moodoïd bandmate Pablo Padovani, Aquaserge’s Benjamin Glibert, and live-band members Olivier Marguerit, Stéphane Bellity, and Vincent Mougel. She wrote and sang every song while contributing guitars, bass, keys, and additional instruments. The resulting sound referenced proggy precedents and French pop while aligning with the sleek modern psych of Stereolab, placing Nadal’s hypnotic voice at the forefront. Heavenly released Je Suis Une Île in May 2018.
After touring throughout 2019, Nadal commenced work on a second album with an array of collaborators that included Flavien Berger and Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, the latter co-producing numerous tracks. In 2022 she issued the Pesnopoïka EP, marked by a pronounced Bulgarian folk influence; early the following year she served as featured vocalist on several songs from the Chemical Brothers’ For That Beautiful Feeling. A few months after that album’s release, and following a series of advance tracks, the second Halo Maud album arrived in March 2024. Celebrate adopted a heady, more layered and sonically exploratory stance, shifting between chunky psychedelic rock and trilling avant-garde pop with little pause. Shortly afterward Halo Maud embarked on a brief tour supporting fellow traveler Jane Weaver.
The project is the work of Maud Nadal, who spent her childhood in rural France before relocating to Paris and entering the music scene in the early 2010s as guitarist and singer with the psychedelic outfits Melody’s Echo Chamber and Moodoïd. After appearing on multiple Moodoïd releases, she stepped forward as Halo Maud in the mid-2010s. The project’s first recordings comprised the self-released three-song single “Du Pouvoir/Power,” issued in early 2017, followed later that year by one side of a split single with the band O for the La Souterraine Magic Vinyle Club. Producer Robin Leduc and three drummers assisted on these tracks. The single drew the attention of Heavenly Recordings, which reissued it in 2018.
By then Nadal had already begun tracking the debut Halo Maud album alongside Leduc, Moodoïd bandmate Pablo Padovani, Aquaserge’s Benjamin Glibert, and live-band members Olivier Marguerit, Stéphane Bellity, and Vincent Mougel. She wrote and sang every song while contributing guitars, bass, keys, and additional instruments. The resulting sound referenced proggy precedents and French pop while aligning with the sleek modern psych of Stereolab, placing Nadal’s hypnotic voice at the forefront. Heavenly released Je Suis Une Île in May 2018.
After touring throughout 2019, Nadal commenced work on a second album with an array of collaborators that included Flavien Berger and Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, the latter co-producing numerous tracks. In 2022 she issued the Pesnopoïka EP, marked by a pronounced Bulgarian folk influence; early the following year she served as featured vocalist on several songs from the Chemical Brothers’ For That Beautiful Feeling. A few months after that album’s release, and following a series of advance tracks, the second Halo Maud album arrived in March 2024. Celebrate adopted a heady, more layered and sonically exploratory stance, shifting between chunky psychedelic rock and trilling avant-garde pop with little pause. Shortly afterward Halo Maud embarked on a brief tour supporting fellow traveler Jane Weaver.
Albums
Singles
