Classical music has fallen off in the modern day of rap and pop songs–however, one artist is determined to not let it die. Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) has been enchanting listeners with her dreamy sound and jazzy vocals since 2020 and is only getting bigger. The Icelandic-Chinese singer was born in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland, and took frequent trips to Washington D.C. and Beijing, China. Laufey was born into a musical family, with both her parents playing instruments, which she says sparked her love for classical music. She started playing piano at 4 and began cello lessons at 8. Her talent was undeniable, with her making appearances on Iceland’s Got Talent and The Voice Iceland in 2014. At the age of 15, she was a cellist for the Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra, further cementing her reputation in the music industry.
Laufey released her first single, “Street by Street,” in 2020 while still studying at Berklee College. The jazzy and catchy track went to the top of the charts in Iceland as did her EP Typical of Me released in 2021. Laufey was named Best New Artist in Jazz and Blues at the Icelandic Music Awards. She was becoming one of the biggest artists in Iceland and wasn’t slowing down anytime soon. She dropped numerous singles after Typical of Me, including collaborations with Adam Melchor and Dodie. The most notable of these singles would probably be “Let You Break My Heart Again” performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, currently at 99 million streams on Spotify. Her first full-length album Everything I Know About Love garnered her similar success and she started to develop a fan base. The lead single off this album was Valentine, a cutesy ballad about love, that was actually released on Valentine’s Day. Many would later say this song was their gateway to Laufey as it became popular on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Her love of performing with orchestras led to a live album, titled A Night at the Symphony, released in early 2023. Recorded with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the album featured a collection of songs from her previous albums with majestic-sounding orchestral arrangements and Laufey’s hauntingly beautiful live vocals to go along with it. (author’s note: as a laufey fan myself this is her most underrated work go stream it like right now it will change your life). Still a relatively underground artist, Laufey continued recording and announced her sophomore album, Bewitched along with the single, “From The Start” to go along with it. This jazzy, fluttering song about unrequited love exploded on TikTok mere weeks before the release of her album and suddenly Laufey was on everyone’s love song playlists. She is currently on a sold-out tour and performing all around the world in various different countries. Laufey is an artist to keep your eye on and her old-school vocal styles and instrumentals are bringing jazz music back into the mainstream and giving jazz musicians the credit they deserve. She has given people today a new appreciation for a genre of music that has been seen as outdated for decades. So stan Laufey and go stream Bewitched!
