Laufey (singer)

Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir (Icelandic: [ˈlœiːvei ˈliːn ˈjounstouhtɪr̥]; born April 23, 1999), known by the mononym Laufey [ˈlœiːvei], is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who became popular in the early 2020s. She describes her musical style, a mixture of jazz pop and bedroom pop, as modern jazz.[1]

Laufey
Laufey in 2021
Background information
Birth nameLaufey Lín Jónsdóttir
Born (1999-04-23) April 23, 1999
Reykjavík, Iceland
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • cello
Years active2020–present
Labels
Websitelaufeymusic.com

Laufey participated in The Voice Iceland in 2015. She released her debut EP Typical of Me in 2021, before releasing her debut album Everything I Know About Love in 2022.

Early life and education

Laufey Lín Jónsdottír was born on April 23, 1999. Her father is Icelandic and her mother is Chinese.[2] Her Chinese family is from Guangzhou.[3] Her mother is a classical violinist and her grandfather, Lin Yaoji, was a violin educator at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, which Laufey credits as partly inspiring her love of music.[4][5] She has an identical twin sister who goes by the name of Junia Jonsdottir.[6] She spent her childhood moving between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C.[7]

At age 15, she performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.[1] Although she was influenced by and played classical music from an early age, she turned to her father's records of female jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to develop her musical style.[3]

While in Iceland, Laufey participated in the 2014 season of Ísland Got Talent—the Icelandic version of America's Got Talent—and ended as a finalist. The following year, she also appeared as a contestant on The Voice Iceland and reached the semi-finals. At the time, she was the youngest competitor in the series' history.[8]

Laufey graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2021. She currently resides in Los Angeles.[3]

Career

Laufey released her debut single, "Street by Street", in 2020 and it charted at #1 on Icelandic Radio.[9] She launched her first EP, Typical of Me, on April 30, 2021. It includes "Street by Street" and six new songs. Many of these tracks were written in her college dorm room. Rolling Stone particularly praised her rendition of "I Wish You Love".[10] American Songwriter included the EP in their list of best albums of 2021.[11] Additionally, Typical of Me received attention from musicians such as Willow Smith and Billie Eilish.[6]

Laufey performed in the London Jazz Festival in November 2021.[5] Around the same time, she collaborated with London's Philharmonia Orchestra to release "Let You Break My Heart Again".[6] In December 2021, she collaborated with Dodie to release another single, "Love To Keep Me Warm", a cover of the original by Irving Berlin.[5]

Laufey hosts a weekly music show on BBC Radio 3 called Happy Harmonies, where she highlights uplifting music in a wide variety of genres.[12][13] She also has a significant following on TikTok, where she frequently hosts live sessions.[3]

She made her United States network television debut when she appeared as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on January 21, 2022. She played her song "Like The Movies" from her debut EP, Typical of Me.[14] Her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, was released on August 26, 2022 via AWAL to critical acclaim.[15]

Discography

Laufey discography
Studio albums1
Live albums1
EPs3
Singles13

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
ICE
[16]
US
Heat

[17]
US
Sales

[18]
Everything I Know About Love
  • Released: 26 August 2022
  • Label: AWAL
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming
151450

Live albums

Title Details
A Night at the Symphony (with Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
  • Released: 2 March 2023
  • Label: AWAL
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

Title Details
Typical of Me
  • Released: 30 April 2021
  • Label: Self-released, AWAL
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl
The Reykjavík Sessions
  • Released: 22 September 2022
  • Label: AWAL
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
A Very Laufey Holiday
  • Released: 11 November 2022
  • Label: AWAL
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

Title Year Album
"Street by Street" 2020 Typical of Me
"Someone New"
"Best Friend" 2021
"Let You Break My Heart Again"
(with Philharmonia Orchestra)
Non-album singles
"Love Flew Away"
(with Adam Melchor)
"Love to Keep Me Warm"
(with Dodie)
A Very Laufey Holiday
"Valentine" 2022 Everything I Know About Love
"Everything I Know About Love"
"Fragile"
"Dear Soulmate"
"Falling Behind"
"Ain't Christmas"
(Alexander 23 with Laufey)
Non-album single
"Valentine" (Live at the Symphony)
(with Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
2023 A Night at the Symphony
"From the Start" The Bewitched Tour

References

  1. Wu, Ali (October 13, 2021). "Meet Laufey, the Gen Z Artist Making Us Fall in Love With Jazz All Over Again". onestowatch.com. Live Nation Worldwide, Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  2. Jacob Ugalde (30 Apr 2021). "Interview: Laufey and the beauty of making it up as you go". From the Intercom. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  3. Ugalde, Jacob (April 2021). "Interview: Laufey and the beauty of making it up as you go". fromtheintercom.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. "林耀基中國音樂基金 - Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China". linyaoji.com. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  5. Kent, Matthew (December 3, 2021). "On the Rise: Laufey". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. Holbrook, Emma (August 13, 2021). "TREMORS// Laufey is revitalising jazz for the 21st century". thefortyfive.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  7. Neil Z. Yeung. "Laufey Lin Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  8. Sue, David (July 6, 2020). "Introducing – Laufey Lin". newsoundsmag.co.uk. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  9. Ugalde, Jacob (March 3, 2021). "Laufey charms us all on the heartfelt "Best Friend"". fromtheintercom.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  10. Leight, Elias (April 30, 2021). "Hear Laufey's Reverent Version of 'I Wish You Love'". The Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  11. American Songwriter (December 17, 2021). "The 41 Best Albums of 2021". americansongwriter.com. Savage Media Holdings. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  12. "Happy Harmonies with Laufey". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  13. Sang, Ray. "Laufey". 1883 Magazine. 1883 Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  14. Laufey – Like The Movies on YouTube.
  15. Cordelia Lam (August 24, 2022). "Laufey – 'Everything I Know About Love' review: an ode to the magic of life's little moments". NME.
  16. "plotutidindi: Week of 24 September 2022". plotutidindi. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  17. "Heatseekers Albums: Week of October 1, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  18. "Top Album Sales: Week of October 1, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
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