This article was co-written by Annie Kunkle and Lyra Duffy
Laufey, pronounced Lay-Vay, is a contemporary jazz singer from Reykjavik, Iceland. At age 15, she was playing with the Icelandic Orchestra and competing on Iceland’s Got Talent, which fueled her to pursue music in college. While attending the Berklee College of Music, Laufey studied cello performance and began her journey as a professional musician.
Rising to fame as an iconic contemporary jazz musician, she reignited a love and interest in jazz, especially for Generation Z. Initially posting jazz covers on her YouTube channel, Laufey released her first EP, Typical of Me, in 2021. This EP had a mix of covers inspired by artists such as Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. It also featured several original songs, one being “Best Friend,” based on her relationship with her twin sister Junia (Hoo-nee-ah).
“It’s funny ’cause you drive me half insane. A universe without you would be thoroughly mundane.”
Best Friend by Laufey
Junia has made a name for herself by acting as Laufey’s creative director for her music videos and A Matter of Time tour. The tour’s setlist even features an intimate jazz club spinoff during the concert. In this section, she rearranges her songs to be more raw and jazzy, offering new renditions of her own songs. As she has risen in the music world, she has created songs with a more poppy flair, but this section allows her to showcase her original sound and influences. By doing this, she draws in the audience to yearn for the intimate feel of a jazz show ambiance.
Laufey also provokes a sense of yearning through her romantic and fantastical storylines. In “Like the Movies,” she sings about her imagined love life and how she longs to experience an unrealistic expectation of love that is often represented in rom-com tropes.
“Maybe one day I’ll fall in a bookstore into the arms of a guy. We’ll sneak into bars and gaze at the stars surrounded by fireflies.”
Like the Movies by Laufey
She also incorporates vivid imagery and figurative language in her lyricism. Heard in “Falling Behind,” Laufey compares natural elements to the ways they seemingly mock her love-life failures.
“’Cause the sun’s engaged to the sky, and my best friend’s found a new guy.”
Falling Behind by Laufey
Through a multitude of her songs, listeners can romanticize their lives, whether they are dreaming about their future romantic endeavors or agonizing about being left behind in the race to find love. Don’t be fooled, though. Laufey’s discography is not fully focused on love and heartbreak. She also writes about her childhood insecurities and pays homage to her heritage. These songs have become the most popular among her true fans by highlighting relatable struggles we have all experienced in some way. In a “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,” she discusses how she felt as a child, left out of common experiences, and often feeling overlooked.
“I’m so sorry that they pick you last, try to say your foreign name and laugh. I know that you feel loud, so different from the crowd.”
Letter To My 13 Year Old Self by Laufey
Within the lyrics of “Forget-Me-Not”, Laufey pleads to never abandon her culture and upbringing in Iceland. She incorporates words from her native tongue, which encapsulate her desire to remain faithful to her origins and her immigrant story.
“Love you forever, don’t let go of me. I left my own homeland to chase reverie. Gleymdu mér aldrei þó ég héðan flýg. Gleymdu mér aldrei, elskan mín” (translated to: Never forget me, even if I fly away from here. Never forget me, my love)
Forget-Me-Not by Laufey
Through Laufey’s openness and vulnerability, she has established a personal connection with her fans, which has created a niche and honest fan base. While Junia has developed Laufey’s brand to fit this cute, classy, and whimsical vibe, her fan base is so much more than that. During her concerts, she has emphasized this close relationship with her fans by choosing a “best dressed” attendee who gets to meet her and show off their outfit. Only Laufey and her fans could pull this off on such a vast scale. Not only does Laufey connect with her listeners on tour, but she also creates communities through an online book club and an original character, Mei Mei, the Bunny (seen on the left).
Laufey’s specific and personal bond with fans has filtered out any negativity or fragile masculinity within male listeners. With t-shirt merch saying, “Real Men Listen to Laufey,” she has established an audience of male listeners who aren’t afraid to make fun of performative men. Laufey often writes about how she has experienced an insincere facade from men, in hopes of catching her attention, in songs like “Mr. Eclectic.”
“Did you ever stop and give a wonder to just who you were talking to? The very expert on the foolish things that men have said to woo and win me over. What a poser, you think you’re so interesting.”
Mr. Eclectic by Laufey
With other songs like “Bored” and “James”, she further pokes fun at pretentious men who think they are so ideal and different from the rest.
Laufey has marketed herself as an “open book”, paving the way for listeners like us to feel seen and understood. Her music helps us romanticize our lives, better understand our emotions, and connect with a real artist who feels true to themselves. At the end of the day, she is an incredible musician and has one of the best voices of our time. She has revived jazz music and redefined the narrative of modern music.
“No boy’s gonna kill the dreamer in me…”
Dreamer by Laufey
