More about: Laufey

There is something undeniably magical about Laufey. That’s the reason why she blew up. Why her music - the total antithesis of what you’d consider ‘viral hits’ - keeps captivating the TikTok crowd. Why she’s boomed from Berkley music student to international up and comer in a year or so. And why, beyond that, she’s quickly becoming one of the most respected names in music. When you listen to her work, writing new jazz standards for the modern age, magic is really the only word.

Crossing the river to get to OMEARA in time for Laufey’s secret show - one that sold out in seconds after a cryptic link landed on her insta story - i’ve dressed the part. Classic blue jeans, a little cardigan, a Shakespeare + company tote; my only wish is that i had some dainty little ballet flats to top it off. Because that would be the perfect addition to my float, prepping my romanticism with some Billie Holiday in my headphones, ready to sip expensive but bad wine from a plastic cup like its champagne, ready to stand in the crowd like all of this is a film scene focussed on me. The main character syndrome is loading and in the room filled with dainty bows and utterly classic looks; it’s an epidemic.

But the atmosphere Laufey fosters is completely unique. It’s hard to explain. Before she gets on stage, fans that have been  queuing all day yell out song names from the set list to roaring cheers. They chant her name as if the crowd of 200 or so is 20,000, or as if Laufey is some huge pop girlie about to come out with costume changes and choreo. It’s electric in a way big boisterous gigs are. But when she steps out solo with only her guitar in hand, falling straight into the soft intro to ‘Fragile’ - the excitement doesn’t drop, it only changes. 

Laufey’s crowd sing along like a choir. People gently harmonise, filling in for backing vocals on the recordings, managing to find a perfect volume that nestles Laufey’s voice rather than drowning her out. Standing alone on the stage, Laufey’s presence during debut album tracks like ‘Beautiful Stranger’ and ‘Falling Behind’ is like that of a conductor. Gathering up a fan base of hopeless romantics, lover girls and music fanatics - the jazz Laufey loves is clearly a deeply respected language here, and as the crowd join her to even sing along to jazz standards like ‘I Wish You Love’, there is no denying that Laufey is responsible to a revival amongst the young crowd. Who would’ve thought a TikTok star would be pioneering a return to classical and traditional forms? The question returns me to only one thought - that’s Laufey’s magic.

"She commands the room to silence with the beauty of her voice, traversing her vocal range with the effortlessness all the jazz greats have in common."

At the back of the crowd, I giggle along to her charming in-between-song chatter. I gently sing along when the choruses hit. But when Laufey takes her seat at the huge grand piano on the small OMEARA stage, I join the entire crowd in a hush. As she plays a version of ‘Misty’, you could hear a pin drop. She commands the room to silence with the beauty of her voice, traversing her vocal range with the effortlessness all the jazz greats have in common. The low notes are soulful, the high ones give you goosebumps. In the near 2 hour long set - not a single sound is out of place. 

"...We're witnessing something special, someone historic, a figure that will stick as a definining new star of the genre."

You can tell that comes from training. Growing up in a family of classical musicians, dedicating her early life to cello before expanding her musical horizons during her studies - Laufey is a more than competent musician, understanding it in an entirely different way to her peers. When we’re treated to tracks from her upcoming album, including the tear-jerking ‘Promise’ that made me weep a little, it’s her structures that astound me. Laufey writes in a timeless way, clearly interested in what makes a song stick around like the standards she loves. They aren’t trendy or even catchy in the way you might expect. But they’re flawless and, I predict, everlasting in a way modern music seems to have let go off. Laufey is a new jazz great. In the crowd at OMEARA, I'm sure you could ask anyone and they'd agree - we're witnessing something special, someone historic, a figure that will stick as a definining new star of the genre. 

The electric atmosphere of stardom returns for the night's special guest; Laufey’s twin sister Junia. Accompanying Laufey on violin for the sweet ode ‘Best Friend, the duo play together naturally as they have their entire life. They shoot glances at each other and Junia smiles at silly lyrics penned just for her about bad haircuts and falling asleep during films. Together they conduct the crowd through a mass sing-along of new single ‘From The Start’, Laufey’s latest surprising viral hit, and I look at my friend and smile, swept up in the insane amount of charm that pours out of Laufey, Junia and these songs.

We finish with a lullaby, applaud and leave. On the train home, back to my headphones and my Holiday, I feel how you feel after you leave a good jazz bar. Or how I imagine you feel after a big orchestral show. It’s a mix of calm and adrenaline, awed by art, enamoured by the life that allows it, excited to go home and spin around in your room as the main character syndrome sticks around a little longer.

See the view from the pit, captured by Niamh Louise:

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More about: Laufey