laufey

Biography

Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir, born April 23, 1999, in Reykjavík, Iceland, to a Chinese mother—a classical violinist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra—and an Icelandic father, grew up immersed in music, splitting time between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C. Her family environment, including her mother and sister as violinists and her grandfather as a violin teacher in China, fostered early training in violin, piano, and cello; by age 15, she performed as a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and reached the finals of Iceland’s Got Talent in 2014, followed by semifinals on The Voice Iceland as its youngest competitor.[1][2][3][4] Classically trained, Laufey drew inspiration from jazz legends like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chet Baker, blending these with the Great American Songbook during her studies at Berklee College of Music, where she earned a Presidential Scholarship and graduated in 2021.[3]

Her career ignited in 2020 amid COVID-19 lockdown when she self-released her debut single 'Street By Street'—written after a heartbreak—which went viral, topped Icelandic charts, and led to hosting BBC Radio 3's 'Happy Harmonies.' This paved the way for her 2021 EP Typical of Me, earning Best New Artist in Jazz & Blues at the Icelandic Music Awards, and her debut album Everything I Know About Love in 2022, which hit Top 10 on Spotify in the US and UK, sold out tours backed by orchestras, and featured a Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance of 'Like The Movies.'[1][3] In 2024, her second album Bewitched set a Spotify record for the biggest jazz debut, with over 1 billion streams and a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, showcasing her signature fusion of classical, jazz, and contemporary pop through dreamy arrangements with harp, bassoon, celesta, and strings.[2][3]

Now based in Los Angeles, the 26-year-old Chinese-Icelandic singer-songwriter, cellist, and pianist continues reinventing jazz and classical for young audiences, bridging tradition and modernity with emotive, cinematic songwriting about love and vulnerability, cementing her as a Grammy-nominated star with timeless elegance.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Laufey's mother is a classical violinist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, making music 'inescapable' in her upbringing, with her sister also playing violin.[1][2]
• She transitioned from classical performer to songwriter at Berklee, struggling with 'breaking rules' after years of reading sheet music.[2][3]
• Recorded her breakout single 'Street By Street' the day before Berklee shut down for the pandemic, which unexpectedly went #1 in Iceland.[3]
• Hosted her own BBC Radio 3 show 'Happy Harmonies' after her viral single, showcasing uplifting genre-hopping music.[1]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Billie Holiday - Primary stylistic influence in vocal jazz lyricism (Inspired tracks like 'Like The Movies') [Ongoing since childhood]
• Ella Fitzgerald - Key jazz vocal inspiration (Influenced overall vocal style and Great American Songbook affinity) [Ongoing since childhood]
• Chet Baker - Jazz influence shaping her sound (Evocative in debut album arrangements) [Ongoing since childhood]

Key Collaborators

• Philharmonia Orchestra - Symphony orchestra collaboration on recordings ('Let You Break My Heart Again', tracks on Bewitched) [2022-2024]
• Iceland Symphony Orchestra - Backed performances and early soloist role (Tour dates at Harpa, soloist at age 15) [2014-2022]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #2020s, #bossa-nova, #easy-listening