What Does Laufey Want to Tell Her Filipino Fans?

Jazz is the type of music that transforms you. Whether it moves you physically or transports you emotionally, listening to jazz is a transcendent experience. And that’s exactly the goal of 24-year-old Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir, or better known by her mononym Laufey. 

The fusion of jazz and pop is not exactly new–artists who began to challenge the traditions of both genres and have become household names today include “cool jazz” artists like Chet Baker and Bill Evans, or contemporary vocal jazz artists like Norah Jones—who then broke to the mainstream with her jazz-pop powerhouse record “Come Away With Me” back in 2002. 

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Laufey, on the other hand, tips her hat off to the greats while also incorporating 2010s internet bedroom pop influences in her music. She put it all on display at her sold-out concert at the Filinvest Tent, Alabang, Muntinlupa City on Wednesday, May 30. 

Just before the show, Laufey sat down with Esquire Philippines for a one-on-one interview where she talked about the importance of jazz in music today.

“I think when I started out, I wanted to find the most approachable way to introduce jazz to Gen Z, if you will,” she said. “And the only example I’d seen of it was kind of chillhop or bedroom pop, which I love so much. My first recording kind of had a modern production and mixing those worlds together. Then I slowly eased into more live recordings and less of that production as I progressed into my career. Still, I loved that style and I will definitely have some recordings like that.” 

Laufey reminisced about her earlier recordings in releases like her debut record Typical of Me, which was released in 2021. But what fascinated many of her audiences is the combination of gentle melodies paired with the mechanical, more quirky soundscapes of bedroom pop. But to the artist’s knowledge, it was her sheer eclecticism that inspired her to write most of those songs. 

“It was like listening to so much of Chet Baker and Ella Fitzegerald and Frank Sinatra as well,” she said. “You know, people often ask me how can I write in that style, and I’m like, ‘Just listen,’ because naturally that becomes your writing style. I went to conservatory, I went to classical, and then I went to jazz school for university and studied the genres, but i still think that the reason I write the way i write is because i listen a lot.”

Laufey and her efforts to catch the attention of her audience comes off as natural. She inserts several influences and sonic palettes into her arsenal. One example is in her latest album, Everything I Know About Love, where most of the arrangements are orchestral compared to her older releases. Laufey shared that the seeming comeback of jazz in the 2020s is something to take note of, especially in this age where the genre is being used as so-called “elevator” music in many places and occasions. 

“The more I progressed into my career, it seemed that there is more space for it than I thought,” she said. “And I could’ve never imagined that because my audience is Gen Z and very young, which is always the goal but I could never guess that it would happen so quickly as well, which just proves that Gen Z does have a palate for it. I think jazz has been in the background for a while and kind of ‘elevator music’ or whatever, but it’s coming more into the foreground now and I even hear it in hip hop and a lot of pop. There’s a lot of jazz samples in it and a lot of jazz harmonies–you know, like Doja Cat is filled with jazz harmonies. It’s very cool.”

Laufey is a massive fan of pop music. Not only has she listened to massive pop stars like Doja Cat or Taylor Swift, she still makes it a point to talk about the classics to her audience. 

“Every time I go to a new city or a country and fly out, it’s almost, for me, the main goal is to talk to the audience. Sometimes I’ll talk a little bit of jazz music or classical music and just the connection you create to prove that you're a real human. For me, to see that they’re real humans behind these streams is really important.” 

Another reason music fans love Laufey is her openness to listen to many different genres outside of the university setup. It took her a lot of listens to get where she’s at right now and, like a true blue music fan, she’s constantly listening. 

“Keep on listening and enjoying,” she tells audiences. “Don’t be afraid to lean into genres that not everyone listens to.”