NEW NOSTALGIA

Grammy-winning Gen Z singer songwriter Laufey refuses to be put into boxes and talks the importance of ‘going off the sheet music’ in both performance and life

- Zabrina Lo

Walking into the PICC Plenary Hall in Manila on May 28 and 29 was like stepping into a high school prom: eager-faced individuals, mostly teens and people in their early 20s, in glamourous dresses, suits, shirts and pearl necklaces. Quite a number of them, male and female, tied ribbons in their hair—a tribute to the signature headwear of the Gen Z performer they were about to see: Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir.

The Icelandic Chinese singer-songwriter who performs under the name Laufey (say “Lay-vay”, not “Lau-fay”) was in Manila as part of her Bewitched: The Goddess tour, which started in October 2023, making stops across 16 countries in Europe, the US, Asia and Australia. As well as songs from her debut album Everything I Know About Love (2022) and her EPs, she is also performing numbers from Bewitched (2023), her latest album which, in February this year, won Grammy’s Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, a category that may seem a bit unusual for a 24-year-old—previous winners include Michael Bublé and Tony Bennett. Laufey is the youngest person to win this category in the award’s history.

The seal of approval from Grammy almost came late in her game because she has been supported by millions of fans and established singers like Taylor Swift and Norah Jones for several years. Since her debut single Street by Street in April 2020, she has accumulated 5.5 million followers on TikTok and 4 million on Instagram.

“It feels amazing,” she says from her Los Angeles home of the Grammy recognition when Tatler speaks to her in June by video call. “It’s one of those dreams that you have as a kid that seems as crazy as becoming a princess one day. The fact that it has happened seems beyond me.”