23-year-old LA-based/Iceland-bred singer, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey is currently in the middle of a sold-out US headlining tour. Last month saw the release of her debut LP, Everything I Know About Love, which Consequence of Sound described as, “a captivating symphony for the modern age,” and which V Magazine cited with, “revitalizing jazz for the modern age, making swing notes and piano musical breaks accessible to the new generation.” Laufey will be performing at The Foundry this Saturday, September 24th, and while it is technically a sell-out, there are “Verified Resale Tickets” currently going for $153. In Addition, this Thursday Laufey released The Reykjavik Sessions, a six-song EP that features live acoustic renditions of five tracks from Everything I Know About Love, along with 2021 single “Let You Break My Heart Again.”
Laufey first began attracting an audience online with her 2020 debut single, “Street by Street.” The track, which the artist wrote while studying at Berklee on a Presidential Scholarship, simultaneously topped the Icelandic radio charts, while also finding favor with TikTokers and Instagrammers. Although her major influences include the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker, in addition to Gershwin and Ravel, her sounds made fans of contemporary mega-stars like Billie Eilish, Willow Smith, and V of BTS, and earned her a slot opening for Ricky Montgomery and Alexander 23 on tour.
The songs found on Everything I Know About Love provide a commentary on Laufey’s experiences maturing and entering adulthood, including moving out of her family’s house and exploring romantic relationships. “It’s about dealing with growing-up. It’s also very ‘hopeless romantic,’” the musician has said of the LP’s 13 tracks. Although she admits that the songs are more along the lines of poetry than simply diary entries: “A lot of these things that we go through in life are a little difficult or bleak, and I try to create magic out of those moments, whether it’s heartbreak, or having a crush on someone, or never having been in love.”
And while Laufey has already managed to carve out a name for herself and full-blown career in the world of music, with a plethora of accomplishments under her belt – an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, recording with London’s Philharmonia, winning Best New Hope in Jazz and Blues at the 2021 Icelandic Music Awards, and her own weekly series on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds – she does still hold her family dear. In fact, her mother and twin sister both contribute violin to the title track of Everything I Know About Love.
Although the going rate for resale tickets this Saturday at The Foundry may be a bit high, I suspect the next time Laufey graces the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection with her presence, it will be from the stage of an opera house or arena, so you may want to take the hit and come see her in the 450-capacity nightclub while you still have the chance.
*Get your tickets here.
