Laufey (pronounce Lay-Vay) is a Chinese-Icelandic American jazz artist based in Los Angeles. Laufey has been releasing music since 2020, but started making music in 2012. Laufey is not a traditional jazz artist, she incorporates aspects of dream pop and lo-fi, bringing a modern spin to the jazz genre. Her distinct sound has gained her a large following on multiple social media platforms introducing jazz to a new generation.
The original jazz age was between years 1918-1929; the modern jazz movement occurring around the ‘40’s and ‘50’s. To avoid possible confusion and inaccuracy, the term modern jazz is not referring to the movement, but jazz music being released in the modern era. There is debate in the jazz community surrounding whether Laufey’s music should be considered jazz. This type of argument is not limited to Laufey, jazz, or music in general, it is present in every sphere of the arts (contemporary art, writing, etc.). This is in large part due to the accessibility of new artists, and the fact that genres are evolving faster than traditionalist are ready to accept.
Laufey has a love for jazz and a clear love for music as a whole. Laufey grew up with her mother being a classical violinist and listening to her father’s jazz records, her favorite musicians being Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker. Laufey wants us to fall in love with jazz as she once did, stating:
“Laufey (pronounced Lay-Vay) wants Gen Z to fall in love with jazz. She wants them to fall in love, period. Her genres are jazz and classical and bossa nova, but what she really makes is a soundtrack for falling in love.” (The Washington Post, Maura Judkis)
Laufey’s collaboration with orchestras is widely unknown, though a large factor in her creative genius. Laufey has worked with the Philharmonic Orchestra in her single ‘Let you break My Heart Again’ and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (Ég veit þú kemur, a personal favorite).
Recommendations:
For fans of Laufey and people who are new to jazz, Billie Holiday’s Solitude (1966). To those who want to investigate instrumental jazz I recommend Ryo Fukui’s Scenery (1976). Though not a part of traditional jazz nor American, he is a good introduction to Japanese jazz, which was inspired from the American Jazz movement.
