Spending “A Night at the Symphony”

My life is constantly surrounded by background music. I have some kind of tune playing in my ear at all times, just noise to avoid silence. However, there are a few songs that will draw my attention away from the task at hand. A few melodies make me stop what I’m doing and put my full energy into taking in every note. Some music can’t sit in the background, it announces its presence loud and clear, pulling the listener completely in. For me, Laufey always does that.

In her live recorded album, “A Night at the Symphony“, she stands proudly at the center of a grand stage, surrounded by an entire orchestra. Each instrument blends together in beautiful harmony, but her voice cuts through with poetic words of heartache. It genuinely gives me full-body chills, I can’t watch the whole performance without being moved to tears. The music feels grand and powerful, while her words speak softly right to the soul. “Ég Veit Þú Kemur” is sung in her native language of Icelandic. Although I can’t translate a word she’s singing, I feel as though I deeply understand. Her music is so incredibly beautiful that it can immediately brighten my day. Whether I’m relating to her heartwrenching lyrics or daydreaming alongside her stories of love, she always gives me a powerful sense of peace and joy. I find solace in her symphonies, escaping from the troubles of my real life into her mystical melodies.

I would never have called myself a connoisseur of jazz or classical music. Something about Laufey’s mix of classical training, jazzy tunes, and modern twist has opened up this whole other world of music to me. I think many people feel intimidated by classical music. It comes along with a hoity-toity intellectual culture that often doesn’t leave room for simple enjoyment. Most young people have little interest in listening to classical or jazz unless it’s filling the background while they study. Laufey aims to introduce this genre to a new generation, renewing appreciation for these soft, beautiful songs. Funnily enough, I discovered her music on an app that epitomizes youth culture, TikTok. In 2021, I saw a clip of her singing a simple jazz cover, plucking a cello, and I became immediately obsessed. She only had seven songs on Spotify at the time, which I listened to so often that my speaker probably got tired of them. She’s now released three full-length albums along with many singles and collaborations and this year, received a Grammy nomination. In a strange way, I feel like I’ve grown with her over the past three years. That’s the best part of finding small artists, feeling like a proud mom as their music and audience grow.

I don’t know all that much about music, but I do know that Laufey is a powerhouse. As a composer, producer, cellist, guitarist, pianist, and singer, she creates art that speaks directly to the listener.  She crafts music that combines intricate, classical arrangments with relatable, conversational lyrics. Her musicality develops a deep-rooted connection that reaches through your ears into your soul. I can’t get enough.