Culture

Icelandic music in focus: In conversation with Laufey

Date

30. Sep 202630. Sep 26

Reading time

9 min

The soft plucking of strings, lush instrumentation, and the warm touch of old-world charm have become unmistakable parts of Laufey’s musical world. The Icelandic-Chinese singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has brought jazz standards, classical music, and traditional pop to a new generation, earning her a devoted community of listeners around the globe.

Since debuting her EP, Typical of Me, in 2021, Laufey has gone from emerging musician to Grammy-winning artist, performing on stages around the world. Her body of work is as varied as it is accomplished, with collaborations spanning established names such as Barbra Streisand and Norah Jones, as well as newer voices such as beabadoobee and dodie. Beyond her own music, she has also lent her support to philanthropic causes, using a growing platform for work beyond the stage.

Her two latest studio albums, Bewitched (2023) and A Matter of Time (2025) have carried Laufey from intimate beginnings to international stages, but perhaps more remarkably, they have given her distinctly personal musical sensibility a world of its own, one that so many listeners now feel a part of. Laufey’s world feels wistful and visually distinct, rooted in nostalgic textures all while speaking to the subjects of the present. At its heart is a warmth that seems to extend beyond the music itself, into the community that has grown around it.

Fresh off the final leg of her A Matter of Time tour, we caught up with Laufey to talk about songwriting on the road, performing in Iceland, Reykjavík travel tips, and the people who have found home in her music.

Laufey at the Met Gala, May 2026. Photo credit: Nicole Mago.

This past year has been nothing short of extraordinary for you, with the release of A Matter of Time, your second Grammy win, and a world tour. When you look back on the past year, what feels the most significant to you personally?

It’s difficult to pick and choose a favorite moment! Something that stands out every night is seeing the audience – my community – gather in a place as big as the arenas that I’ve been playing on my A Matter of Time tour. To see the faces of my fans is a marker of the hard work I’ve put in, and the feeling of it never wears off.

Tell us about your most recent album, A Matter of Time. What’s the story behind the title and imagery of the album?

With my album, both musically and visually, I really wanted to show the world that I am more than just a hopeless romantic making jazz-inspired music about love. As a woman navigating my 20s, I go through countless ups and downs – both in and out of love. In addition to the lyrics, I wanted the emotional scale reflected in my visual output as well, so my creative director and sister Junia and I set out to translate the emotions into surreal album art and imagery.

As for the title, A Matter of Time felt fitting for the feeling of anticipatory anxiety myself and my generation seem to suffer from. It’s just a matter of time before…

Above images from Laufey’s A Matter of Time tour. Photo credit: Nicole Mago.

In the song ‘Forget-Me-Not’ you sing in Icelandic. What drew you to use Icelandic in that song?

‘Forget-Me-Not’ is a ballad wherein what appears to be a message and song to my lover conceals what is actually a message to my homeland, Iceland. In the song, I sing Gleymdu mér aldrei, þó ég héðan flýg. Gleymdu mér aldrei, elskan mín. It translates to ‘Never forget me, even if I fly away. Never forget me, my darling.’ Once you re-listen with that context, it turns into a different song. I sing of the bends in a body. Iceland’s shape is famously jagged. ‘Stone-cold kiss’ is the wind. As the language of my youth, a lyric in Icelandic felt necessarily intimate.

Your life must move very quickly with all the touring, traveling, and performing. Where do moments of songwriting fit into that rhythm and how has your relationship with songwriting changed since you began sharing your music with the world during lockdown?

Most of my songs are written on my own, sitting in bed with a guitar and a journal. I like to write at night when the world is quiet. Thankfully, this setup works perfectly well for me while on tour, and I try to fit some songwriting in between shows.

I also have a small piano in my parent’s house in Iceland and it has something special infused in it. It was a gift from my Chinese grandmother and was shipped from China to Iceland. I’ve written some of my best songs there. Perhaps because it’s a third culture kid too?

Laufey at the piano as a child.

Family snapshot.

At your recent arena concert in Iceland, you said you were a bit nervous because you knew so many people in the audience. How is it different to perform at ‘home’ compared to everywhere else in the world?

I left Iceland as a teen who still hadn’t found her place in the world, and whilst I was always confident in my passion for music and singing, returning feels at times like going back to my teenage self. Performing at home felt a bit like performing to people I still wanted to prove myself to! It went wonderfully though, and I have never felt more Icelandic or loved by my country than after the hometown concerts.

After that concert, you thanked your audience for ‘stepping into your world’. What is your world like?

My world is vivid, emotional, and inspired from the past while touching on very real 2026 subjects.

You work closely with your twin sister Junia, who is also your creative director. How do you two collaborate to shape the artistic aspects and visual storytelling of Laufey’s world?

On a practical level, our creative collaboration looks like constantly sending each other photos, screenshots, movies, and media that inspire us. Junia reads me and translates the vision to our team and my community! People often ask us when we started working together, and I always say, since birth. This is the adult version of finishing each other’s sentences. (Although we still do plenty of that!)

Laufey and Junia. Photo credit: Sigurður Pétur.

Photo credit: Sigurður Pétur.

Your music blends genres, eras, and influences – classical, jazz, bossa nova, pop – and you’ve lived in different countries and across languages. How has that experience shaped your approach to music?

Because of my extremely mixed background, I’ve needed to make peace with finding a way to have everything co-exist in harmony – down to the fridge in my family home, which on any given day had pungent Chinese cooking sauces and Icelandic skyr on the same shelf. My approach to my music and art is the same. I’ve never endeavored to make the perfect pop song or perfect jazz standard. My barriers are loose and my work will always be informed by my mixed background!

Your music feels rooted in older traditions and analog aesthetics, yet it flourished in digital spaces. How does it feel to exist between those two worlds, and do you think that says something about your generation?

Existing between two worlds is how I grew up, so it feels really natural. I think a lot of Gen Z has grown up caught between worlds, and the friction feels familiar to them. We flock to digital spaces to seek others who might understand, and my music fulfills the mission.

Behind the scenes of the video for ‘Snow White’, filmed in Iceland. Photo credit: Sigurður Pétur.

When you come back to Iceland, what does your ideal day look like?

My ideal day in Iceland starts with making a latte at home and having a flatkaka (flatbread) with butter and cheese. I’d go to one of my favorite cafés Kaffi Vest to read for a bit, and then go swimming in Vesturbæjarlaug pool. Following the sauna and cold-plunge reset, I’d hit up Brauð og co bakery and grab an ostaslaufa (twisted cheese bun), and drive along the coast to Seltjarnarnes. Grótta is my not-so-secret-anymore favorite spot to look at the ocean. The perfect day ends with an ísrúnt (ice-cream drive) where I devour a blizzard-type concoction called a bragðarefur.

Photo credit: Nicole Mago.

You must be a seasoned traveler by now with all the touring! What are your grounding rituals? Do you have any tips for our travelers?

My best tip is find what you like and make it consistent! For me, that looks like a set of go-to travel accessories. I use the same travel bag always, and I have this incredible silk eye mask that covers half my face. I also am very consistent with the music I play on flights. I love listening to Víkingur Ólafsson’s recordings. With the same rituals every time, I’m able to zone out and feel less hectic.

If you were boarding a long flight and could only bring one classical or jazz album to keep you company, what album would you pick?

Mozart & Contemporaries by Víkingur Ólafsson.

Are there any emerging artists, Icelandic or international, that you think we should be paying attention to right now?

Elín Hall, she opened for my two concerts in Iceland and her angel tones have charmed me.

What are you carrying forward from this past year into the next one?

I’m carrying forward the confidence that my audience and the Laufey community gives me!

Laufey at Coachella, April 2026. Photo credit: Nicole Mago.

We’d like to thank Laufey for taking the time to speak with us and for giving us a glimpse into the world behind her music. If you’d like to spend a little more time in her world, you can find Laufey’s music on our in-flight entertainment system to accompany you on your journey,

Laufey released the video for ‘Madwoman’ in April 2026, drawing widespread attention with a star-studded cast of prominent Wasian (mixed Asian and Western) talents, including Alysa Liu, Lola Tung, Megan Skiendiel, and Hudson Williams.

Ásdís Sól Ágústsdóttir

Ásdís is a Reykjavík native, a writer and content specialist, and journalist.

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