Laufey

Biography

Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir (Icelandic: [ˈlœyːvei ˈliːn ˈpiŋk ˈjounsˌtouhtɪr̥]; Chinese: 林冰; pinyin: Lín Bīng; born 23 April 1999), known mononymously as (English: LAY-vay), is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her musical style blends genres such as jazz pop and classical music. Laufey began performing as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at age 15. She then emerged as a finalist in the 2014 edition of Ísland Got Talent (Iceland's Got Talent) and a semifinalist on The Voice Iceland in 2015. She started releasing music in 2020.
In 2021, Laufey released her debut EP, Typical of Me×Typical of Me30 April 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Street by Street3:442Magnolia3:003Like the Movies2:424I Wish You Love2:355James2:556Someone New3:187Best Friend2:44, and graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2022, she released her debut album, Everything I Know About Love×Everything I Know About Love26 August 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Fragile4:012Beautiful Stranger3:213Valentine2:494Above the Chinese Restaurant3:435Dear Soulmate4:206What Love Will Do to You2:517I’ve Never Been in Love Before3:428Just Like Chet3:369Everything I Know About Love3:3010Falling Behind2:5411Hi3:1412Dance With You Tonight2:3913Night Light4:02, which appeared in multiple Icelandic and United States charts. Her second album, Bewitched×Bewitched8 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Dreamer3:312Second Best3:253Haunted3:214Must Be Love3:055While You Were Sleeping2:576Lovesick3:457California and Me3:368Nocturne (interlude)2:249Promise3:5410From the Start2:5011Misty3:3012Serendipity3:4013Letter to My 13 Year Old Self4:2314Bewitched4:08 (2023), won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024) and produced the hit single "From the Start×From the Start11 May 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1From the Start2:49". Her third and latest album, A Matter of Time×A Matter of Time22 August 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Clockwork2:302Lover Girl2:443Snow White3:134Castle in Hollywood2:335Carousel3:196Silver Lining3:177Too Little, Too Late3:538Cuckoo Ballet (interlude)3:399Forget-Me-Not4:0610Tough Luck3:1211A Cautionary Tale4:1612Mr. Eclectic2:3513Clean Air2:3514Sabotage3:3415Seems Like Old Times2:59, was released on 22 August 2025. It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Early life and education

Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir was born on 23 April 1999 in Reykjavík, Iceland. Her father is from Iceland and her mother is from Guangzhou, China. Her mother is a classical violinist and is the daughter of Lin Yaoji, a violin educator at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, which Laufey credits as inspiring her love of music. Her father is a finance executive. She has an identical twin sister, Júnía Lín Hua Jónsdóttir (Icelandic: [ˈjuːnia ˈliːn ˈxʷaː ˈjounsˌtouhtɪr̥]; Chinese: 林華; pinyin: Lín Huá), who is a violinist and serves as her creative director.
She and her family lived in Washington, D.C., for two years and then moved back to Reykjavík in 2008, where she studied at Álftamýrarskóli. Laufey started learning the piano at age four and the cello at age eight. She grew up doing ballet and figure skating. Laufey speaks Icelandic, English, and Mandarin Chinese, which was the first language she learned. She also learned to read Danish after studying it for seven years. She graduated from the Reykjavík College of Music in 2018, where she also studied singing. She spent her childhood moving between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C., as well as visiting Beijing.
At age 15, Laufey performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. While in Iceland, she participated in the 2014 edition of Ísland Got Talent—the Icelandic version of Got Talent—where she ended as a finalist. In 2015 she also appeared as a contestant on The Voice Iceland and reached the semifinals. At the time, she was the youngest competitor in the series' history.
After high school, Laufey and her sister were both accepted by the University of St Andrews in Scotland, and she intended to study economics. Her sister graduated from St Andrews with a degree in international relations, while Laufey attended Berklee College of Music instead after receiving a presidential scholarship. There, she studied cello with Mike Block and graduated in 2021. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2021, she began pursuing a professional music career. As of October 2023, she resides in Los Angeles.

2020–2022: Early career

On 6 April 2020, Laufey released her debut single, "Street by Street×Street by Street6 April 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Street by Street3:44", which charted at number one on Icelandic Radio. She then launched her first EP, Typical of Me×Typical of Me30 April 2021 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Street by Street3:442Magnolia3:003Like the Movies2:424I Wish You Love2:355James2:556Someone New3:187Best Friend2:44, which she called her "little baby", on 30 April 2021. It includes "Street by Street" and six other songs, many written in her college dorm room. Rolling Stone particularly praised her rendition of "I Wish You Love×i wish you love18 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1i wish you love1:17". American Songwriter included the EP in its list of best albums of 2021. Typical of Me received attention from musicians such as Billie Eilish. Laufey also posted covers of jazz standards on TikTok, which The New York Times called "casually elegant". She signed a record deal with AWAL, a label that typically allows artists to retain greater control of their intellectual property.
The same year, Laufey hosted a weekly music show on BBC Radio 3 during spring and summer (and again in December for a Christmas special) called Happy Harmonies, on which she highlighted uplifting music in a wide variety of genres. In November, she performed at the London Jazz Festival. Around the same time, she collaborated with the Philharmonia Orchestra to release her song "Let You Break My Heart Again×Let You Break My Heart Again13 August 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Let You Break My Heart Again4:29". In December, she collaborated with singer Dodie to release another single, "Love To Keep Me Warm×Love to Keep Me Warm3 December 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Love to Keep Me Warm2:38", their cover of "Winter Weather" by Ted Shapiro, with a bridge section by Laufey and Dodie.
Laufey made her US network television debut in 2022, appearing as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 21 January; she played her song "Like the Movies×like the movies5 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1like the movies2:37" from Typical of Me. Her debut album, Everything I Know About Love×Everything I Know About Love26 August 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Fragile4:012Beautiful Stranger3:213Valentine2:494Above the Chinese Restaurant3:435Dear Soulmate4:206What Love Will Do to You2:517I’ve Never Been in Love Before3:428Just Like Chet3:369Everything I Know About Love3:3010Falling Behind2:5411Hi3:1412Dance With You Tonight2:3913Night Light4:02, was released on 26 August 2022 via AWAL to critical acclaim. On Billboard's Alternative New Artist Album chart, the album peaked at number one on its debut.

2023–present: Bewitched and A Matter of Time

In August 2023, it was announced that Laufey had signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM). Her second album, Bewitched×Bewitched8 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Dreamer3:312Second Best3:253Haunted3:214Must Be Love3:055While You Were Sleeping2:576Lovesick3:457California and Me3:368Nocturne (interlude)2:249Promise3:5410From the Start2:5011Misty3:3012Serendipity3:4013Letter to My 13 Year Old Self4:2314Bewitched4:08, was released on 8 September 2023. A week before the release, she leaked the sheet music for fans to be able to pre-save the album. It was met with critical acclaim and garnered Laufey's first Grammy Award, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, where she performed with Billy Joel on his closing number, "Turn the Lights Back On". Laufey went on a year-long world tour to support the album. On 6 March 2024, she reissued the album as Bewitched: The Goddess×Goddess6 March 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Goddess4:28 Edition, which was preceded by the single "Goddess".
She announced her third album in 2025 with the release of its first single "Silver Lining×Silver Lining3 April 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Silver Lining3:18" on 3 April. Laufey later revealed the album's name, A Matter of Time×A Matter of Time22 August 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Clockwork2:302Lover Girl2:443Snow White3:134Castle in Hollywood2:335Carousel3:196Silver Lining3:177Too Little, Too Late3:538Cuckoo Ballet (interlude)3:399Forget-Me-Not4:0610Tough Luck3:1211A Cautionary Tale4:1612Mr. Eclectic2:3513Clean Air2:3514Sabotage3:3415Seems Like Old Times2:59. She later released the second single, "Tough Luck×Tough Luck15 May 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tough Luck3:12", on 15 May 2025. On 25 June 2025, she teased and released her third and most popular single from the album, "Lover Girl×Lover Girl25 June 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Lover Girl2:44", accompanied by a video. The video for "Snow White×Snow White7 August 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Snow White3:13" was released on 7 August, with the song serving as a fourth single and buildup for the album's release.
The album was then released on 22 August 2025. After its release, Laufey later started her A Matter of Time Tour, with her first concert at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida on 15 September 2025. In September 2025, Laufey was announced as a performer at Coachella 2026, her second performance at the annual festival.
In February 2026, Laufey left talent agency Wasserman; no reason was given publicly, although The Hollywood Reporter noted then-recent controversy over founder Casey Wasserman's name being discovered in the Epstein files. That month, she announced an extended version of her latest album, titled A Matter of Time: The Final Hour, and its lead single "How I Get×How I Get25 February 2026 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1How I Get3:40". To promote the deluxe release on 15 April, Laufey was announced as the headliner for Season 14 of Fortnite Festival with in-game cosmetics and selected songs being added to the game. A concert experience, Laufey: The Final Hour was also published in Fortnite featuring "Madwoman", "Lover Girl", and "Too Little Too Late". In July 2026, it was announced that Laufey had signed with United Talent Agency. In September 2026, it was announced that she had signed with Interscope Records and Verve Records, both under Universal Music Group.

Influences and music style

Laufey was influenced by classical music, including Frédéric Chopin, and played it from an early age, but turned to her father's records of jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to develop her musical style. She has cited Fitzgerald and Chet Baker as her biggest artistic influences, calling the former her favourite musician. Laufey has also cited Taylor Swift, Norah Jones, and Adele as inspirations; she said, "Swift has done for pop and country what I hope to do for jazz. She has managed to unite people across the world, which is one of my main goals as a musician."
The genre of Laufey's music has been debated. She calls it jazz or jazz pop, while organisations such as National Public Radio, the New York Times, and The Sydney Morning Herald have noted that her music includes elements of jazz, pop, bossa nova, and classical, describing the entirety as traditional pop or old-time pop due to the blend of styles. Vocally, she has been described as a contralto, with Katie Hawthorne of The Guardian describing her voice as "unusual" and "honeyed".

Critical reception

Many critics, such as Maura Judkis, an editor at the Washington Post, and editor Murray Stassen from Music Business Worldwide noted that Laufey is "bringing back" jazz to Gen Z, as the genre has largely declined commercially and has received less recognition than other genres compared to its heyday. In a 2023 article, music journalist Michael Dwyer of The Sydney Morning Herald called Laufey a "TikTok jazz ambassador". Organisations such as Billboard and National Public Radio opined that Laufey created a blueprint for the success of jazz in the music industry today, helping push the genre back into the mainstream.
Her second album, Bewitched×Bewitched8 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks1Dreamer3:312Second Best3:253Haunted3:214Must Be Love3:055While You Were Sleeping2:576Lovesick3:457California and Me3:368Nocturne (interlude)2:249Promise3:5410From the Start2:5011Misty3:3012Serendipity3:4013Letter to My 13 Year Old Self4:2314Bewitched4:08, received critical praise for its composition and her take on jazz. The album received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews. For Grammys.com, Morgan Enos wrote that Bewitched's success shows Laufey has left "jazz neophytes spellbound".
She was named one of Time's Women of the Year for 2025. She also made it to the Madame Tussauds Hot 100 list for 2025. In January 2026, she was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland for her contribution to music.

Fashion

Laufey's style has been viewed as an extension of her music, harkening back to the time periods that influenced her music most through embracing romantic, classically feminine and vintage-inspired garments. It mixes elements such as bows, lace, ruffles, pastel colors, and bright metallic elements. Her aesthetic has been dubbed Laufeycore, described by Teen Vogue as "hyperfeminine, ethereal style". On stage, she frequently wears voluminous, vintage-inspired dresses with Repetto Mary Jane heels or ballet flats. The South China Morning Post has called her fashion style an "extension to her music", with her stage attire being said to fit the venue's atmosphere. Likewise, Coveteur described her style as like her music, characterising it as "vintage, overtly feminine, and very sweet". Laufey described her own looks as "a mix of French and Scandinavian style".
In September 2025, Laufey collaborated with the American clothing retailer Everlane for its "Laufey in Everland" campaign, marking the brand's first talent-led fashion campaign.