“My kind of guiding light as a musician is to keep jazz traditions alive and bring them to a new audience. When I was starting out, I was like, I’m a classical cellist and a jazz singer, and I love Taylor Swift. How do I mix these things together? I had no example for someone who had done it before. Quite frankly, I became the example that I needed.”
–Laufey, episode 346 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Jazz singer Laufey wants to bridge the gap between the past and the present.
Today, she joins us upon the debut of her latest album, Bewitched. We discuss her songwriting process (5:20), her bossa nova-inspired piece “From The Start” (8:12), and her guiding light as a musician (12:30). Then, we walk through Laufey’s Icelandic upbringing (14:07), how fate led her to the Berklee College of Music (20:10), and the coming of age she experienced in that period (26:15).
On the back-half, Laufey reflects on the music she created in 2020 (35:10), her rapid, online ascent as an artist (37:15), and an early collaboration with schoolmate Claudia Nketia (39:50). To close, we talk about the idea of romanticizing daily life (50:40), the components of her new song “Promise” (52:25), and what she hopes for in the years to come (57:00).
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Show-notes:
- Listen to Laufey’s new album Bewitched.
- Find dates for her upcoming tour.
- Learn more about her work on her website.
- Watch Laufey and Claudia Nketia’s cover of These Foolish Things.
- Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
- For more talks, hear our conversations with Lorde, Dev Hynes, Vince Staples, Este Haim and Alana Haim, Arlo Parks, and David Byrne.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi.
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