Laufey: The Evolution of a “Goddess”

Smoke continued to linger in the air from Grace Enger’s intimate acoustic set, setting a mysterious mood. People of all ages, but most notably girls with ribbons in their hair were seated in anticipation. Shrieks were let out immediately after the lights were cut, the band slowly trickling into their designated spots and their silhouettes contrasting against the blue lights. The keyboardist opened the show with the crescendoed section of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” Enjoying the legato phrases, I was caught off guard when they snuck in the opening motif of “While You Were Sleeping.” After letting the motif ring out, the entire band began to play the uptempo soft-rock ballad. Laufey stepped onstage in a black and white knee-length dress, red heels adding a pop of color. Her intonation and enunciation were clear as day, acting as a sort of pinch, a reminder that I wasn’t dreaming. While the stage was certainly set for a goddess, with its fairy lights decorating the downstage, this opening couldn’t have been more human. “Clair de Lune” served as a callback to Laufey’s classical background, her musical beginnings starting with the piano and cello. Intertwining this with her original music felt personal as if she was sonically allowing us to peer into her past, transitioning into finding her signature sound.

Although classically trained, Laufey’s first EP, Typical of Me, takes a bold, more modern R&B-inspired approach both instrumentally and vocally. “Street by Street” and “James” feature an electric guitar with a chorus effect, along with belty vocals and riffs. The classic Louis Armstrong sound can be found on “Like the Movies,” while “Best Friend” and “Someone New” opt for soft lo-fi drums. Before performing “Like the Movies,” Laufey set the tone with the melody of “Misty,” a jazz standard that I love. I was, however, faked out and surprised, as she immediately began singing “Like the Movies” after a dramatic pause. The crowd was caught off-guard as well, screaming before singing along. Her smooth, sultry voice imitated the sound of a cello, yet the staccato chords kept the energy playful. Unfortunately, a trumpeter was not present, but Laufey surprised everyone with a piano solo.

However, Laufey took a departure from modernism a few months following her first EP with her release of “Let You Break My Heart Again.” Although she continued to use extended chords and the typical ii-V-I jazz progression, an orchestra backed Laufey as she hopefully crooned for reciprocated love. Hearing a stripped-down version of this single live felt more intimate than the recorded track, as Laufey played with each phrase in a Billie Holiday manner, adding length and shortening phrases. Each chorus was sung with a heavy, wailing vibrato, discussing her desire to live a domestic life with another, even at the cost of her own heart. Rather than a full orchestra, a string quartet accompanied this track. Despite having less of a rhythm section, I felt that I had received more. Every improvisation felt personalized and further expressed the hurt one experiences during bouts of unrequited love.

Following the release of “Let You Break My Heart Again,” Laufey gained viral fame through the use of the single in TikToks and edits. Her follow-up single released in February 2022, “Valentine,” followed this same path and further grew her audience. In August of the same year, she struck hearts again with her debut album, Everything I Know About Love (2022). Laufey followed the same vocal and instrumental trend in “Let You Break My Heart Again,” choosing melodies in her Disney princess-like head voice and orchestration.

The opening track, “Fragile,” sets the tone for the album with its confessional lyrics and dreamy harmonies. When performed live, “Fragile” sounds just as beautiful as it does on the record. The only difference was in instrumentation, where Laufey chose to play an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one.Two tracks stand out against the Ella Fitzgerald-inspired ballads – the title track and “Above the Chinese Restaurant,” both taking a soft rock ballad approach. Specifically, the title track seems to take rhythmic inspiration from Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets.” The one bossa nova tune off the record, “Falling Behind,” became a sleeper hit, seemingly gaining popularity after the release of her biggest single yet, “From the Start,” the first song from her newest album, Bewitched (2023).

“From the Start” is, at its core, a true bossa nova tune both instrumentally and lyrically. The acoustic guitar leads with a syncopated rhythm, while the piano sits back and adds embellishments. The orchestration in the second chorus and outro reminded me of Sérgio Mendes’ work, specifically his arrangement of “So Many Stars,” which also features melancholic lyrics over a bright, airy, and deceivingly optimistic backing track. Hearing this song live showed its impact. As soon as the first chord rang, the crowd let out a monstrous yet excitable roar – no lyric was left unsung by the audience. Although lyrically full of yearning, Laufey’s bouncy dynamics and short phrasing added a contrast in energy. In true Laufey fashion, she invited her twin sister, Junia, to play a violin solo on the scat section of her most popular piece. With a warm tone and balanced vibrato, Junia shined centerstage, while Laufey danced and interacted with the audience, waving and picking up gifts. During the outro, the two shared the center. Laufey altered the last verse, leaving us with “San Francisco, I’ve loved you from the start.” I hope she knows that this sentiment will always be requited.

The Grammy-winning album, Bewitched (2023), is a culmination of all the sounds Laufey experimented with on her past releases. “Lovesick” and “While You Were Sleeping” carry on the torch for Everything I Know About Love’s “Above the Chinese Restaurant.” All three tracks heavily depend on the acoustic guitar and light, airy strings to invoke nostalgia in the listener and are not as rhythmically complex.

The live performance of “Lovesick” was magical both visually and sonically. During the chorus, soft amber lights would flash, heavily emphasizing the line “When gold rays fell on your skin.”Unlike the recorded version, Laufey treated us with her chest voice throughout the chorus until the last two lines. Heavy orchestration and classical techniques are found in “California and Me,” as well as “Nocturne,” a completely instrumental track. “Promise” feels like another follow-up to “Let You Break My Heart Again” instrumentally, however, Laufey unleashes her belty range last heard on Typical of Me on the bridge.

Most recently, Laufey announced a deluxe edition of Bewitched, featuring her single “Goddess,” along with three new tracks. Before performing the power ballad, Laufey described “Goddess” as her “most vulnerable song yet.” Although the track instrumentally follows the same formula as “Promise” – a piano-heavy ballad with an orchestra trickled in, Laufey’s vocals have never sounded so strong. While mostly in her light, airy head voice on the record, she opted to stay in her chest voice live, showing a mastery of support. This full, brassy sound continues to replay in my head, and I hope to hear it again in her future work. Laufey may not be a goddess, but her dedication to her craft and talent surely makes her shine like one.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and as a special treat for San Francisco, Laufey covered Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” This was the most intimate moment of the night. She covered this song using just her voice and the piano sat on a platform, without any support from her band. Her key of choice left her in the smoky contralto range, only reaching her delicate falsetto on the chorus. This farewell eased my sadness about the show being over, and I’m looking forward to the day Laufey comes back to the city, where our love and “golden sun will shine” for her.

Article by Ivonne Liang
Photos by Ashley Mauldin