Laufey has released two Christmas tracks to celebrate the festive period, as well as her debut concert film A Night At The Symphony: The Hollywood Bowl directed by Sam Wrench. Here, Music Week talks to the Icelandic-Chinese star to reflect on a monumental year which took in a Grammy win, global tours and critical acclaim worldwide...
To say that 2024 was a big year for jazz star Laufey, would be more than an understatement.
After releasing her acclaimed sophomore album Bewitched back in September 2023 (which went to No.13 in the UK and No.2 globally on Spotify, in turn setting the record for the biggest Jazz debut in Spotify history), the star went on to be awarded a Grammy for the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in February this year. The record has so far racked up over 50,000 sales, according to Official Charts Company data.
In May, meanwhile, Bewitched The Goddess Edition was released and the singer-songwriter embarked on her tour across the world, taking in dates at Radio City Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.
And she is not done yet.
Laufey is finishing the year with not one, but rather two excellent new Christmas tracks – her Amazon Original Christmas Magic featuring in the Amazon MGM Studios’ film Red One, as well as her own cover of the iconic festive hit Santa Baby.
This week also marks the release of Laufey’s debut concert film A Night At The Symphony: The Hollywood Bowl. Directed by Sam Wrench – the creative force behind Taylor Swift’s documentary and concert film The Eras Tour – the film follows Laufey throughout her live performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, from moments backstage to the monumental gig itself. Alongside the film, the musician also surprise-released the companion concert film soundtrack.
And 2025 looks to get even bigger, according to her label's SVP, AWAL's Sam Potts.
“It’s been a privilege to partner with Laufey since her debut album Everything I Know About Love back in 2022, this is a true global artist development story in the making,” he says. “2024 in particular has been an outstanding year seeing her pick up a Grammy Award, sell out The Royal Albert Hall and surpass three billion streams while defying convention and reframing jazz for a young audience. This Christmas chart run and promo trip sets her up perfectly for UK stardom in 2025.”
Here, to celebrate her success and reflect on her journey so far, Music Week meets up with the star to talk about what Christmas music means to her, the state of jazz in the UK music industry and following in the footsteps of Ella Fitzgerald…
Congratulations on the release of your concert film A Night At The Symphony: The Hollywood Bowl! How do you look at that experience in the context of your career so far?
“I feel entirely unworthy in a way! I just can’t believe I get to do that. It’s not something you might typically see artists at my size be doing, which I think is the unique angle that this concert film brings. It’s not at the tail end of a long tour or anything like that, this is a one off concert and it’s documenting me in this earlier stage of my career, which the film really highlights. I feel very lucky, and I’m so excited that I’ll have this forever.”
On the day of the show, did you work closely with Sam Wrench and the filming team, or were you more focused on the concert itself?
“For me, my focus was giving the audience the best performance possible. I couldn’t possibly think too far ahead during it, because I knew deep inside that if something went so awfully wrong, we could make a film out of something else! But I had to do the audience justice, so I focused on that, and the camera was capturing my performance, my feelings around it, and the moments before I went on stage in a very vulnerable way.”
The Hollywood Bowl is an iconic venue where legends have been performing for years, from the Beatles to Ella Fitzgerald to Adele. How did it feel being there on the stage?
“I was a little bit nervous, because it was the biggest concert I’ve played so far, and I really felt the gravity of that. I had this photo of Ella Fitzgerald in my dressing room and she is by far my favourite artist ever, she’s the reason I am a singer. I’ve had this record of her performing at the Hollywood Bowl forever, so I always had this dream of doing the same thing but didn’t know it could become a reality! There’s also the whole thing of, I will never have my ‘first performance at the Hollywood Bowl’ again, I will never feel the feeling of that jump quite like that again! So I really felt the importance of that.”
You have just released your two Christmas tracks, Amazon Music’s Christmas Magic and Santa Baby. How did they initially come to life?
“Amazon approached me about doing a song for this movie, Red One, and we watched a little reel for it. The film has this Icelandic witch in it who is played by my friend, Kiernan Shipka, so it all felt quite serendipitous! So, they came to us wanting a song which was reminiscent of this older Christmas music style that felt nostalgic and magical, which is great, because that is literally the only thing I know how to do [laughs]. So I started it in January with Spencer [Stewart], my producer. However, it was January, and I didn’t know what to write about because it had only just been Christmas. But Spencer has these two baby daughters – the younger one was still in the womb when we were writing it! – and I just thought, ‘You know what, I need to teach your unborn baby daughter about the magic of Christmas…’ So I wrote a list of all the things I loved about Christmas growing up, the things I find funny and lovely about it, and that’s how the song came about. We were so lucky to be able to record it with a big band and orchestra.”
And what was the inspiration behind your version of Santa Baby?
“I have this Christmas EP, A Very Laufey Holiday, which I add to every year, and because Christmas Magic was exclusive to Amazon Music, I thought that I might as well have a fun cover so I could still add something to the EP. Christmas is a time of year where I really go into my old favourites and try to reimagine them in a fun way, so I thought Santa Baby was a fun one, it’s quirky, I think oftentimes it’s painted as this sexy song, or even a little creepy, but I wanted to make it really bratty and cute! Our generation is very sarcastic, there is a hunger for honest and humorous songs, so I just felt like this was the perfect song for that. Then I wanted to put together a music video which incorporates all these Golden age elements of film, building a world which is reminiscent of films like White Christmas, with a ballerina and a narrator. Somehow it then all came together beautifully! Christmas really is when I come alive.”
This year has been the most incredible ride, I crossed off things that weren't even on my bucket list because I didn't think they were possible!
Laufey
How did you get Bill Murray involved in the music video?
“I actually met Bill when he was playing a concert in Iceland when I was in high school years ago. One of the musicians who was playing with him is friends with my mum, and so I got to meet him there. It’s the most random thing ever, it was three years away from me putting out music at that point – I was a classical cellist! – but I spent a day with him basically being a bit of a tour guide! Then years pass, I go to University, graduate, start putting out music, gain this career I never thought I’d have, until one night I was at an Oscar’s party around two years ago in LA, and again, it was the most insane coincidence, and we saw each other. I looked so different but I was like, ‘Hi, do you remember me…?’ and he did! So when it came to doing this, I just texted him and asked if he’d want to be a part of it, but obviously he’s a busy guy so there was no pressure. But he is such a voice for Christmas, and the most incredible storyteller, and it was perfect. We spent the day together, hung out, spoke about being creatives, and it was just lovely. Bill is truly the kind of person who just signs onto projects that he cares about so it was one of the best co-signs I could’ve gotten. I felt very honoured.”
You’ve had an incredible year – winning a Grammy, touring globally, being named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and recently being announced as Variety's Crossover Artist Of The Year. Now that we’re nearing 2025, how do you look back on it all?
“This year has been the most incredible ride. Everything on my bucket list I crossed off, I crossed off things that weren’t even on it because I didn’t think they were possible! I never had ‘Win a Grammy’ on my bucket list, I just had, ‘Nominated for a Grammy’, because I genuinely thought I would never win and it felt like too much to even expect it. It’s been incredible, I've travelled the world, I went to Asia twice, Europe, I played five concerts in London across three different trips and I did the USA often too. It’s been absurd!”
Have there ever been any overwhelming moments?
“Definitely, it’s been incredible but also the most difficult year for me as well. Every single day is a bit of a game between, ‘Am I going to wake up with a lot of self confidence or very small and insecure?’ To get on stage to perform or to receive an award, or even to make an album, you need to have confidence. But at the same time you need to keep yourself grounded, not expect too much of the world and stay as true to who you were before. I think one of the greatest challenges, for any artist is learning to balance being humble and feeling confident. Because you can’t only be humble. That is something I’ve struggled with this year; I have a Chinese mother, so being humble and expecting the least is the thing that is always taught through Chinese practice. But then if you do that, it’s difficult to get on these stages and perform in front of thousands of people, so it’s all about learning to ride that wave, everyday is a rollercoaster. Then there’s the extra layer of also feeling like, ‘I’m so lucky, why am I having difficulty with anything? I shouldn’t be!’ But this year, I’ve needed to learn to forgive myself a little bit.”
You’ve spoken about how your goal is to bring jazz and classical music to your generation and make it more accessible for your audiences. With that in mind, do you think there is a stigma around the genres across the industry at large? And what can the business be doing more of to support the genres?
“Jazz and classical music are both genres that are often to be looked at like museum artefacts. It’s important that they stay alive and that there are people preserving them, because they are a piece of our history. But then, like all art, we need to feel the freedom to be able to take from them, develop them and be inspired by them. That’s where things can get a little tricky when it comes to jazz and classical, because there is a question about how we preserve something, while allowing artists to create from it. With that in mind, I definitely think there’s a stigma around jazz and classical music because I think they’re both considered quite stuffy and snobby by many, because they’re so protected by those who love the art form so much. Jazz and classical snobs, many of whom have spoken about my music in a negative light, are just speaking out because of their love for the music, I can see where they’re coming from, I’ve been that person!
“But it’s interesting, I don’t know if there’s a solution to it necessarily. I love jazz and classical music, I've studied it. I really hope it becomes something more people can consume. I think there’s a misunderstanding that you have to have this incredible knowledge about the composer or performer or history of the music to enjoy it, but even if it’s important that artists know where things come from, I don’t think it’s necessarily important for the audiences to. That’s why it’s so important to me to perform with orchestras, and do jazz, I want to allow access to hearing that sound, especially as it’s not accessible to everybody.”
Finally, how have you found life on AWAL so far? And what are you most excited about coming up next?
“Yes! It’s great, I’m working with AWAL on this next album and I’m just so pleased to be independent. They give me so much freedom to be exactly who I am and it’s really rewarding that they’ve given me that from the very beginning, I place a lot of value on that. And for now, I’m very happy, and working on this new album…!”
