Laufey is a fairly new singer/songwriter, starting her music career only two years ago. Her growing fan base is filled with excitement as they witnessed the success of the rising artist’s newly released album. 

“Bewitched” was released on Sept. 8 with 14 songs and a running time of 48 minutes, including “California and Me” featuring the Philharmonia Orchestra. Laufey released the first single from her album “From the Start ” on May 11. This song soon gained popularity and made its way to millions of streams leaving people thrilled to see what she was planning next. 

Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir is Icelandic-Chinese, she currently lives in Los Angeles but was born and raised in Iceland. Growing up she was surrounded by music, her mother was a classical violinist and her grandfather was a professor who taught violin, this definitely had an influence on Laufey and her musical style. The 24-year-old’s style of music is a combination of jazz-pop, bedroom pop and modern jazz. In an interview with Forbes, she explains where she receives inspiration for her music. 

 “I started writing more like Bossa Nova style songs after moving to LA,” said Laufey in a Forbes Q&A.  “I always strive to make timeless, almost a bit cinematic music, because I guess I was looking for an escape and I found that through music.” 

The genre of jazz can sometimes feel old fashioned or exclusive to older audiences. Although a lot of her songs are inspired by older jazz traditions, she includes modern lyrics to appeal to her younger audience. By doing this, she revived jazz and made it possible to interest all of her listeners.  Laufey finds importance in keeping the genre alive in both young and old generations. 

“My hope is that an older audience finds a sound in my music that reminds them of when they were younger. And my hope for a younger audience is that it’s introducing something new, but then also something that can just bring audiences together,” said Laufey in an interview with National Public Radio. 

After listening to the entire album, my personal favorite song is “Must Be Love.” I feel as if her songwriting gives the music a magical feel and the instruments truly allow you to be lost in her words. One lyric in the song says, “Friends asking me where I’ve been hiding. I’m losing hours in your eyes lost in your wonderland, I hope I’m never found.” This explains how love can somehow slow down time and can change the way you perceive life when you’re with that one person. This part of the verse shows her giving in to these deep emotions she’s feeling and how everything around her is now irrelevant. Throughout the album, you will find Laufey’s strong sense of intensity and passion through her meaningful lyrics.

“Bewitched to me is just the state of like being in love, but not in the way that it’s so straightforward,” Laufey said. “More like you’re under some sort of spell where you almost can’t make sense of what exactly is happening.”

Each of Laufey’s songs shows her raw emotions and feelings. I find it deeply admirable that she can create something for herself and her listeners that is so relatable and comforting. The lyricism within all of Laufey’s tracks paints a vivid picture of the concept of love and heartbreak, as well as how it feels to experience all these complicated emotions when you’re still young and in the process of trying to understand it all.