Review, Laufey at Thalia Hall
Written by Luke Fosdick
Photography by Luke Fosdick
Just as its name might suggest, Icelandic jazz-pop sensation Laufey’s latest genre-defying tour left me feeling simply bewitched.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Laufey Lin Jónsdóttir (who goes by the musical mononym Laufey) is a half-Chinese and half-Icelandic singer/songwriter rapidly garnering a reputation for releasing melancholic love songs that delicately fuse jazz, pop and classical influences to leave listeners teary-eyed. Known for her dreamy aesthetics, symphonic orchestra collaborations and smash-hit singles like “From The Start,” the singer is currently on tour showcasing her sophomore album Bewitched — I was lucky enough to see her sold-out performance at Thalia Hall on Oct. 22.
Assuming that many of her most dedicated fans would show up to the show well before doors opened at 6:30 p.m., I decided to arrive around 4:00 p.m. to safely avoid the crowd — only to be met with a sprawling line that wrapped around the block! The sea of plaid skirts, chunky cardigans, and Doc Martens willing to wait hours in dreary weather in hopes of a coveted “barricade spot” served as a testament to the remarkable devotion of Laufey’s fanbase.
Once we finally filed into Thalia’s historic main hall, we were first serenaded by the tour-long opener, indie triumph Adam Melchor. Opening with a soulful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Melchor immediately set the tone for the night with an expansive vocal register and sentimental timbre that left fans momentarily wondering if perhaps he was the main act. Between deeply personal songs from his latest EP Fruitland, Melchor shared anecdotes from fizzled-out relationships and his complex childhood, preferring an authentic connection with the audience over an expansive setlist.
Highlights from Melchor’s set included “Moon in the Morning,” an acoustic anthem detailing the challenge of secretly dating a married partner, and “itsjustmyheart,” a wistful heartbreak ballad accompanied by a hilarious backstory. After ending with “Real Estate” — his most popular song, currently sitting at more than 44 million streams on Spotify — Melchor took a humble bow and soaked in the applause of an audience who would surely be listening to his music on car rides home that night.
In the short interim between acts, a noticeable buzz filled the hall as a collective excitement grew; eventually, the lights dimmed, gentle strings echoed, and cheers filled the hall as Laufey took the stage. Beginning with the whimsical yet sultry “Fragile” — a single from her freshman album, Everything I Know About Love — she instantly enamored the audience, leading to shouts of “I love you!” as soon as she strummed the song’s final chord.
Over the course of the next 18 songs, Laufey proved that her time studying at Berklee College of Music was well spent as she seamlessly wandered between guitar, cello and piano, never settling in one mood for too long.
“Dreamer” — the cheeky opening track from Bewitched — was especially fun as she declared her independence from messy relationships, proudly proclaiming with a smile that no boy would ever kill her joy or optimism. Soon after, her classical background shone “Beautiful Stranger” as she played a quasi-improvised cello solo that left me — a cellist — in a trance.
No tour is complete without a backing band and stage setup, and Laufey’s were perfect supplements to her performance. Joined on stage by a string quartet, drummer, bassist, keyboardist and Adam Melchor singing backup, the concert was a joy to watch even during instrumental interludes and transitional moments. Additionally, the starry backdrop and carefully planned light show that illuminated the stage bolstered the already-magical mood.
At the true halfway point of the concert, Laufey once again took a seat at the piano to play “Nocturne (Interlude),” her first truly “classical” composition, explaining that it was a fun challenge to figure out how to fit such a unique song into the setlist before encouraging fans to explore their compositional interests. Ending the main set were “Lovesick,” an upbeat rock anthem, and the aforementioned “From The Start,” during which the crowd’s cheerful chant of “blah, blah, blah” proved to be the rowdiest moment of the night.
After briefly exiting the stage, she obliged the audience in their demands for an encore, this time singing without any of her supporting musicians. First was the all-too-relatable “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,” a pensive track directed at a teen version of Laufey herself, assuring her that she’d eventually grow confident and beautiful. Perhaps the most wholesome moment of the entire concert occurred as she sang “one day, you’ll be up on stage, little girls will scream your name” — and, indeed, the many in the audience shouted out “Laufey!” with tears in their eyes.
Finally, she explained that one of her favorite elements of live music is that it only exists in the moment it is being performed — an idea that motivated her to include a Taylor Swift-inspired “surprise song” at the end of each performance that would only be played once on the entire tour. In a fitting manner, we were comforted by a cover of a jazzy lullaby that left the room feeling perfectly content.
After hearing her live, it’s unsurprising that Bewitched earned the title of biggest jazz album debut in Spotify history when it was released in September, and there’s no doubt that this is only the beginning of an incredible, genre-defining career. I sincerely hope that I can see her perform live again in the near future, and if you have the chance, you should make every effort to see her as she undertakes the second leg of her tour — you’ll be left feeling delightfully spellbound.
