“This has been my dream venue forever,” says Laufey to the adoring crowd at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the pure awe in her glimmering eyes lit up by a single spotlight. “I can die tomorrow [and] I’d be really happy.” Performing at a venue as iconic as this one may be a bucket list moment for the Icelandic-Chinese musical maestro, but what everyone else here already knows is that this was simply an inevitability.
The multi-instrumentalist has spent the past four years introducing the world to her pioneering blend of jazz-pop that effortlessly spans generations. It’s this “beautiful middle ground”, as she shared in her NME Cover interview last year, that has landed her centre stage at one of the capital’s most prestigious venues so early on in her career. And it’s only the latest in a series of achievements that all point to Laufey’s continued upward trajectory; her second album ‘Bewitched’ earned her a Grammy award back in February, while this month’s Met Gala debut signalled the artist boldly taking her place in mainstream culture.
Tonight’s performance, though, is a celebration of the pure musical talent that got her here. The twinkling, woozy opening notes of ‘While You Were Sleeping’ lifts the entire room as Laufey flutters onto the stage draped in flowy white dress, practically on her tiptoes. Backed by an eight piece ensemble, every instrumental detail is elevated to cinematic heights – it really does feel like we’re witnessing a Hollywood starlet in her golden era. “Woah, I’m playing at the Royal Albert Hall,” the singer croaks in disbelief later in the set, as the gravity of the moment really hits her.
As Laufey drifts through tender moments like ‘Valentine’ and ‘Second Best’, the absorbed front row restrains themselves from belting every word, instead demurely cocking their heads and lowering their voices to a respectful whisper. She lifts the spell on ‘Falling Behind’, finally calling on the crowd to sing along before she trades her guitar for the cello (‘Beautiful Stranger’,‘I Wish You Love’) followed by the piano (‘Promise’) without even breaking a sweat.
But it’s Laufey’s powerhouse pipes on ‘Goddess’ that makes for the showstopper moment, which sends roaring cheers high up into the dome’s rafters. Fan favourite ‘Bewitched’ prompts fans to light up the room with a sea of starry phone lights, before Laufey introduces her identical twin sister Junia to play violin on her viral bossa nova-inspired hit ‘From The Start’.
There are moments tonight when it feels like we’ve been transported into the past. Except Laufey’s music isn’t from a bygone era – she’s the future of modern jazz, pushing the genre forward while fiercely protecting it. “I had these big dreams of becoming a singer, and I didn’t think it was possible,” she tells the crowd in a vulnerable moment before ‘Letter To My 13 Year Old Self’. If only younger Laufey could see her now.
Laufey played:
‘While You Were Sleeping’
‘Valentine’
‘Second Best’
‘Dreamer’
‘Falling Behind’
‘Beautiful Stranger’
‘I Wish You Love’
‘Promise’
‘Like The Movies’
‘Nocturne (Interlude)’
‘Let You Break My Heart Again’
‘California And Me’
‘Goddess’
‘Fragile’
‘Bewitched’
‘Bored’
‘Lovesick’
‘From The Start’
‘Letter To My 13 Year Old Self’
‘It Could Happen To You’
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