Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir/ 林冰 (pronounced “lay-vay”) released her Bewitched album on September 8, 2023, placing No. 23 on the Billboard 200 albums chart upon release. The 14 songs from her set accumulated an estimated 22.36 million streams, and continues to be her most popular album. Not only this, but the album has taken the position of the largest debut week for a jazz album in two years. It’s safe to say that Bewitched will continue to be Laufey’s most popular album to date.
Laufey, born April 23, 1999 in Reykjavík, Iceland has always had a passion for music, as her mother Lin Yaoji was a violin instructor in China. She spent a large portion of her childhood moving between Reykjavík and Washington D.C., absorbing and admiring music as she went. Laufey began to learn how to play the violin when she was 4 years old, before learning the cello at age 8. Going forward, Laufey then graduated from the Reykjavík College of Music in 2018, spending two years studying vocals. It’s safe to say that Laufey has always had music as a part of her life, and it can be said that this lifelong passion is what makes her music so fresh to listen to. Many of Laufey’s listeners- or, Lauvers, as she likes to call them- can connect over the reliability of her music and, especially, her incredible lyrics.
Even for her older songs and her debut album Everything I Know About Love, fans worldwide have a deep-felt appreciation for her music and the feeling it evokes within them. In an interview with Hannah Jackson on TheCUT, Laufey states that her new album Bewitched was intended to be a more “mature” album, as compared to Everything I Know About Love which was more “cheeky and innocent”. What stands out most about Laufey’s sophomore album is the lack of modern influence in the instrumental itself, which is different from most other albums as of late. Each of her songs’ instrumentals are recorded live, as Laufey has stated she wanted to be the most involved as possible with her dream project. Many of her songs on Bewitched are dealing with the feeling of being in love, dwelling heavily on the ups and downs, making the entire album a rollercoaster of emotions. On one end of the spectrum, there’s the enchanting feeling that comes with being in love, as expressed by her songs Bewitched, Lovesick, and From The Start– with From The Start being Laufey’s most popular song to date. However, on the other hand, Bewitched features songs that show the dark, painful feeling of love and all that can come with it, such as Promise, and Second Best.
Overall, Bewitched is a wonderful album that resonates personally with its listeners- especially due to the versatility of it. Laufey herself stated her album is about love; whether it’s a romantic or platonic love, it’s all about love. Despite her songs typically using male love interests, Lauvers (Laufey fans, as she calls them) are not restricted to any gender demographic- her music is enjoyed by people of all genders, races, and sexualities. If you’re a hopeless romantic, or maybe just in search of a new jazz-pop singer, Laufey is definitely an option to look into!
Stream Laufey’s new album Bewitched here today! (also available on Spotify & Apple music)
