Clearly I need to bone up, and fast. Laufey had somehow passed me by although in my defence the promotion of Icelandic artists tends to be comparatively low key at all levels.
We’ll treat her as an honorary Icelander as she is currently residing in Los Angeles.
Laufey Lín Bīng Jónsdóttir, to give her full name, is the child of a musical family, half Icelandic and half Chinese and trained on violin and cello at first and was influenced initially by classical musicians, notably Chopin, before turning to female jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to develop her musical style.
She is one of only four Icelandic artists to date to have won a Grammy, hers being for ‘Bewitched’, which won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards last year.
So, plenty to digest there.
‘Silver Lining’ is her first new original music since the Grammy award. I know of another song by that title, by Rilo Kiley and that mere connection gets me all excited.
If you’re expecting Chopin, forget it. If you’re anticipating Ella and Billie that’s another matter.
It is a love song about “how you can let your true self free when you fall in love. Your inner child emerges, and you are empowered by desire. Even if it takes you to hell, at least you are there with your partner.”
Hm. Interesting. The ‘silver lining’ suggests that indeed you are in hell. But what the hell! You’re in lurve.
As does the video here which, after a distinctly Twin Peaks themed musical opening, sees Laufey attending a magical masquerade ball surrounded by colourful characters and choreography inspired by The Sacrifice of Spring (the ‘sacrificial dance’ representing a key event where a young woman is chosen to dance to death as a spring ritual offering). But it’s a party that becomes a surreal nightmare.
This is getting heavy!
It’s all rather decadently sumptuous and I was half expecting to see a masked Tom Cruise barging his way in, pursued by an irate Nicole Kidman.
It doesn’t really need a video; the attraction is mainly in her voice, which mixes jazz and pop in a way you don’t often hear, and I’d like to see her on a small stage in a smoky club somewhere off Sunset Boulevard, just her and piano, bass and drums. Because that’s where songs like this belong.
In fact, if anything can save tourism to the USA under the present regime then it is this.
Find Laufey on:
Website: https://www.laufeymusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laufey/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/laufey
