Laufey

Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir (; ; born 23 April 1999), known mononymously as Laufey , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her musical style blends genres such as jazz pop and classical music. Laufey began performing as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at age 15. She then emerged as a finalist in the 2014 edition of Ísland Got Talent (Iceland's Got Talent) and a semifinalist on The Voice Iceland in 2015. She started releasing music in 2020.

In 2021, Laufey released her debut EP, Typical of Me, and graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2022, she released her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, which appeared in multiple Icelandic and United States charts. Her second album, Bewitched (2023), won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024) and produced the hit single "From the Start". Her third and latest album, A Matter of Time, was released on 22 August 2025. It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Early life and education Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir was born on 23 April 1999 in Reykjavík, Iceland. Her father is from Iceland and her mother is from Guangzhou, China. Her mother is a classical violinist and is the daughter of Lin Yaoji, a violin educator at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, which Laufey credits as inspiring her love of music. She has an identical twin sister, Júnía Lín Hua Jónsdóttir (; ), who is a violinist and serves as her creative director.

She and her family lived in Washington, D.C., for two years and then moved back to Reykjavík in 2008, where she studied at Álftamýrarskóli. Laufey started learning the piano at age four and the cello at age eight. She grew up doing ballet and figure skating. Laufey speaks Icelandic, English, and Mandarin Chinese, which was the first language she learned. She also learned to read Danish after studying it for seven years. She spent her childhood moving between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C., as well as visiting Beijing.

At age 15, Laufey performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. There, she studied cello with Mike Block and graduated in 2021. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2021, she began pursuing a professional music career. , she resides in Los Angeles.

Career 2020–2022: Early career

On 6 April 2020, Laufey released her debut single, "Street by Street", which charted at number one on Icelandic Radio.

Laufey made her US network television debut in 2022, appearing as the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 21 January; she played her song "Like the Movies" from Typical of Me. Her debut album, Everything I Know About Love, was released on 26 August 2022 via AWAL to critical acclaim. On Billboards Alternative New Artist Album chart, the album peaked at number one on its debut.

2023–present: Bewitched and A Matter of Time

In August 2023, it was announced that Laufey had signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM). A week before the release, she leaked the sheet music for fans to be able to pre-save the album. It was met with critical acclaim and garnered Laufey's first Grammy Award, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, where she performed with Billy Joel on his closing number, "Turn the Lights Back On". Laufey went on a year-long world tour to support the album. On 6 March 2024, she reissued the album as Bewitched: The Goddess Edition, which was preceded by the single "Goddess".

She announced her third album in 2025 with the release of its first single "Silver Lining" on 3 April. Laufey later revealed the album's name, A Matter of Time. She later released the second single, "Tough Luck", on 15 May 2025. On 25 June 2025, she teased and released her third and most popular single from the album, "Lover Girl", accompanied by a video. The video for "Snow White" was released on 7 August, with the song serving as a fourth single and buildup for the album's release.

The album was then released on 22 August 2025. After its release, Laufey later started her A Matter of Time Tour, with her first concert at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida on 15 September 2025. In September 2025, Laufey was announced as a performer at Coachella 2026, her second performance at the annual festival.

In February 2026, Laufey left talent agency Wasserman; no reason was given publicly, although The Hollywood Reporter noted then-recent controversy over founder Casey Wasserman's name being discovered in the Epstein files. That month, she announced an extended version of her latest album, titled A Matter of Time: The Final Hour, and its lead single "How I Get". To promote the deluxe release on 15 April, Laufey was announced as the headliner for Season 14 of Fortnite Festival with in-game cosmetics and selected songs being added to the game. A concert experience, Laufey: The Final Hour was also published in Fortnite featuring "Madwoman", "Lover Girl", and "Too Little Too Late". In July 2026, it was announced that Laufey had signed with United Talent Agency.

Public image Influences and music style

Laufey was influenced by classical music, including Frédéric Chopin, and played it from an early age, but turned to her father's records of jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to develop her musical style. with Katie Hawthorne of The Guardian describing her voice as "unusual" and "honeyed". In a 2023 article, music journalist Michael Dwyer of The Sydney Morning Herald called Laufey a "TikTok jazz ambassador". Organisations such as Billboard and National Public Radio opined that Laufey created a blueprint for the success of jazz in the music industry today, helping push the genre back into the mainstream.

Her second album, Bewitched, received critical praise for its composition and her take on jazz. The album received a score of 83 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews. For Grammys.com, Morgan Enos wrote that Bewitched success shows Laufey has left "jazz neophytes spellbound".

She was named one of Time's Women of the Year for 2025. She also made it to the Madame Tussauds Hot 100 list for 2025. In January 2026, she was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland for her contribution to music.

Fashion

Laufey's style has been viewed as an extension of her music, harkening back to the time periods that influenced her music most through embracing romantic, classically feminine and vintage-inspired garments. It mixes elements such as bows, lace, ruffles, pastel colors, and bright metallic elements. Her aesthetic has been dubbed Laufeycore, described by Teen Vogue as "hyperfeminine, ethereal style". On stage, she frequently wears voluminous, vintage-inspired dresses with Repetto Mary Jane heels or ballet flats. The South China Morning Post has called her fashion style an "extension to her music", with her stage attire being said to fit the venue's atmosphere. Laufey described her own looks as "a mix of French and Scandinavian style".

In September 2025, Laufey collaborated with the American clothing retailer Everlane for its "Laufey in Everland" campaign, marking the brand's first talent-led fashion campaign.

Works Discography

Studio albums Everything I Know About Love (2022) Bewitched (2023) A Matter of Time (2025)