Laufey
A Matter of Time
Her full name is Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir - pronounced Lay-vay - and she is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence in the early 2020s for her success as a jazz inspired pop artist. Ready for some serious cred - She was a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra when she was just 15! In 2014 she was a finalist on Iceland's Got Talent and a semi-finalist on Iceland's The Voice! She released her debut EP in 2021 while finding the time to graduate from The Berklee School of Music in Boston. She won a Grammy in 2024. And this year she was named one of Time Magazine's Women of the Year!
Wow.
I guess it was just "a matter of time" (oops ... sorry) before she became a world-renowned superstar with a concert at Vancouver's Rogers Arena October 2.
A Matter of Time kicks off with "Clockwork" (clever, right?) - a trad-jazz feel that completely astonishes with un-trad lyrics:
"He just called me, said he's running late
Like me, he probably had to regurgitate ..."
Trust me, it gets even better.
"Lover Girl" (as heard on The Wave) is a sweet and snappy ditty, combining elements of Broadway, jazz and pop in such a new and fresh vibe, one is left wondering - what new genre is this? I love it. Her voice is a little bit Ella, a little bit Billie and a little bit Taylor Swift - what a combo!
"Silver Lining" brings on the bluesy ballad beat of yester-year, while still being as current as can be. Want some Bossa - check out "Mr. Electric". How can you not love a song that rhymes poetic and pathetic?
This is one lush album, filled with orchestral interludes, lavish arrangements, surprising lyrics, a few dirty words and a voice that belies categorization. One minute she's a musical theatre actress, the next a singer of jazz standards, then a flitty pop star and even on occasion, a country crooner. There is no box for Laufey - she is redefining what it means to be super-talented, influenced by her big life and as young and unique as she chooses.
A Matter of Time is right on time, presenting to the world a rare and uncommon talent, making music on her own terms, in her own way. Laufey says, "It's about acknowledging that it's just a matter of time until you find out every single part of me."
Let's hope there are many more parts, more time, more songs and more albums. It is so extraordinary to find a twenty-something pop/jazz star with so much authenticity. No wonder she has taken the entire planet by storm.
Vickie van Dyke
Midday Host