Laufey enchants the Ryman with jazz-pop and a cover of 'The Tennessee Waltz'
Jazz-pop singer Laufey chose to spend her 25th birthday performing to a sold-out crowd at the Ryman Auditorium. The Icelandic singer-songwriter, whose smooth, soothing voice filled the auditorium for a 90-minute show Monday evening, called it the "best birthday ever."
Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, known to her fans as Laufey, isknown for songs "From the Start" and "Let You Break My Heart Again."
Fresh off her first Grammy win for Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2024 awards, Laufey brought her Goddess Tour to Nashville, promoting her 2023 album "Bewitched" and 2024 single "Goddess."
Fans may also recognize Laufey from hitting the stage with Billy Joel for the closing number at the 66th annual Grammy Awards show, "Turn the Lights Back On."
Laufey is known for genre-bending, combining the sounds of classic jazz with upbeat pop, the relaxed Brazilian samba style of bossa nova and traditional crooning. Her sound is unlike any other in the current pop music scene.
She's a classically trained cellist who also plays piano and guitar. Laufey's classical training carries over to the control and precision she has over her voice, too.
Her crooner style draws from artists like Frank Sinatra and classic jazz musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Many critics credit Laufey as bringing jazz music to Gen Z, keeping alive a genre in decline for many young people today.
This sentiment is certainly true of her Ryman crowd on Monday night.
The Mother Church was full of teenage girls, many of whom were sporting white dresses and bows in their hair as if there was an unspoken uniform for the evening's show.
Before Laufey took the stage, pop band Wasia Project, comprised of William Gao and Olivia Hardy, opened the show. They are known for hits "ur so pretty" and "Petals on the Moon."
Then, as the audience went wild, Laufey waltzed out onto the stage.
She wore a flowing pink lacy dress and white shoes, entering with song "While You Were Sleeping" as she bent down and touched fans' hands.
Laufey delivered a compelling and tight show. Every beat, every note, every hand movement was seemingly planned and executed to perfection. Timing was everything.
She was joined onstage by a string quartet, a guitarist, bassist, keyboard player and drummer. Their jazzy ballads were adeptly rehearsed; in some songs the band would come in quickly for a chorus or bridge, in others they would remain quietly in the background, letting Laufey shine.
Some interludes included upright bass runs and keyboard nocturnes. Laufey's band was equally as precise and masterful as she was on stage.
The hour and a half show saw Laufey cycle through her hits, including "Falling Behind," "Valentine," "Promise" and "Goddess," as fans sang along. She performed as blue and purple lights shined in the background and twinkling gold stars danced behind her.
Laufey's charming stage presence and powerful, yet gentle, vibrato-filled voice was bewitching.
Here are some of the evening's top moments.
Laufey duets with Colbie Caillat on song 'Bubbly'
Laufey told the Ryman crowd that one of her favorite musicians lives in Nashville. "I adored her growing up," Laufey said.
And then she welcomed Colbie Caillat to the stage.
The 38-year-old singer-songwriter duetted with Laufey on Caillat's hit song "Bubbly." Caillat played the acoustic guitar and took the first verse. Laufey took the second. The two stood simply at two mics center stage, harmonizing at the end of the tune.
The duo sang the lyrics, "It starts in my toes, and I crinkle my nose / Wherever it goes, I always know / That you make me smile, please stay for a while now / Just take your time, wherever you go."
Caillat told the crowd it was a pleasure to watch Laufey perform onstage and wished her a happy birthday.
"Thank you. This was so special," Laufey said to Caillat, blowing her a kiss.
The Ryman crowd sings 'Happy Birthday' to Laufey
Toward the end of the show, Laufey's identical twin — and violinist — Junia Lin walked onto the Ryman stage with balloons and cupcakes.
The whole auditorium joined in singing "Happy Birthday" to the two musicians for a touching moment.
Laufey and Junia together performed Laufey's biggest hit, "From the Start." Amid purple lights and twinkling gold stars, Laufey sang and Junia played a violin solo mid-song.
Laufey delivers heartfelt speech before 'Letter to My 13 Year Old Self'
After returning to the stage for her encore, Laufey showed some vulnerability with the crowd. She told them that, on her birthday, she had been reflecting. She wrote the song "Letter to My 13 Year Old Self" in a similar state of reflection.
"24 was truly the craziest year of my life. ... Getting to know all of you, getting to play the Ryman, all of those things are just so beyond me," Laufey said.
"I grew up feeling so different in my community. I am half Chinese and I grew up partially in the States and I just felt very, very different. I had this dream of becoming a singer and I didn't know if it was possible or not," she said. "Somehow, it's possible because of you all."
In her song, she lists a lot of attributes her younger self considered flaws, she said, and those same traits are what got her where she is today — a Grammy winner on a sold-out tour.
"So, with this song I both want to give my younger self a little hug, but I also want to encourage all of you to chase your dreams," Laufey said. "I know there are a lot of musicians out there. Don't give up."
With that, she delivered a simple performance of "Letter to My 13 Year Old Self," crooning as she gently picked her electric guitar.
She sang: "I'm so sorry that they pick you last / Try to say your foreign name and laugh."
Later, she warbled: "One day, you'll be up on stage / Little girls will scream your name."
Hearing that line, the girls in the audience did, in fact, scream her name.
The string quartet joined in for the rest of the song, adding a cinematic, tender feel to the reflective song. Laufey, though singing about her 13-year-old self, seemed like she was actually addressing the girls in her audience.
She sang, "Keep on going with your silly dream / Life is prettier than it may seem."
Laufey ends the night with 'The Tennessee Waltz' cover
At the end of her encore, Laufey told the crowd she had one last song in store for them.
"I actually love country music and playing at the Ryman has been a dream of mine for a long time," Laufey said. There was no better time or place for her to try her hand at an old country song.
Laufey performed a simple acoustic cover of "The Tennessee Waltz," a song popularized in Patti Page's 1950 recording.
Laufey sang: "I was dancing with my darling to the Tennessee Waltz / When an old friend I happened to see / I Introduced her to my loved one and while they were dancing / My friend stole my sweetheart from me."
And with that, Laufey told the Ryman she'd be back one day. Just as this year's Grammy won't be her last win, neither will this Ryman performance.
Laufey's Nashville Ryman Auditorium Setlist
"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"
"Bubbly, with Colbie Caillat"
"Fragile"
"Bewitched"
"Bored"
"Lovesick"
"From The Start"
"Letter to My 13 Year Old Self"
"The Tennessee Waltz" (Patti Page cover)
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Laufey enchants the Ryman with jazz-pop and duets with Colbie Caillat
