Laufey: Tiny Desk Concert

Ashley Pointer | December 13, 2023
"I grew up playing classical music and it's so special to get to play my songs almost in this chamber-like setting," Laufey says in her performance. Accompanied by a string quartet, the singer-songwriter's modern jazz-pop love songs soared at the Tiny Desk, the intimacy of our little corner only heightened its impact.

Laufey's music undeniably bridges the gap between jazz and younger, mainstream audiences coming to the genre. Her sophomore album, Bewitched, broke Spotify's all-time streaming record for a jazz debut ever in the platform's history and resulted in her first Grammy nomination. She opens the set with "From The Start," a bouncy, whimsical tune about unrequited love with a friend, connecting Chet Baker-like scats with charming and playful lyrics. Taking a more melancholic turn into 2021's "Let You Break My Heart Again" and "Promise," her velvety vocals rich with vulnerability dance elegantly with the strings, creating a symphony of emotions. Laufey concludes the set with "California and Me," which she explains was heavily influenced by her receiving her first baby grand and compositions by Liszt and Chopin. This mesmerizing performance is a captivating testament to the power of collaboration and music's ability to evoke raw, unfiltered emotion.

SET LIST
"From The Start"
"Let You Break My Heart Again"
"Promise"
"California and Me"

MUSICIANS
Laufey Jónsdóttir: piano, guitar, vocals
Sherri Zhang: violin
Josh Henderson: violin
Aria Cheregosha: viola
Ken Kubota: cello

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Ashley Pointer
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Audio Assistant: Neil Tevault
Production Assistant: Elle Mannion
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #laufey

[nprmusic]

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[GIOVANNAMARTINS-qdrh]

If I sang like this I would never shut up

[mikes]

Laufey is just so good. She even tweeted back in 2021 that she'd like to be on Tiny Desk someday. It's 2023 and she's achieved that. Bravo!

[bl]

Nearly 40 year old battle hardened Scotsman here and I cannot listen to this woman without goosebumps and tears in my eyes - she speaks to my heart and old soul. Reminds me of listening to old school music with my late Grandma. Never in the history of Grammys has one been so richly deserved. I want her to write a musical with Sara Bareilles and turn us all into weeping human goosebumps. What a talent ❤🥹😭

[desmondforever]

i can’t get over the second violinists focus face 🤣 the strings killed it!!

[johnyokoyama]

Playing a bossa rhythm while singing is so crazy she's so talented

[Oleg]

My god. Heard her today for the first time. I was in the library and came over "Let You Break My Heart Again". Ended up in sobbing, so I had to run to the toilet.

And for information, I’m a 6’4 metalhead covered in tattoos, bet It looked very weird 😂

She is amazing, and also really beautiful.

Love from a fellow scandinavian in Norway.

[jimmygoods]

First time listener. If they don’t cast Laufey as a Disney Princess and have her sing the songs, just shoot me dead

[fa]

The audacity of Laufey being cute even saying “BLAH BLAH BLAH” 🥰

[thefatal_f]

I can’t believe a laufey tiny desk finally exists 👏🏽👏🏽

[kiman]

God her voice just feels exactly like Christmas time sitting by the ripping fireplace and it’s snowing outside, and being with the ones you love.

[enavy]

MUSICIANS:
Laufey-Electric Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Aria Cheregosha -Viola
Josh Henderson -Violin
Ken James Kubota -Cello
Sherri Zhang -Violin

[ClaireUnderwoodMusic]

And she didn’t even need to whip out her cello to prove what an incredible musician she is! What a talent

[cgonz]

I can't think of a more "NPR" artist than Laufey. Perfect match.

[lequinntessential]

My god, she is good. She wields her voice so firmly; such impeccable control. Love the tone and timbre of her voice as well. She makes jazz accessible with pop and Bossa Nova influences, and she seems like such a sweet and enthusiastic individual.

[nicholasdyee]

Laufey's voice and songs are such a great fit for this intimate setting! Also shoutout to the string quartet (I see you Ken) 🤗

[bettsdn]

The fact that she can sing so perfectly with such a pure tone while accompanying herself is incredible.

[dennisquinn]

I’m 70, and grew up hearing music in a time when it was easy to find original songs, often written by the artists that sang them, that I found enjoyable in many ways:


Lyrics telling a relatable story

Melodies impossible to forget

Harmonies, rythyms, and music riffs that conveyed or sustained the emotion


Many such songs. Every year.


But for the last 30 or so years, few popular songs have been even close.


Hence when you tube recommended this new popular artists’ video to me, I couldn't have been more skeptical.


But I was pleasantly surprised.


Not only does Laufey sing and play as well many of those I remember, she can also write original songs that I find just as enjoyable as those written 60+ years ago.

[ImNotOld_ImVintage]

The audio engineer is a real hero to have captured this so perfectly that the rest of us could feel like we were in the room.

Edit: I saw in the credits that it was Josh Rogosin. Great job in capturing all of these acoustic instruments and balancing them perfectly with her voice. Absolutely beautiful 👏👏

[FinnBjerke]

Tiny Desk + Leufey + Strings = perfection.