Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, professionally known simply as Laufey, is an Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and multi-instrumentalist known for blending jazz, classical music and traditional pop into a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly modern. Born on April 23, 1999, in Reykjavík, Iceland, to an Icelandic father and a Chinese mother from Guangzhou, Laufey grew up alongside her identical twin sister, Júnía, in a family where music was deeply woven into everyday life. Her mother is a classical violinist, while her maternal grandfather, Lin Yaoji, was a renowned violin educator at China’s Central Conservatory of Music, giving Laufey a strong musical foundation from childhood. She began learning the piano at just four years old and took up the cello at eight, while her father introduced her to the jazz records of artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker. Her childhood was divided between Reykjavík and Washington, D.C., with regular visits to China, particularly Beijing, allowing her to grow up surrounded by Icelandic, Chinese and American influences. She also spent her younger years doing ballet and figure skating, although music gradually became the central part of her life. Laufey has spoken openly about feeling different while growing up in Iceland, particularly because of her mixed heritage, as the country was considerably less culturally diverse during her childhood. Having her identical twin sister, who is also a classically trained violinist, gave her a close companion who shared many of those experiences.
Four: Street by Street
At number four is “Street by Street,” Laufey’s debut single, released on April 6, 2020, while she was studying at Berklee College of Music, and the track would become the first official introduction to the distinctive blend of jazz, pop and intimate storytelling that would later define her music. Written when Laufey was 19, the song draws from her experience of navigating her first serious heartbreak, using familiar places around a city as a metaphor for reclaiming one’s independence. Following its release, “Street by Street” achieved an important early milestone by reaching number one on Icelandic radio, providing Laufey with her first notable commercial success and demonstrating that her nostalgic approach to jazz and pop could resonate with audiences beyond her immediate musical environment. Additionally, it has garnered over 60M streams on Spotify and over 2.2M views on its official audio on YouTube. The track later featured on her 2021 debut EP, Typical of Me, which received positive critical attention for its modern interpretation of jazz and traditional pop. Ultimately, “Street by Street” holds an important place in Laufey’s catalogue because it represents the beginning of her recorded career and provided an early demonstration of the songwriting, musicianship and jazz-inspired sound that would eventually establish her as one of the most prominent contemporary artists bringing jazz influences to a new generation of listeners.
FYI
- Laufey is multilingual, speaking Icelandic, English and Mandarin Chinese, and has described her multicultural upbringing as an important part of how she understands herself. Today, she is based in Los Angeles, while maintaining a strong connection to both her Icelandic roots and Chinese heritage.
Three: Falling Behind
“Falling Behind,” is one of Laufey’s most prominent early releases, which arrived on August 11, 2022, as a single from her debut studio album Everything I Know About Love. The song explores the familiar feeling of watching people around you fall in love while wondering why the same experience has not happened for you, with Laufey capturing the anxiety of getting older, comparing your romantic life with that of your friends and feeling as though everyone else is moving forward while you remain in the same place. Commercially, “Falling Behind” developed into one of Laufey’s biggest songs from her early catalogue, earning Platinum certification in the United States and Gold certifications in both Australia and New Zealand, while its growing popularity also helped establish it as a fan favourite during her live performances. Its streaming performance further demonstrates just how far the song has travelled since its release, with over 577M streams on Spotify and over 33M views on its official audio track on YouTube. “Falling Behind” represents an important stage in Laufey’s evolution because it transformed an intensely personal feeling into a widely relatable song, combining sophisticated jazz and bossa nova influences with contemporary songwriting and helping establish the emotional accessibility that would become one of the defining qualities of her music.
Two: Madwoman
Serving as her most recent song release is “Madwoman,” released on April 10, 2026, as the sixteenth track on A Matter of Time: The Final Hour, the deluxe edition of Laufey’s Grammy-winning third studio album, A Matter of Time, and the song continues her exploration of complicated relationships through a distinctly jazz-pop lens. “Madwoman” highlights the conflict between knowing that a relationship is unhealthy and still being drawn towards it, with Laufey portraying a narrator who recognizes the warning signs, understands the consequences and yet cannot resist returning to someone she knows is bad for her, making the song less about ignorance and more about the frustrating self-awareness that comes with wanting something you know you should leave behind. Commercially, “Madwoman” has already made an impression despite being a relatively new release, reaching number 15 on the UK Official Video Streaming Chart and number 14 on New Zealand’s Hot Singles chart, while garnering over 35M streams on Spotify and over 22M views on its official music video on YouTube. The song’s appeal was further strengthened by its visual presentation, with the official music video arriving on April 13 under the direction of Warren Fu and featuring Hudson Williams, Lola Tung, Megan Skiendiel of KATSEYE and Olympic figure-skating champion Alysa Liu. Beyond its visual appeal, the video also carries a personal significance for Laufey, who deliberately brought together Asian and Asian-American performers because she wanted to provide the representation she felt was missing while growing up, turning the project into both a visual interpretation of the song and a reflection of her own multicultural identity.
Awards/Nominations
- Laufey’s rise has been accompanied by a growing list of prestigious awards and nominations, reflecting both her impact in Iceland and her emergence as a major international artist.
- In 2024, she received multiple honours at the Icelandic Music Awards, including Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and Electronic Performer of the Year and Vocal Performance of the Year, while internationally, she earned nominations at the MTV Europe Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. The same year brought her biggest recognition yet when Bewitched won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Grammy Awards, giving Laufey her first Grammy.
- In 2025, she continued to receive international recognition, including the Billboard Gold Music Honor, before returning to the Grammys in 2026, where A Matter of Time won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, earning Laufey her second Grammy Award. That same year, she was also honoured with the Innovator Award at Billboard Women in Music and received Iceland’s Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Falcon, making her achievements extend beyond music into national recognition.
Overall, Laufey’s awards journey has progressed remarkably quickly, taking her from recognition in her home country to becoming a two-time Grammy winner and an internationally celebrated artist, further cementing her place as one of the leading young voices bringing jazz-inspired music to a new generation.
Discography
* Everything I Know About Love (2022)
* Bewitched (2023)
* A Matter of Time (2025)
* A Matter of Time: The Final Hour (2026)
One: From the Start
Introducing her biggest hit to date is “From the Start,” Laufey’s 2023 single from her critically acclaimed album Bewitched, released on May 10, 2023, and the song would go on to become the defining commercial breakthrough of her career. The production, created by Laufey and frequent collaborator Spencer Stewart, combines acoustic guitar, bass, percussion and Laufey’s understated vocals to create a warm, retro-inspired sound. Although the song was already gaining attention after its release, its popularity accelerated dramatically through social media, particularly TikTok, where its catchy chorus and distinctive bossa nova rhythm introduced Laufey’s music to an enormous new audience. Its commercial performance has since surpassed that of every other Laufey song, with “From the Start” currently garnering over 1.2B streams on Spotify and over 157M views on its official music video on YouTube, making it her most-streamed song by a considerable margin. The song also achieved notable chart success internationally, reaching the top 10 on New Zealand’s Hot Singles chart and eventually appearing on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, while its viral popularity continued to expand well beyond the initial 2023 release period. More importantly, “From the Start” became a cultural gateway into Laufey’s wider catalogue, introducing millions of younger listeners to jazz, bossa nova and orchestral influences while demonstrating that these traditionally older musical styles could find enormous success within contemporary digital pop culture.
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