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
I can’t believe a laufey tiny desk finally exists 👏🏽👏🏽
It doesn’t exist. You’re dreaming.
it was only a matter of time
Can’t believe Olivia Rodrigo’$ is considered a master piece 😅 when performances like this are available on the same place
I just found out about her like 2 days ago and then this pops up ❤
Laufey’s voice and songs are such a great fit for this intimate setting! Also shoutout to the string quartet (I see you Ken) 🤗
Living the dream!
Agreed! It’s so cozy 🪟
Repent to Jesus Christ ”Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;“
Psalms 95:6 NIV
M
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!
Yay
Repent to Jesus Christ ”Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;“
Psalms 95:6 NIV
Tiny Desk + Leufey + Strings = perfection.
Great songwriting and fantastic vocals.
“Leufey”😭
20 seconds in and i got goosebumps already. love her voice so much
Me too 🥰
It took 23 sec here
I’m getting Diana Krall vibes back during her debut, just this time with a guitar. Laufey has an amazing voice.
Yessss
Intended to just dip in but ended up staying. Totally hooked! 🎶
I can’t think of a more “NPR” artist than Laufey. Perfect match.
This is just true
Is it just me, but I can’t help but admire her in every possible way
Not just you.
Not ever just you, she is breath taking. I mean she just glows when she sings, it’s amazing. I love how we all just admire our queen.
Not the only one. She’s bringing vocals back 😩
You’re down bad
Welcome to the club brother😅
First time listener. If they don’t cast Laufey as a Disney Princess and have her sing the songs, just shoot me dead
Amen
agreed
my thought exactly
Perfection
comment of the year
such a beautiful voice, she’s gonna be a modern legend
steady on there chief
Agreed! She’s gonna be in the books. I study jazz in university and my professors feel similarly lol they all really like her
I mean, she is really good, but its not like she is an innovater. This style is just a copy of what was popular in the 50-60s.
@@stijn8588 Yes. Her music has made it into pop as a “window” into vintage jazz and bossa nova. Which is still pretty awesome!
@@ellemfae i guess, but i kinda hate the fact that she is now seen as this saviour of jazz etc. When she barely scratches the surface of jazz.
It’s crazy to think about how far she has come after that viral cover of ‘I wish you love’. Definitely a result of great talent and hard work!
Hahahahahahahahahajahaha
@@RadowitzkiFY 🙂
@@Radowitzki Putting yourself out there and being consistent for long enough to get some recognition is hard regardless of how lucky you are. You should try it!