With tickets selling out minutes after going on sale, it’s safe to say there were more than a few excited guests for singer/songwriter Laufey’s (pronounced ‘lay-vay’) debut tour of Australia. Having her first single reach #1 on Icelandic Radio at only 21 years of age, this budding ‘jazz pop’ artist recently held two concerts in Melbourne, and I was among 75 or so lucky ticket holders. With her popularity rising through media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, I was eager to see if she lived up to the hype of her online presence.

On the night of the concert, a small merch stand sat in the background; the stage was illuminated by hazy blue and red lights, a lone guitar and piano the only prelude to the night ahead. As the hour until 9 ticked by with Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' and Heath Ledger's 10 Things I Hate About You rendition of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' blasting through the speakers, I managed to speak to one other Laufey enthusiast; she mentioned finding the song ‘Valentine’ through TikTok and deciding to purchase a ticket as they were quite affordable ($50).

The room was already abuzz with good energy when Laufey arrived and she was greeted with cheers and whoops of enthusiasm. For her first time in Melbourne, Laufey was surprisingly candid, quick to spin a joke and charming us all with her smile and easy-going manner. Her charming personality was an added bonus to her enchanting lyrics and hypnotic voice; from the moment she started singing, her talent was obvious in that she sounded exactly like her studio recordings. With each new song came the backstory: many of Laufey’s songs are inspired by her romantic relationships. ‘Beautiful Stranger’, one of my personal favourites, was inspired by a boy she met on a train. Another song I thought particularly clever was ‘James’, which she’d written after a particularly bad date with a (poor) fellow named James, who seemed entirely too obsessed with himself. And how could I forget ‘Street by Street’, which was the song that debuted at #1 on Icelandic Radio and kickstarted Laufey’s career--a poignant retelling of her first heartbreak. Her voice control and on-stage confidence were a joy to watch and I barely felt the time ticking by, serenaded by her jazz numbers.

Unexpectedly, she also managed to perform her new release ‘Promise’ a week before it was released, as well as a few songs from her upcoming second album Bewitched. At the end of the night, she was chanted back onto stage for a ‘jazzified’ version of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', which I will now make my new ringtone. I don’t think it’ll be long before Laufey returns to Australia and I have no doubt that when she does, it will be with a much larger audience and venue.