In an era where music lacks originality, fitting into the standard genres such as: pop, rock, rap, and indie/folk, there is one artist making strident efforts to introduce the retro style of jazz into modern Gen- Z pop, and that artist is Laufey (pronounced LAY-vay).
With her hit debut album, “Everything I Know About Love”, Laufey has introduced a jazz-esque, bossanova style to modern pop, singing about current topics with a more old-fashioned evocative appeal to
classic origins of jazz styles of the late 1940s. She takes inspiration from artists of the time period such as: Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughnn, and Astrud Gilberto.
Junior Tavian Boone completely agrees, stating how Laufey “ perfectly finds ways to blend together classic elements of jazz and other nostalgic genres with newer music styles” and how she “is so versatile, having a song for everyone”. He describes her as being unique in the sense that “no one else seen today can so effortlessly go from a smooth jazz cut to a modern pop hit before transferring over to bossa nova record”.
Recently, Laufey’s success has led her to embark on her most recent tour: Bewitched – The Goddess Tour, which has received rave reviews from critics and fans.
Coming from a massive fan, freshman Jade Prieto describes the concert as “surreal”, and describes how Laufey has “amazing command of the crowd and makes sure that the show is enjoyable and a light-hearted experience for everyone present”. She described how “although there were evidently a large number of younger people, a vast array of ages were present at the concert, and the imbalance between old and young wasn’t noticeable”.
Overall, Laufey’s introduction and acceptance into modern day music has been a refreshing change from the clean-cut genre appealing artists that dominate the industry. The fact that she is so successful despite her not exactly fitting the mold proves that diversity in genre can be accepted, cherished, and therefore should be promoted.