Slapping with a Fish: A Surprising Moment
It is likely that most people have never slapped someone so hard with a wet fish that they fall, fully clothed, into a swimming pool. Until recently, this was also true for Icelandic jazz-pop artist Laufey.
She released a song titled Mad Woman, whose video required her to hit actor Hudson Williams, known from Heated Rivalry, squarely in the face with a red snapper.
"Oh my God, it was amazing. It was cathartic," she recalls with laughter. "I had a lot of unreleased energy that I released on poor Hudson."
The video shoot took place in Los Angeles, featuring a stylish 1960s aesthetic, a star-studded cast including Olympic medallist Alyssa Liu and Katseye singer Megan Skiendiel, and a storyline depicting Laufey's irrational relationship with a man who is detrimental to her.
To her delight, the fish scene required multiple takes, filled with improvised insults.
"I'm not a very angry person but it felt good to scream and shout," she explains. "I dug into my deepest memories of when I've been the most wronged by men and I accessed a part of myself I didn't know I had in me."
Musical Style and Background
For those familiar with Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) Jónsdóttir's music, the term "primal" would seem out of place. Since 2022, she has captivated audiences with romantic songs that blend classic jazz vocals and rich orchestrations with witty, confessional lyrics.
This unique style was developed during her studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music, influenced by her upbringing in Reykjavik where she began learning piano and cello at age four, and fueled by her passion for movie musicals and Taylor Swift.
When she first uploaded her song Street by Street—about reclaiming favorite gardens and bookstores after a breakup—she was puzzled by the submission form's request to categorize it under a single genre. Ultimately, she selected "singer-songwriter." Since then, critics have debated where Laufey fits within popular music genres.
"Older audiences are always trying to figure me out," she says. "Like, 'Is she a jazz musician? Is she a pop musician? Is she a cellist?'
"And I find with my younger audience, they don't have this predetermined bias for what they're meant to enjoy. They listen to what their heart wants to listen to.
"I feel so lucky to be a musician nowadays, because genre has never meant less.
"It's really opened up the road for me to be able to just be all these different versions of myself."
Latest Album: A Matter of Time
Her most recent album, A Matter of Time, released in August, allowed her to showcase a full range of musical expressions. The album is themed around the narrative of a relationship, underscored by the sound of a ticking clock counting down to the moment when the 27-year-old's anxieties and insecurities cause its collapse.
Throughout the album, she experiments with new sounds—from the soul-inspired lead single Silver Lining to the vibrant Brazilian rhythms of Lover Girl. The album concludes with Sabotage, where discordant pianos and startling strings accompany her self-destructive themes.
Notably, Sabotage was the first song written for the album, with the rest of the tracks developed backward toward more romantic moments.
"The whole album was a challenge to myself to push beyond my artistic walls, to be a little scared," she states.
"So that wall of noise, for me, signified breaking out of a traditional mould, both as a human, but also musically."
Emotional Vulnerability and Artistic Growth
For the first time, Laufey allowed emotion to take precedence over technical perfection. A Matter of Time includes imperfect notes and vocal cracks—though within reason—revealing her vulnerable side.
The album was inspired by her initial experience of falling in love, which was both exhilarating and unsettling.
On Lover Girl, she almost reproaches herself for recklessness. Carousel reveals tentative admissions of flaws to a new partner. A Cautionary Tale offers post-breakup clarity.
"I gave it too much, I gave myself up / I lost sight of all my dignity."
When asked if her fear of love stems from her disciplined classical music background, she confirms this influence.
"Certainly, that's a huge part of it," she acknowledges.
"My music, I took it so seriously [that I] don't feel like I got to be a regular kid. And it's not because my parents didn't let me or anything like that. I was just like, 'I need to be the best version of myself, and I need to practise really hard'.
"I didn't date, I didn't drink, I didn't do the silly things. I didn't have a rebellious bone in my body.
"So at the age of 20 or 21, when I first started falling in love and learning about life, it felt like pure chaos, because I certainly had not figured anything out.
"I'm still playing catch-up with that. I have so much anxiety about relationships and love and big life events. That's why I write about it so much, because I'm trying to sort out my feelings."
Deluxe Album and Further Exploration
She further explored these emotions in the deluxe edition of her album, which begins with Mad Woman. Its opening instrumental offers a more structured, melodic counterpart to Sabotage's chaotic finale.
"I'm kind of making fun of myself with that [segue]," Laufey admits. "No-one's noticed it yet, so I'm sitting here waiting, like, 'Come on, nerds, figure this out!'"
The additional tracks are reflective, serving as a post-mortem on her romantic experiences.
"I have this song called I Wait, I Wait, I Wait - and it's about how I'm always preparing for the storm to start, for the person to fall out of love with me.
[I have] this really innate feeling of instability, so the new songs are quite emotional and introspective."
Laufey emphasizes that the epilogue was crafted with the same care as the original album, not merely leftover tracks, making it a definitive edition of a record that won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
The deluxe edition returned the album to the UK charts during the same week Laufey performed second on the bill at Coachella and launched a collaboration with the video game Fortnite—demonstrating her crossover from traditional jazz to a generational phenomenon.
Live Performances and Global Appeal
This broad appeal was evident during her March performances at London's O2 Arena. Over two sold-out nights, she transformed the 20,000-capacity venue into a magical setting resembling a fairytale castle. Fans dressed in outfits inspired by her flowing ballgowns and 1920s flapper dresses, passionately singing along.
Beside the author sat a fan no older than 18, who had traveled alone from Cyprus to see her perform.
"That's so sweet," Laufey remarks.
"Who'd have known if a Cypriot boy could have found out about me back in the day? But now, with social media and globalisation, you can find your niche anywhere.
"I think that's why my concerts feel so special, because we're all just collected together from different corners of the world."
Dreams Manifested in Boston
She recalls dreaming of such success six years ago while sitting on a park bench in Boston Public Garden. Opening her journal, she wrote down her ambition to make a living as an artist.
"There's something about a park that just gets you thinking," she reflects.
"I was a student at the time, and hadn't really seen any success yet, but I think there's so much power in writing your dreams down, because at least you've organised that thought."
Last October, she returned symbolically to that same park bench, clearing away the rust-red autumn leaves in Boston. As she drank coffee, she reflected on the aspirations of her 21-year-old self.
"I absolutely always hoped that I'd be able to make it to this level, but I don't think I dared to write it down," she admits. "It just seemed beyond reach."
Despite her rising career, she does not feel burdened by demands.
"I definitely feel like I'm in the hamster wheel, but not in a bad way. It's just like more and more exciting things keep happening."
And occasionally, if fortune allows, one even gets to slap a man full in the face with a fish.
