Laufey, a singer and songwriter from Iceland, talks about her breakout hit "From The Start" on this episode. She explores her musical background, transition from classical to jazz, and the emotional expression in her song. Laufey discusses word origins, multilingual influences, vocal training, and her admiration for Ella Fitzgerald. They also discuss the surprising success of their genre-defying song and the relatability of old songs. The episode ends with a powerful exploration of unrequited love and a recommendation for the podcast Ear Hustle.
Listeners are now less concerned about genre labels and instead focus on enjoying music from various genres without restriction, thanks to platforms like Spotify and TikTok.
Laufey's breakout hit song 'From The Start' captures the emotions of unrequited love through vivid storytelling and incorporates musical elements like bossa nova singing, the cello, and strings to create a unique orchestral-like feel.
Deep dives
Genre Blurring and Musical Boundaries
The podcast episode discusses the evolving concept of genre in contemporary music. It highlights how listeners nowadays are less concerned about genre labels and instead focus on enjoying music from various genres without restriction. The rise of platforms like Spotify and TikTok, which prioritize personalization and algorithm-driven recommendations, has contributed to this shift. The episode provides examples of Leyva, a jazz artist, who achieved tremendous success without strictly conforming to the jazz genre. Leyva's Spotify statistics and record-breaking album streams showcase the growing openness towards genre-blurring in the music industry.
Inspiration and Songwriting Process
The episode explores Leyva's inspiration and songwriting process. Leyva shares her habit of jotting down song titles on her phone and how she draws inspiration from her personal experiences. The breakout hit from Leyva's latest album, 'From the Start,' is dissected. She explains how the song captures the feeling of unrequited love and uses vivid storytelling to convey the emotions. Leyva discusses her musical background, being classically trained, and the influence of jazz and pop music on her work. The collaboration with her producer, Spencer Stewart, is highlighted, emphasizing their shared understanding and creative synergy.
Musical Elements and Artistic Choices in 'From the Start'
The podcast delves into the musical elements and artistic choices present in Leyva's song, 'From the Start.' Leyva explains her instrument choices, with guitar being her favorite for songwriting due to its limitations compared to piano. She highlights the bossa nova style singing in the song, noting its storytelling quality. The lyrics are discussed, with specific attention to the use of phrases like 'the burning pain' and 'sound like a loon,' conveying dramatic and emotional undertones. Leyva talks about the significance of incorporating the cello, capturing a wide range of sounds and creating a unique orchestral-like feel. The outro, featuring only strings and voice, symbolizes her core musical identity.
Laufey is a singer and songwriter originally from Iceland. She studied piano and cello as a kid. When she was 15, she was a guest soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and that’s when she started writing songs. While she was still a student, she had a number one hit on Icelandic radio. Her first album debuted at number one on Billboard’s Alternative New Artist chart. Laufey was Spotify’s most streamed jazz artist of 2022. Her second album, Bewitched, came out in September 2023. And her new album just broke Spotify’s record for the most streams of a jazz album in a single day. And for this episode, I talked to Laufey about the breakout hit from that new album: a song called “From The Start."