Montreal International Jazz Festival | Escape with Laufey

The Maison symphonique was the perfect refuge on Saturday afternoon, as Laufey presented the first of two shows on the same day to the Montreal public.

The average age at the Maison symphonique on Saturday was probably lower than ever. Icelandic singer Laufey, at 25, has introduced many young people to jazz, using social media, especially TikTok, to bring the genre back into the mainstream music scene.

The line in front of the merch table (t-shirts, sweaters, vinyls) could have led us to believe that Gen Z idol Harry Styles was in Montreal this weekend. But no, all these people were there for their new favorite, Laufey. Small or large fabric bows in their hair (like Laufey wears them) and beautiful summer dresses (too bad for the rain!) were in order. Some were there with friends, others with their parents.

Upon entering the Place des Arts room, we could immediately see that those who “like” his online publications are also ready to show him in person how much they appreciate his music.

Beyond TikTok, Laufey invites young music lovers to cultural spaces like the Maison symphonique and it’s beautiful to see. The enthusiasm with which the crowd welcomed the artist was heartwarming.

Laufey hasn’t been enjoying this somewhat pop-friendly success for long, but she has garnered some particularly fervent fans.

Laufey’s formula for the large hall with its high-standard natural acoustics was the right one. The Maison symphonique, in all its beauty and grandeur, can be a trap for artists who perform there. While the orchestra benefits from the structure, other types of performances are not entirely suited to the venue.

The Icelandic artist was accompanied by a large ensemble of musicians, including a string quartet as well as a drummer, a double bass player, a guitarist and a keyboard player, who set up high up backstage. In the center, up front, Laufey switched from piano to cello, occasionally picking up her guitar. Her jazz was right at home here.

A voice for the Maison symphonique

When the lights dimmed, the keyboardist played a few notes, then the guitar joined in and the tune became that of While You Were Sleeping. Laufey arrives running slowly, elegant in a short white dress and small black heels, to a round of applause.

She then grabbed her beautiful red electric guitar to accompany herself on Valentine. Her deep, just voice is enchanting. She seems to belong to this magical place that is the Maison symphonique, as if the latter was made to welcome her and make her resonate.

When she put down her guitar and moved on stage to Dreamerthe show has become something else entirely. She is not the most expressive, but she performs this audience favorite song with great grace and ease, while the musicians also give it their all. The arrangements are, throughout, successful and catchy.

“Are there any among you who are in love? [Applaudissements] Do some people feel rather… behind? [falling behind] ? I have a song for you! » Falling Behind, with bossa nova sounds, arrived next, as she grabbed her acoustic guitar.

Love, that bottomless subject to draw on, is also the one from which Laufey will draw the most inspiration. She does it intelligently, tells stories, she is funny at times, candid and frank.

Beautiful Strangerwhich comes right after, for example, is about a handsome boy she met on the train one day, she recounted in a slightly overly scripted but still very funny moment. “I wondered if we were going to fall in love, but we didn’t end up talking… Instead I went home and wrote this song.”

She swapped her guitar for her cello to conclude the piece, a very beautiful moment of music, demonstrating that Laufey is not only a social media strategist, but above all a very talented musician who has demonstrated that her success is deserved.

Entertaining multi-instrumentalist

She stayed on the cello for I Wish You Love then moved to the grand piano in the middle of the stage to sing a song “still sad” about someone she had a hard time letting go of. The melancholic ballad… finished convincing us of the extent of the young singer-songwriter’s talent.

Ridiculously skilled behind all her instruments, equipped with a voice that she controls to perfection, charming in her interpretation as well as her interactions, Laufey is quite impressive.

“When I was young, I dreamed of bringing together classical, jazz and pop music, to create my own blend. I didn’t think it was possible, but that’s what you’re allowing me to do today,” she confided after a sumptuous piano solo.

Goddessone of his most recent songs, gave rise to one of the most powerful moments, all vocals and intensity, while the rhythm began to stagnate a little. Fragile, Bewitched, Bored (introduced with much theatricality, in another scripted, but enjoyable, moment), Lovesick, From the Start (for which she gave her audience permission to sing as loud as possible “even though we’re in a magnificent symphonic house”, which they did with enthusiasm)… Laufey drew on both of her albums, especially the most recent one, for a generally well-assembled show.

The ovation that brought the young Icelander and her musicians back on stage allowed them to perform one of the most popular songs in Laufey’s repertoire, Letter to My 13 Year Old SelfThe exceptional singer delighted Montrealers one last time before moving to the Wilfrid-Pelletier hall for a second promising performance in the evening.