Review: Laufey brings hopeless romanticism to an ecstatic Gen Z Ottawa Jazz Festival crowd

Confederation Park was flooded with flowy skirts, leg warmers, kitten heels and ribbons ahead of Ottawa Jazz Festival headliner Laufey’s performance. While standing among the crowd, I felt I was missing one crucial accessory:

“So many bows!” exclaimed one fan before the show, while taking in the sights of the clothing aesthetic often described as coquette that spanned the crowd.

The 25-year-old Icelandic-Chinese singer has made headlines for introducing Gen Z to jazz music. But Laufey’s appeal is far-reaching, as some Ottawa attendees spanned generations.

Having performed at the Ottawa Jazz Festival last year in a smaller venue, this time Laufey let her grandiose stage presence loose under the late June sky.

Thousands of fans buzzed and shrieked in anticipation as the songstress, whose full name is Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir, emerged after a fluttery intro to “While You Were Sleeping” — a tender track from her sophomore album, Bewitched.

Accompanied by a skilled string quartet, the classically trained composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist offered a packed 20-song setlist, including fan favourites like “Falling Behind” and “Dreamer.”

The piano was the ultimate vessel for one of Laufey’s most vulnerable moments: The gut-wrenching, stage-shaking outro of “Goddess,” which the teen-filled crowd screamed back to the singer.   

“You watched me rise, then killed my light,” Laufey sang, followed by a powerfully explicit line — a rarity in her discography.

With lyrics emblematic of the difficulties of young love in a time where risk aversion is soaring, it seems Laufey fans, or Lauvers, can agree on one thing: They’re in the mood for romance. 

The Grammy winner gracefully alternated between guitar, cello and a grand piano, offering witty and relatable anecdotes between songs.

“I had this one situation where I was with this guy, and I was laughing, and then I realized, I’m not laughing ’cause he’s funny, I’m laughing ‘cause I’m funny,” Laufey quipped before transitioning to “Bored,” a plea to terminate a relationship with a self-obsessed person.  

Almost more heartbreaking, fans met Laufey at a sombre pace for “Promise,” a piano ballad about desperately trying not to call someone who’s not good for you, but doing so anyway.

Many in the crowd were probably wondering who could possibly string someone with Laufey’s aura through a painful situationship? It’s this kind of relatable openness in classic soft-glam packaging that had skyrocketed Laufey to success.

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Staying true to her charm, the singer generously shared her love with the crowd, remarking on its beauty.

“Growing up, I dreamt of having a group of people my age as beautiful and as diverse as you are to have around me that enjoyed this kind of music,” she said. “Now I have that with you guys, and it’s the most special thing in the world, truly.”  

To finish her set, Laufey performed the widely successful “From The Start,” a bouncy Bossa Nova confession of unrequited love. She soon followed with two more encore songs.

“Oh, it’s raining; this is so romantic,” the songstress said after returning to the stage.

“Let this song be a source of encouragement to chase your dreams,” she said before diving into the deeply personal “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self” with enough power to transform some of Gen. Z’s hopelessness into hopefulness.

Featured image by Kyra Vellinga.