What most people would call extraordinary, Icelanders call commonplace. Living at the edge of the world means meeting seemingly impossible challenges with optimism, joy and humour. Every day. It’s what we call The Icelandic Art of Living. 

Meet Laufey who excels in this particular art. The 23-year-old Icelandic-Chinese singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist grew up playing cello and piano, inspired by her violinist mother, and became hooked on the jazz standards of Ella Fitzgerald after digging through her father’s records.

“I’m a big fan of jazz music and I really aspire to bring it back to a new audience, a new generation.”

Laufey’s second song she ever wrote,–became her first single “Street by Street” and catapulted her up the charts and onto the pages of Rolling Stone and The Jimmy Kimmel Live. 

While she grew up between Reykjavík and Washington, DC, Laufey is currently based in Los Angeles. She says the ocean air makes her feel at home. Even the warm Pacific winds of Malibu remind her of the strong subarctic gusts of Iceland and its unpredictable nature.