Laufey — A Night at The Symphony: Hollywood Bowl

By Fatima Krida

Laufey's A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl is a live album that showcases the Icelandic-Chinese artist's seamless fusion of jazz, pop, and classical influences. Recorded during her sold-out performance at Los Angeles' iconic Hollywood Bowl, the album features Laufey performing alongside the esteemed Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Thomas Wilkins. The 15 track album transitions from emotional ballads to playful tracks such as ‘From the Start’, and crowd favourites ‘Valentine’ and ‘Falling Behind’. Whilst Laufey’s original music shines, a truly captivating moment of the album is her cover of jazz standard ‘It Could Happen to You’. Here the orchestra’s richness creates a timeless atmosphere, steeped in nostalgia, highlighting the interplay between classical music and jazz. This live album feels like a celebration of musical tradition, Laufey leans into her classical training, drawing from influences like Ravel and Debussy while paying homage to the golden age of jazz. 

While Laufey’s studio recordings are often characterized by their cozy intimacy, this live album showcases her ability to command a stage. Her vocals are confident yet tender. The Hollywood Bowl setting with its open-air acoustics, provides the perfect backdrop for Laufey’s music and enhances the album’s cinematic quality. The orchestration doesn’t overshadow her; instead, it magnifies the quiet vulnerability that has endeared her to fans and critics alike. Whilst the album invites you to take a seat at a Laufey concert it arguably suffers because of this. As a listener you get whisked away into a world akin to a Disney film and taken straight back out of it upon the abrupt applause of a crowd. The inclusion of the crowd’s applause happens sparingly and the album would benefit from more of a commitment to celebrating the live aspects, for example Laufey talking to the crowd would be a worthy inclusion.

The album’s intimacy comes from its lyrics, the haunting track ‘Bewitched’ serves to fully immerse listeners into a world where spells are being cast and hearts broken on late London evenings. ‘Falling Behind’ speaks to the fear’s of so many when faced with the pressures of expectation, Laufey sings “the sun’s engaged to the sky / my best friend’s found a new guy / and I’m only getting older,” and it is this vulnerability and relatability which makes her so popular. Yet, Laufey’s soft and subtle digs at those that have wronged her, create a sadness that is hard to achieve and so compelling. 

What makes A Night at the Symphony work so well  is how it showcases Laufey's growth as an artist. After winning the 2024 Grammy award for Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Laufey cemented herself as an artist who could blur genre boundaries. And while her jazz and pop influences have always been evident, this album underscores her classical roots and her ability to bridge seemingly disparate musical worlds. It’s a victory lap in a lane that few others are even attempting to compete in.