Last week, DC swooned over the beautifully talented Laufey, who left the bow-filled crowd mesmerized. Having spent a few years of her childhood growing up in Washington, DC, she told her audience at The Anthem that her two back-to-back shows felt “almost like hometown shows.”

Her stunning vocals and melodic jazzy tunes truthfully encapsulated the entirety of the venue, and her personable nature swept the audience off their feet. 

On April 25, the fully seated show hosted a sold-out crowd of approximately 3,000 people, all of whom were eagerly anticipating Laufey’s arrival on stage. The energy in the room was collectively beyond enthusiastic. A photo-op was set up in the back near the merch stand where concert-goers could take photos on an aesthetically built stage with a silky backdrop, decorated with hanging letters reading “Laufey Land, The Goddess Tour.” The peaceful yet thrilled crowd created such a unique concert experience, but one that absolutely matched Laufey and her music. 

Laufey grew up primarily in Iceland, with her mother and grandfather as professional violinists. At a mere 15 years old, she performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and has been developing her musical career ever since. She also participated in Iceland Got Talent and The Voice Iceland, both of which she was a semi-finalist in. She graduated in 2021 from Berklee College of Music with a presidential scholarship.

Having only released her first track in April of 2020, Laufey’s career and popularity have skyrocketed over the past four years. She signed a global publishing deal in 2023 with Warner Chappell Music, under which she released her second album, Bewitched, which she is currently touring in promotion of. 

Stream top tracks by Laufey on Spotify:

Laufey writes such gorgeous songs, and it was only right that her stage was designed to match. With a semicircle of instruments and band members, she was equipped with drums, a bassist, a guitarist, and a string quartet to help her play her set. Even playing a few songs on her own cello, she really brought her music to life. 

Her setlist:

1. While You Were Sleeping
2. Valentine
3. Second Best
4. Dreamer
5. Falling Behind
6. Beautiful Stranger
7. I Wish You Love (Keely Smith cover)
8. Promise
9. Like the Movies
10. Nocturne (Interlude)
11. Let You Break My Heart Again
12. California and Me
13. Goddess
14. Fragile
15. Bewitched
16. Bored
17. Lovesick
18. From the Start
19. Letter to My 13 Year Old Self
20. It Could Happen to You (Jimmy Van Heusen cover)

She is a beautiful artist with stunning skill, and she’ll definitely be one to watch throughout the upcoming years.

With 18 stops in the USA, I highly recommend catching her before she heads to Asia and Australia for the next leg of her tour. 

Below are additional photos of Laufey’s set at The Anthem on April 25, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of Katie Child.