If you’ve ever fallen asleep to a playlist that felt like moonlight filtered through lace curtains, chances are Laufey was already in your ears. The Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter has quietly — then very loudly — become one of the most important voices in contemporary jazz-pop, capturing a generation of listeners who didn’t know they were missing this sound until she handed it to them. From her earliest bedroom recordings to Grammy-winning studio albums, the best songs of Laufey form a constellation of melancholy, romance, wit, and extraordinary musical craftsmanship. This list pulls from her full catalog to highlight 20 tracks that deserve a permanent spot in your rotation.
Whether you’re discovering her through a late-night TikTok rabbit hole or you’ve been a fan since Everything I Know About Love, this guide covers the essential listening. And if you’re serious about experiencing every nuance of her delicate arrangements, make sure you’re using quality audio gear — check out our headphone comparisons to find something worthy of her sound.
From the Start
Released in 2023 as part of her debut major-label album Bewitched, “From the Start” became Laufey’s crossover moment in the most organic way possible. The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and racked up hundreds of millions of Spotify streams, earning its place as arguably the most recognizable track in her catalog. What makes it special isn’t just the hook — it’s the arrangement. The brushed drums, the walking bass line, the piano chords that feel lifted straight from a 1950s jazz club — all of it conspires to create something that sounds vintage and utterly fresh simultaneously. Her vocal delivery here is playful and aching at once, like someone confessing a crush they’ve been suppressing for too long. On headphones, you can hear the intimacy of the recording space, the slight warmth in her breath before certain phrases. It’s a masterclass in understated production.
Bewitched
The title track of her 2023 album is lush in a way her earlier work often wasn’t. “Bewitched” leans into orchestration — strings swell gently beneath her voice, giving the whole thing the feeling of a cinematic slow dance in an empty ballroom. Co-produced with her longtime collaborators, the arrangement breathes without ever feeling sparse. The lyrical theme of being completely overtaken by someone’s presence is familiar territory in pop songwriting, but Laufey brings enough specificity to the imagery that it never feels generic. The bridge showcases her ability to build emotional tension without resorting to vocal pyrotechnics — she just lets the melody climb and the strings respond.
Goddess
“Goddess” is the song that shows Laufey isn’t afraid to flex. There’s a swagger in the melody that feels earned, and the production has a slightly warmer, jazzier quality than some of her more melancholic material. Written as a declaration of self-worth rather than a plea for validation, the track stands out in her catalog for its confidence. The chord progressions pull from classic jazz harmony — you can hear the influence of Ella Fitzgerald and even some mid-century bossa nova in the way the rhythm section sits beneath her voice. It’s the kind of song that sounds incredible through quality earbuds during a morning walk when you need to remind yourself of your own value.
Lovesick
Before the major label era, “Lovesick” captured exactly what made early Laufey so compelling: raw intimacy wrapped in sophisticated musicality. The lo-fi warmth of the production doesn’t feel like an aesthetic choice made for trend-chasing — it feels like necessity, like the song could only exist in that particular sonic space. Her voice sits close in the mix, almost whispering, while the guitar and light percussion create a frame that never distracts from the emotional core. The lyric writing is deceptively simple in a way that takes real craft — she says more with restraint than most writers do with elaborate metaphor.
Haunted
“Haunted” is the type of song you return to after a difficult week and feel immediately understood. The melodic structure is clever — the verses sit in a slightly darker harmonic space before the chorus opens up with a release that feels genuinely earned. Laufey’s tone here carries a faint tremor of vulnerability that she doesn’t always allow into her recordings, and it’s one of the most affecting performances in her catalog. The arrangement is restrained but precise, with each instrument occupying its own frequency space without crowding the vocal.
Must Be Love
There’s a brightness to “Must Be Love” that distinguishes it from her moodier material, and it’s all the more effective for the contrast. The melody is genuinely catchy in a way that respects the listener’s intelligence — it doesn’t need to oversimplify itself to be enjoyable. The chord changes underneath suggest a more complex harmonic world than a casual listener might notice, but the effect is felt even if not consciously processed: the song just feels richer than the average pop track. It’s the kind of song that plays well in a sunlit kitchen on a weekend morning.
While You Were Sleeping
This track carries the emotional weight of 2 AM insomnia and the specific torment of realizing feelings you can’t act on. The production is deliberately sparse — a few chords, her voice, space. What’s remarkable is how much emotional information she packs into that simplicity. The phrasing of the melody is conversational in a way that recalls the great American Songbook tradition, where the line between speech and song blurs intentionally. It’s a quiet masterpiece that rewards close listening through quality headphones where the room tone and subtle details emerge fully.
California and Me
For a songwriter who grew up between Iceland and the United States, place carries enormous emotional weight, and “California and Me” channels that duality beautifully. The song uses location as emotional shorthand in the tradition of great folk and jazz songwriting — California isn’t just a state, it’s a feeling, a version of a life that might have been. The production warmth here is gorgeous, the strings understated but present, and her vocal sits in a register that showcases the lower, richer part of her range that sometimes gets overshadowed by the higher, more delicate notes she’s known for.
Serendipity
“Serendipity” is buoyant and hopeful in a way that makes it one of the most immediately enjoyable tracks in her catalog. The arrangement bounces with a kind of light-footed elegance — piano, bass, drums, all working together with the ease of a practiced trio. Her vocal phrasing here shows clear jazz influence, with subtle rhythmic variations and ornaments that most pop singers simply don’t employ. It’s the musical equivalent of turning a corner on a familiar street and finding something unexpectedly beautiful.
Promise
“Promise” operates in the emotional space where hope and resignation coexist uncomfortably. The harmonic movement is sophisticated — she uses chord substitutions that create a sense of something slightly unresolved, mirroring the lyrical theme of commitments that may not hold. The production is intimate without being claustrophobic, giving her voice room to express the full dynamic range from barely-there softness to moments of raw clarity. Among all the best songs of Laufey, this one lingers longest after the playback ends.
It Could Happen to You
Taking the title from the classic Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen standard while delivering something entirely her own, this track demonstrates Laufey’s fluency in the jazz tradition. The performance has an ease and swing that feels genuine rather than affected — she’s not cosplaying a jazz singer, she is one, trained formally at the Berklee College of Music. The instrumental interplay is tight and conversational, with each musician responding to rather than simply accompanying her vocal. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to explore the broader world of jazz vocal music she draws from.
Misty
Covering “Misty” — the Erroll Garner composition made famous by Johnny Mathis and Ella Fitzgerald — is a bold move for any vocalist, but Laufey brings enough of her own personality to the performance that it doesn’t feel like mere tribute. Her interpretation is slower and more introspective than most, leaning into the melancholy rather than the warmth. The production choice to keep the arrangement sparse lets her voice carry the weight, and it does. This is where her Berklee training and her pop sensibility merge most visibly.
Forget-Me-Not
The imagery in “Forget-Me-Not” is precise and poignant — she’s not reaching for abstract metaphor but rather grounding the emotional experience in concrete, specific detail. The production has a slightly warmer, more acoustic feel than some of her studio work, and the vocal performance is among her most emotionally direct. The bridge builds with a restraint that makes the eventual release feel significant. It’s the kind of heartbreak song that doesn’t wallow — it observes, clearly and with a kind of aching dignity.
Second Best
Don’t let the gentle instrumentation fool you — “Second Best” has a quietly devastating lyrical premise. The song explores the particular pain of being almost enough, of coming close but never quite landing the full recognition you need. The melody has a circular quality that suits the theme perfectly, like a thought you can’t stop returning to. Her vocal here is controlled but not cool — there’s genuine feeling underneath the restraint, and it comes through. This is one of those tracks that sneaks up on you over repeated listens, revealing more each time.
Sabotage
“Sabotage” turns the lens inward with the kind of self-critical clarity that’s harder to write than it looks. The jazz chord voicings in the piano give the production a sophistication that matches the lyrical intelligence — this isn’t a simple breakup song but a more complex examination of how we undermine our own happiness. The rhythm section swings without being showy, and her vocal sits at the intersection of confessional and assured. Among the broader catalog of must-hear songs on GlobalMusicVibe, this one stands out for its emotional honesty.
Dreamer
“Dreamer” has an aspirational quality that’s rare in her catalog, which tends toward introspection and melancholy. The production is slightly airier than her denser arrangements, letting the melody float with a lightness that suits the theme. It’s the sonic equivalent of looking out a window at an overcast sky and deciding it’s beautiful anyway. The lyrical imagery is tied to aspiration and possibility without veering into cliché — she maintains her characteristic specificity even when dealing with universal emotional territory.
Tough Luck
“Tough Luck” shows a side of Laufey that doesn’t always get enough attention: her sense of humor. The lyrical delivery has a wry, almost sardonic quality, and the rhythmic phrasing leans into a jazz sensibility that rewards close listening. The production has a slightly vintage quality — you can hear the influence of mid-century torch song tradition in the arrangement choices. It’s a reminder that great songwriting can be funny without losing emotional weight, and that wit and vulnerability aren’t mutually exclusive.
Silver Lining
The title’s optimism is complicated by the minor-key harmonic palette, and that tension is exactly what makes “Silver Lining” compelling. She’s not writing naïve positivity — she’s finding the possible light in a genuinely difficult emotional landscape, and the music reflects that complexity. The arrangement grows gradually, adding layers that feel like hope accumulating rather than being declared. Her vocal performance here is measured and careful, which makes the emotional moments that break through feel genuinely earned.
Letter to My 13 Year Old Self
This is perhaps her most nakedly personal track, and the production reflects that — everything is stripped back to let the emotional content breathe without distraction. Writing to a younger version of yourself is a device that can easily become saccharine, but Laufey avoids that trap with specificity and honesty. The song acknowledges pain without resolving it too neatly, which is the mark of a mature songwriter. It’s the track most likely to make a longtime fan tear up quietly on headphones during a commute.
Clockwork
Closing this list where everything essentially began, “Clockwork” reveals just how fully-formed Laufey’s artistic vision was from the start. The jazz-pop fusion, the intimate production, the lyrical intelligence, the vocal precision — all of it is present in this early track. It’s valuable as both a standalone listening experience and as a historical document of where a remarkable artist planted her flag. Returning to it after exploring the full catalog is the kind of full-circle listening experience that reminds you why you fell for an artist in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Laufey’s music?
Laufey’s music primarily blends jazz and indie pop, often described as jazz-pop or contemporary jazz. She incorporates influences from the Great American Songbook, bossa nova, and chamber pop, creating a sound that bridges vintage jazz sensibility with modern production aesthetics.
Where did Laufey study music?
Laufey studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she trained in jazz performance. That formal education is clearly audible in her sophisticated chord choices, vocal phrasing, and understanding of jazz harmony and arrangement.
What is Laufey’s most popular song?
From the Start is generally considered her most commercially successful and widely streamed song, having charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulated hundreds of millions of streams globally. Bewitched and Lovesick also rank among her most recognized tracks.
Has Laufey won any Grammy Awards?
Yes. Laufey won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Bewitched at the 2024 Grammy Awards, making her one of the youngest artists to win in that category. The win was widely celebrated as recognition of her genuine musicianship within a respected but often overlooked genre.
What is Laufey’s debut album?
Her debut album is Everything I Know About Love, released in 2022. It established her signature sound and introduced the world to her blend of jazz-influenced songwriting and intimate, lo-fi production values.
Is Laufey Icelandic or Chinese?
She is both. Laufey was born in Reykjavik, Iceland to an Icelandic mother and a Chinese father, and spent portions of her childhood in Hong Kong. This multicultural background informs her worldview and the universality that makes her music resonate across cultures.