WE, TOO, GET MISTY

It is a rare thing to see twentysomethings either on the stage or in the crowd at a jazz club like L.A.'s storied Catalina, but on 9/13 throngs of youthful fans descended on the joint to worship at Laufey's feet.

In case you hadn't heard, the 24-year-old singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter of Icelandic and Chinese descent, Laufey (pronounced "LAY-vay") has become a phenomenon on TikTok and Spotify; she recently enjoyed the biggest streaming debut yet for a jazz recording. Her second AWAL album, the rapturously reviewed Bewitched (debuting in the Top 20 on our chart as you read this), is a fine document of her myriad abilities, but seeing her live (accompanying herself, variously, on guitar, piano and pizzicato cello) is a whole other thing.

Availed of a sweet, relatable persona that offers a marked contrast to her ferocious talent, Laufey performed standout originals like breakout track "From the Start" (109m+ streams on Spotify so far), "Dreamer," "Second Best," "Promise" and "Bewitched," to name a few, all of which ably showcased her beguiling voice and chordal dexterity. But it was when she got to standards like "Misty," "The Nearness of You" and "Lullaby of Birdland" that her bona fides as a leader of the next wave of jazz became abundantly clear. She's the real deal.

After Laufey, who recently inked a pub deal with Warner Chappell, took her bows for the 8pm show, we stepped outside and saw a line around the block (consisting overwhelmingly of young peeps) waiting for the 10pm set.

I hope you'll keep that image in mind for the next time someone tells you jazz is a niche genre for old farts. If it's special, the kids will show up no matter what it is.

Repped by Max Gredinger at Foundations Artist Management, Laufey will play a sold-out show with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Ford Theater tomorrow, 9/16.

Top: Austin Gomez