Laufey is goddess we all related to at her first arena concert in Manila 

The first time I heard about Laufey was from my tween niece around three years ago. At a family karaoke session, she sang “Let You Break My Heart Again.” It was an interesting choice, I thought. The song isn’t flashy. It’s melancholic. Instead of a punchy beat drop, it has beautiful orchestral music. And kids dig this? Count this young tita in! 

The next thing I knew, I added Laufey to my Spotify. Her optimistic version of the classic “I Wish You Love” had been on loop, and I tried scoring tickets to her sold-out two-night “A Night at the Symphony” with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, but didn’t get any. 

Even tickets to her first arena tour at SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sept. 2 ran out quickly. Presented by Live Nation Philippines and KARPOS Live, the Manila stop of “Bewitched: The Goddess Tour” had a packed crowd of tweens and teens and their parents who were more than willing to “chaperone” them anyway. Secret’s out: the adults in the room love Laufey, too.

Moments before she went on stage, Debussy’s Clair de Lune was on, perfectly moving to “While You Were Sleeping.” In pop standards, this mellow pop track about the exact moment you fell in love wouldn’t be electric enough to open an arena tour. 

But this is Laufeyverse—and the goddess doesn’t need all the pop theatrics to work a crowd. After all, her fans, who are called Lauvers, all decked out in their demure dresses or suits and cutesy ribbons, braved a storm hovering Manila to catch her live for her first-ever arena concert, and the third Philippine concert this year alone. A mellow jazzy pop song, a piano ballad, or even a cello solo can work a crowd—if you’re Laufey. 

In over an hour and 20 songs, the Grammy winner gave me back my youth while singing songs my grandma would have also loved. All those effervescent kilig moments of what they now call the talking stage or exchanging a few words with a “Beautiful Stranger” and the idea of  The pain of being the “Second Best” or “Falling Behind” when everyone’s falling in love.

I loved her best in the cathartic “Goddess.” While ultimately it’s a breakup song, Laufey infused the complexities of her fame and how she just wants her beloved to see and love her even at her most vulnerable “human” moments, not at her most enchanting on stage. 

If Laufey was seething in “Goddess,” she was delicate and floaty in “Fragile” and cheeky and just like your Gen Z next door getting the ick from self-possessed, keep-on-talking men in “Bored.” Sonically, I did find “Lovesick” the most different song (peppered with a bit of rock) in her discography and I can’t wait for her to stretch her musical muscles more and explore similar sounds in her future releases. 

Laufey then went on with “From The Start,” declaring how Manila has loved her since the beginning and even bringing out a special guest, her equally fashionable twin sister Junia, on violin to the fan’s delight. 

The Icelandic-Chinese crooner performed two encore songs. The first was an empowering ode to her 13-year-old self and to all her young fans. To round out her Manila show, Laufey embraced Paskong Pinoy and sang her version of “Winter Wonderland” live for the first time. 

It’s easy to box Laufey as a pretty pop artist with strong classical and jazz influences. But that’s just oversimplifying the genius of her genre-pushing music and her growing influence over youth culture. She made jazz and classical music so cool and accessible again by talking about situationships and finding our little corner in this world. She made us wear our bows and frills and embrace our romantic selves. And she’s done all of this at 25. Thank the goddess the kids love her.

— LA, GMA Integrated News