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Laufey on Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Jazz Singing and Gen-Z Pop: Young Fans ‘Connect More With a Vibe or an Energy Than a Genre’
Laufey is being named Crossover Artist of the Year at Variety's Hitmakers event. She discusses her deep roots in jazz singing and her Gen-Z fan base.
Genre discussions can be a drag for artists and fans alike, but they’re suddenly a lot more fun when the overriding question is whether to talk about someone in the same terms as we would an Ella Fitzgerald or push her more toward the Taylor Swift side of the ledger. An exception to that was the show she did this past summer with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, where an older demo of subscribers mingled happily with the Gen-Z fans who usually snap up her tickets the moment they go on sale. It would be interesting to take a survey some time of the younger part of your audience and ask them, “What do you consider this music to be?” I wonder how many of them think, “Oh yeah, I’m getting into jazz singing through Laufey,” or whether categories matter so little anymore that that doesn’t enter their minds at all.
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