Icelandic Chinese vocalist and songwriter Laufey (pronounced lāy-vāy) appreciates the many wonders of life. It's evident in his music, which fuses the sounds of jazz and classical giants of the past with a romantic narrative, punctuated by deep vibrato and modern references. And it's evident in his enthusiasm for his current hometown of Los Angeles. Although the 25-year-old contralto has traveled the world (she grew up in Reykjavik, attended a cello camp in Beijing and toured Boston as a student at Berklee College of Music), she was still drawn to Los Angeles when her burgeoning music career caught her attention. brought. to West Hollywood in summer 2021
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
“I was just running around enjoying the sunny weather,” he said. “He was really in love with Los Angeles and couldn't believe it was real. I still feel that way today.”
Since then, the TikTok-savvy singer has settled in, even referencing the “weeping” mountains of Los Angeles and Sunset Boulevard in a collaboration with the Icelandic Philharmonic called “California and me.” Her career reached new heights in February when her first album, “Bewitched,” won a Grammy in the best traditional pop vocal categories. (He “Goddess Edition”from that aforementioned album comes out today).
Amid his dizzying success in the recording industry, Laufey's appreciation for the city's small joys has not diminished. Now located in downtown Los Angeles, her perfect day consists of purchasing Icelandic catch at her local fishmonger, relaxing with a good book on the beach, practicing Frederic Chopin children's songs as a form of meditation, and spending more time on her phone than she would like to admit. .
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
8 am: get up and drink
I am an early riser. Even on a Sunday. I love the day. I love running and doing things and I don't want to miss an hour. So I usually wake up around 8, maybe 9 on Sundays. And I'll have a coffee right away. There are so many fun coffee shops. Love Maru, so I go to Maru a lot. I also like it very much damo In K-town they have very good matcha. [I’ll] sit and read, sit and journal, sit and call my parents. They are in Iceland, so morning is the best time to call them.
11 am: A taste of home
Then I like to go to the farmers market. I love farmers markets in Los Angeles. I think it's one of the best things about Los Angeles. And the products are very fresh. I love the Larchmont one because it's small and sweet. Larchmont Village is my favorite place. And I also love the one on Melrose Place. It's a little more elegant, it almost feels more like an event. So I also like the one in Hollywood, the one in Studio City. I like to change it up and get a different vibe from each neighborhood.
Jyan Isaac Bread The bakery has a rye bread, like Danish rye bread, which I always have. Because it reminds me of the bread I ate in Iceland when I was a child. I toast it and put butter on it.
I think the fruit and vegetable vendors in Larchmont are probably my favorite. And then they always have Icelandic fish, Nordic fish, seemingly at every farmers market. At least Melrose, Hollywood and Larchmont have redfish: salmon, cod, everything. That's why I like to buy fish there every Sunday as a little taste of home. Seeing that in Los Angeles is always a lot of fun – these fish were in Iceland recently. [Laughs]
1:00 p.m.: small European delights
After that I like to have lunch or brunch. My diet is all over the place on Sundays because I basically only get little treats. Like every time I have coffee, I'll probably have a pastry. Or a matcha, I want a cupcake.
[For] lunch, Loupiotte Kitchen in Los Feliz is my favorite. He is so cute and it almost feels like being in Paris. But it is very fun because the weather is very good all year round. And the people… there are always cute kids there. It feels very familiar.
I like to sit outside. They have very good eggs. They make this scrambled eggs with crème fraîche that is very French and very delicious. They also have very good toast. Avocado toast. They have a summer toast that has a lot of different vegetables. They also have good pastries. And I also like to drink some orange juice.
Normally I'll be with a friend and just bark. I'll end up talking until 3pm or something like that. I have to get it out of my system.
3:00 p.m.: Tuna and books pit stop.
I love the Brentwood Country Mart. I stop there on the way to the beach. There is a very nice bookstore called Diesel That's one of my favorites in Los Angeles.
I'm going to the farm store, I have another coffee. I drink coffee like three times a day. I like to return there. Specifically they have a tuna salad that is so Delicious and you can put it on bread. So sometimes I pick up bread, eat a loaf of bread at the Farm Shop and buy one of their tuna products (I'm literally getting hungry right now) and spread it on the beach.
3:30 pm: Long walks on the beach
I've been going to the beach. I'll drive to Malibu or just to Santa Monica. And I'll just walk on the beach.
I grew up near the ocean in Iceland. So the smell of salt, the smell of fish and the ocean really reminds me of home. That's why I love going to the beach so much. There's something that makes me feel like everything is connected. In a way, it's all the same ocean. So I like that. I like to watch the birds, the terrifying seagulls. I just like to sit on the bench and watch, read, eat my bread and my tuna.
I'm reading “The midnight library”by Matt Haig. And I have also been reading “The fragments“By Bret Easton Ellis. “Midnight Library” I just started, because it's my book club read during the month. “The Shards” I am very excited to read because I heard there is a connection between “The Shards” and “The secret history”, which is a book of Donna Tart, which is my favorite book. I've heard there are some commonalities, so I'm excited to discover them. But I always loved some kind of dark academic thing, which “The Shards” definitely is.
6 pm: Cooking with Nat King Cole
After that, I'll come back and usually cook whatever I have from the farmers market that day. Most often it is fish, salmon. I love choosing vegetables that I haven't used before and then just challenge myself to come home and find a recipe or find a recipe. But anything really colorful really appeals to me, so if it's like really purple cauliflower, I'll be like, “I have to figure it out tonight.”
My mother cooks a lot. And she has taught me many recipes. She will teach me by FaceTiming me. I'll do it on FaceTime while I cook. It's so much fun, it's like a live cooking tutorial. All my recipes are yours.
Honestly, I really like cooking for myself. I like to cook for others, but pretty much only for my twin sister because I'm afraid of upsetting the people I cook for. My people-pleasing program can't handle hosting too many people at once. I play music. I love playing Nat King Cole. He lived in my neighborhood, so I feel very connected to Nat King Cole.
8 p.m.: Chopin for the soul
I will practice cello, piano, guitar. [On] On Sundays I especially like to play classical pieces. I don't try too hard to write something new or original, I just pull out scores of pieces I played when I was younger, classical pieces, and that always takes hold. I think it's the best way to end the week.
[I play] these little pieces of Chopin. Lots of children's music. Classical music that children learn first, because it is very simple and meditative. And it's not difficult. And many times it is really beautiful melodies that are good for the soul.
9 pm: TikTok time
Realistically, I'll probably stay on my phone in bed or read or watch a TV show or something until midnight.
I've been watching a lot of these TikToks of this little Chinese boy preparing food. Do you like street food? He's making these really elaborate dishes outside on a plate and it's so cute. He is so good. He's like a 3 year old or something. And he is very professional when he does it. And he always gives it to his grandfather or like the village elder.
There is an older Japanese couple who posts their outfits together every day. Aki and Koichi. And they are so elegant. So I've been following it every day. And they live in Los Angeles. They are great.
[I scroll on TikTikTok for] More than I'd like to admit. [My screen time is] Not good. But, you know, a lot of my job requires being on the phone. So I see it as work.
Midnight: A strict bedtime
I have a very regulated circadian rhythm that runs from midnight to 8am, and if I don't follow it, things get messed up, I might not fall asleep. That's why I try to follow it very strictly.
