A Very Bewitching Night with Laufey

Hearts were stolen and tears were shed at Laufey’s Portland show.

Photo: Claudia Rader

Words and photography by Claudia Rader.

Nothing feels more like fall time than the sounds of Laufey. It was a perfect fall Portland day and a stunning night at the former high school, Revolution Hall, this week. With support from Adam Melchor, some may call it a perfect lineup.

Everyone donned their best ribbons and vintage attire for the third show of her sold-out Bewitched tour. It was one of the best-dressed crowds I had ever been in. The dedication and energy of the audience added to the enchanted evening.

It’s hard to describe how beautiful of a night it was from the talent show setting of a high school auditorium to the the stunning lighting design (special note for Haunted). She is a true master of her craft as she effortlessly rotated between instruments bringing these truly special songs to life in the most perfect way possible.

It has been a great year for the multifaceted artist. Laufey (pronounced lay-vey) is an Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter who began releasing music while attending Berklee College of Music. Her debut single Street by Street was an instant success and began collaborating with many artists and orchestras since.

With the release of her second album Bewitched, Laufy reached multiple milestones. Bewitched was the biggest jazz album debut in Spotify history. The use of jazz and classical themes in her music is reintroducing a new generation to jazz, bringing it to the forefront in a way that has not happened in a while. The album is the perfect escape, a way I have always felt about her music since hearing Let You Break My Heart Again when it was released in 2021. This sense of escape is what everyone relates to, why every Laufey song has become popular on Tik-Tok. There is something in there for everyone.

Photo: Claudia Rader

The night was filled with a roller coaster of emotions as she tugged at our hearts, maybe shattered them a little, holding back tears to A Letter to My 13 Year Old Self. Laufey then ended the night with her encore where she took one from the book of Taylor Swift and as part of her encore, surprising the audience with a different song every night. Portland was blessed with Above the Chinese Restaurant, a track off of her first album, Everything I Know About Love.

If you’re one of the few lucky enough to have tickets you’re in for a perfect night of magical whimsy. If you have the chance to snag tickets I would say it is worth it. And I hope we all can manage and cope until A Night to Remember, a collaboration with Beabadoobee is released and we can all descend into a frenzy together.

You Gotta Listen: Lovesick, Letter to My 13 Year Old Self, Let You Break My Heart Again