Two-Time GRAMMY® Winner Laufey Goes a Little “Madwoman”
A phenomenon almost without comparison in contemporary pop.”
—The New York Times
Laufey has always known how to make old-school romance feel entirely current, but “Madwoman” lets her have a little more fun with what happens when the fairy tale starts to crack. Featured on A Matter of Time: The Final Hour, the expanded edition of her GRAMMY®-winning album A Matter of Time, the song brings a sharper edge to the lush jazz, pop and classical influences that have become her signature. That tension carries beautifully into its Warren Fu-directed music video, a glamorous, retro poolside fantasy starring Laufey alongside Hudson Williams, Lola Tung, Olympic champion Alysa Liu and KATSEYE’s Megan Skiendiel. What begins like an impossibly chic summer gathering gradually turns stranger and more unsettling as romance gives way to expectation, performance and a proposal that Laufey’s character isn’t quite sure she wants. It’s stylish, funny and just creepy enough to make the point.
There’s another layer to the “Madwoman” video that makes it especially personal for Laufey. The Icelandic-Chinese artist intentionally assembled an Asian and Asian American cast and creative team, turning the video into the kind of representation she has said she wished she had seen growing up. But the concept never overwhelms the song; instead, the visuals extend its story and showcase Laufey as an artist increasingly comfortable building an entire world around her music. That versatility can also be heard on her Amazon Music Original rendition of Miles Davis and Bill Evans’ “Blue in Green,” where she steps firmly into the jazz tradition from another direction. Taken together, “Madwoman” and “Blue in Green” show two complementary sides of Laufey: the imaginative songwriter and visual storyteller who can bend nostalgia into something new, and the musician whose connection to jazz runs considerably deeper than aesthetics.
Born Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir in Reykjavík to an Icelandic father and Chinese mother, Laufey is a singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has helped introduce jazz- and classical-influenced songwriting to a new generation of listeners. Classically trained in cello and piano, she developed a sound informed as much by jazz standards and orchestral music as contemporary pop, eventually breaking through internationally with her debut album Everything I Know About Love. Bewitched and A Matter of Time followed, both earning her GRAMMY® Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. With “Madwoman,” Laufey adds another dimension to that evolution, pairing sophisticated musicianship with increasingly ambitious visual storytelling—and proving that the world she’s creating can be elegant, unexpected and just a little bit wonderfully strange.
For more information on Laufey, visit her website at laufeymusic.com.
REVIEWS
"Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Laufey dropped the new music video for her single “Madwoman”...and it is truly a star-studded affair."
—Billboard
"Laufey is bringing back ‘70s glamour in her star-studded new music video."
—People Magazine
""Madwoman" does not just gather Wasian stars on screen. It builds a whole visual language around them through poolside mahjong, stylized red snapper, roasted duck (or at least that’s what I saw in the video), egg tarts and steamed baskets, glossy tabloid spreads, and a retro palette that turns every frame into its own statement. In doing so, the video presents Wasian visibility as something glamorous, playful, and fully centered."
—The Nerds Of Color
"The [Madwoman] video is full of glamorous looks and cheeky eye candy."
—Elle
"Laufey's "Madwoman" music video is a celebration of her mixed-race identity and stars fellow Wasian icons Hudson Williams, Lola Tung, Alysa Liu, and Megan Skiendiel (the latter of which Laufey was confused with on the Golden Globes red carpet back in January — coincidence, we think not). We caught up with the jazz singer back in February of 2024 where she opened up about her Chinese-Icelandic heritage and how her upbringing shaped her unique sound."
—Pop Sugar
