Our Favorite Artists: Part 2

Laufey

I learned about Laufey through an interview in which she talks about “Snow White,” a song in her EP, Snow White, and her most recent album, A Matter of Time. This is a deeply personal song in which Laufey expresses her experience in this world, where external beauty is valued more than internal beauty.

I am often drawn to songs with lyrical depth like this, so I opened Spotify and listened to “Snow White.” I was immediately taken by the beautiful, unique mixture of classical music and pop that is Laufey’s music. I continued to explore the rest of A Matter of Time and was surprised by the range of emotive, honest, and beautiful songs and lyrics I found. I am in awe of Laufey’s gentle yet powerful voice, her raw openness, and her courage to go against the grain of mainstream music.

Laufey’s personal brand is also one of my favorites in the music industry; it has such a beautiful, vintage, almost whimsical feel, yet it does not fail to capture the darker, dramatic sides of her music as well. She is personable, eloquent, and frank in her interviews, maintaining an image consistent with her music.

There is also a playfulness to her brand, which I think makes it even more effective. Not everything she posts is polished; she posts everyday photos and casual videos that make her seem more relatable to her audience.

Laufey and her team are also marketing masterminds who aren’t afraid to be bold. One notable example of this is Laufey’s billboard for Coachella 2025, on which the headline, “Still Struggling with My Name? Visit www.saylaufey.com to Learn” is printed to the left of a photo of her crying face. The link leads to a website with one video in which she pronounces her name, which is notoriously mispronounced, correctly. Another example is her recent music video for her song, “Madwoman,” part of her deluxe edition of A Matter of Time, A Matter of Time: The Final Hour. For this video, she recruited Hudson Williams, Alysa Liu, Megan Skiendiel, and Lola Tung, all very prominent artists in different areas of the entertainment industry. In bringing all this artists together, Laufey built a bridge between all the fandoms they are associated with—a bridge that will ultimately benefit each of them.

Image Credit: Neil Krug, Billboard.

Lana Del Rey

I think the first Lana Del Rey song I listened to was “Summertime Sadness,” but I didn’t realize I was listening to Lana Del Rey at the time. This song played many times on the radio around its release in the early 2010s, but it wasn’t until over a decade later that I began listening to the rest of Lana Del Rey’s music.

I fell in love with Lana Del Rey’s music when I heard “Young and Beautiful,” which was featured in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. There is something so melancholic and cinematic about this song that drew me to listen to more of her music. When I did, I found that the rest of Lana Del Rey’s songs carried the same raw grandness of “Young and Beautiful” (and I also discovered that she sings “Summertime Sadness”). There is something about Lana Del Rey’s music that makes me feel like I’m in a different place and a different time, which I really enjoy.

Image Credit: Universal Music Group.

Hozier

To me, Hozier’s music is nostalgic. I think hearing “Take Me to Church” brings back nostalgia for many of us. Even before listening to Hozier’s music besides “Take Me to Church,” I always thought that his voice stood out amongst that of other popular artists at the time.

In college, I began to listen to more of Hozier’s music and must have played through his 2014 album, Hozier, at least a dozen times. I find his music, particularly his albums, Hozier and Unreal Unearth: Unending, to be both haunting and grounding at the same time. He has a way of imbuing his lyrics and his voice with emotion that you can feel through the music. In this way, Hozier’s music is powerful and moving, and it makes you feel, which I think is what good music should be able to do.

To Conclude…

I’m a fan of these artists because of their unique sound and the ability to tell a story through their music.

Do you listen to any of these artists? Feel free to comment your favorite artists below!