Laufey, the Grammy-winning jazz-pop artist, recently shared an interesting anecdote about a compliment she received from Bill Murray when she was just 17 years old. In an interview with The Independent, the 25-year-old Icelandic-Chinese singer recalled Murray calling her a “powerful woman,” leaving her somewhat perplexed at the time.
Laufey admitted to feeling confused by the compliment, primarily because she hadn’t yet released any music. “I hadn’t put out any music then,” she explained. “I was just a nerdy little classical cello student.” While she appreciated the sentiment from the acclaimed actor, the comment seemed out of context for a teenager still in the early stages of her musical journey.
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Despite her young age at the time of the encounter, Laufey already had significant musical accomplishments under her belt. She was a finalist on Iceland’s Got Talent and a semi-finalist on The Voice Iceland. Since then, her career has flourished. She graduated from Berklee College of Music and released two successful albums: Everything I Know About Love (2022) and the Grammy-winning Bewitched (2023), which earned her the prestigious award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Years after their initial encounter, Murray and Laufey reconnected in a delightful full-circle moment. Murray made a cameo appearance as the narrator in Laufey’s music video for her rendition of the holiday classic “Santa Baby.”
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The video, directed by Jason Lester and choreographed by Alex Wong, showcases Laufey in a series of festive holiday scenes while Murray’s narration adds a humorous touch. The video was released in conjunction with Laufey’s Christmas EP, A Very Laufey Holiday, originally released in 2022. Laufey expressed her excitement about the collaboration, stating, “It was so much fun creating this version, and the music video became the perfect visual representation of the track. We were so lucky to have Bill Murray and Isabella Boylston of the American Ballet featured in the video for this fun and festive story.” The “Santa Baby” video offers a whimsical and playful take on the holiday classic, further solidifying Laufey’s growing presence in the music industry.
