Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey has triumphed in the past few months, winning her first Grammy and beginning a sold-out world tour.
Laufey spoke to CGTN about her success and Chinese heritage
Laufey spoke to CGTN about her success and Chinese heritage
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MusicTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC - "I GET QUIET WHEN THERE'S NO ONE ELSE"]
00:08 Recently, you won your first Grammy award.
00:12 Congratulations on that.
00:13 Tell me how that feels.
00:14 It's one of those things that, as a child,
00:17 seems really impossible.
00:19 It's up there with going to the moon or becoming a princess.
00:23 And it's like that level of crazy.
00:25 So it's really special, especially in the category
00:29 that I won in.
00:30 [MUSIC - "AREN'T YOU LONELY"]
00:37 And I was actually reading that you said that you're
00:39 going to path into classical music
00:41 and playing the cello was down to your Chinese mother.
00:44 So I was just wondering if you could tell me
00:46 a bit about your mother's influence in your life.
00:49 My mother's a violinist.
00:51 She grew up in Beijing and went to the Central Conservatory
00:55 of Music in Beijing.
00:57 My grandparents were both professors
01:00 in the Central Conservatory as well for violin and piano.
01:04 So classical music was my entire life.
01:08 And it was all from my Chinese side.
01:12 And my mother, she taught me since I was a child.
01:17 And she taught me in Chinese.
01:21 And I spent every summer in Beijing studying music as well.
01:25 I think I'm right in saying that you performed in Beijing
01:28 last year as part of your tour.
01:30 Could you tell me a bit about that experience?
01:32 I played with the China Philharmonic
01:34 at the Beijing Music Festival.
01:36 It was just such an amazing experience.
01:40 A lot of students of my grandfather's
01:43 were in the orchestra and students of students
01:46 of my grandfather's as well.
01:48 So to get to play with them was--
01:51 it felt like a full circle moment.
01:53 My grandfather passed like 15 years ago.
01:57 And getting to play, it's something I'll never forget.
02:02 I love playing in China.
02:03 I love my Chinese fans.
02:05 And I'll definitely be making my rounds back there.
02:08 It's an important place for me.
02:10 [MUSIC - "I'LL NEVER FORGET"]
02:12 I'll never forget how stupid in love--
02:17 So you spent your childhood in Iceland.
02:20 You also spent time in the United States.
02:22 And also in China.
02:24 What is your favorite thing about each of those cultures?
02:28 Iceland, I love the nature.
02:29 I think that's something that is just unmatched in Iceland.
02:36 In the States, I think there's an openness
02:40 towards cultures and diversity that,
02:43 as somebody who comes from three different cultures,
02:46 I really, really love about America.
02:50 And I think China, there's a level of passion
02:56 that runs through the culture.
02:57 There's a level of passion that people put into projects.
03:00 Maybe because my musical side comes from there.
03:03 But I think people are unafraid of showing love, showing
03:08 passion, and their true feelings.
03:10 And there's a level of respect and kindness in the culture
03:16 that I think I've really, really learned from my Chinese side.
03:22 And the food.
03:22 The food is the best there.