It’s six hours before showtime and a queue of teenagers already lines the street outside east London’s EartH arts venue. They are sitting patiently on the pavement and finishing their homework or playing Uno, hoping to get to the front of the stage for the first of three sold-out shows by 24-year-old singer-songwriter Laufey Jónsdóttir. Overhead, the grey February afternoon threatens to break into rain.
Inside, sitting next to the peeling walls of her dressing room in a pristine gingham dress, Jónsdóttir is unfazed by the levels of anticipation.
“Since we put on my first headline shows in 2021, they have always sold out,” she says. “I don’t get nervous before I perform, because as soon as I’m on stage it’s this immediate release to sing and connect with the audience. It’s the best part of being a musician.”
Read the feature in the Observer.
[This piece was published on 03/03/24]