Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

If a team of aesthetically-minded scientists could reverse-engineer the perfect Hollywood Bowl act, they might have come up with the 25-year-old Icelandic-Chinese-American sensation who goes by the singular name of Laufey. No one would ever dream of creating such an impossible checklist, but here she is: a singer who would have seemed at home on the same stage in the 1950s, but who appeals to a younger demographic in the 2020s. A multi-instrumentalist with a flair for electric guitar, piano, and cello. A romantic with a flair for the swoony air that’s fit for a summer date night. And, perhaps most importantly, she plays well with Thomas Wilkins and woodwinds.

Some were born in the mansion; Laufey was born at the Bowl. Her triumphant debut at the venue Wednesday night, backed by a Wilkins-led LA Phil, seemed preordained, perhaps ever since she released her first EP just three years ago. It seemed especially clear after Laufey did a test run in the summer of 2023, playing with the Philharmonic across the chasm at the much smaller Ford Amphitheatre. With an avid following that had already outgrown the term “cult,” she could have filled the Bowl when she did the Ford 11 months ago. In fact, headlining the Bowl for just one night this year felt like a bit of an underplay. It sold out so quickly—and even the bloodiest resale tickets were going for such a premium—that it seemed clear Laufey could have done a three-night stand.

And yet, she’s still flying under the radar of at least some of the music industry, let alone the general public, even with a Grammy win this year, sold-out shows from the Hollywood Hills to Radio City Music Hall, and an IYKYK-level of hysteria among her youngest and most loyal devotees. Maybe that’s just as it should be, for an artist whose throwback-style sound isn’t for everyone. Would Brigadoon seem as special if the entire world came out to see her sporadic happenings?