Laufey finally broke through in the Grammy Awards during its 66th iteration in a momentous night that saw the return of music industry veterans like the "piano man" Billy Joel, who the Icelandic jazz icon performed with, and a night where women "dominated" across the categories.
Los Angeles, CA - February 04: Laufey performs at the 66th Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024.
Laufey's 'Iconic String of Events' at the Grammys
In an interview with Entertainment, Laufey explains the utter "high" she experienced during the announcement of her win shortly after a performance at the pre-ceremony, saying, "Maybe the most stressful six minutes of my life but, [after the announcement], the most exciting moment of my life."
The Icelandic artist bagged her first win under the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her "Bewitched" record, which peaked at the No. 1 spot in Billboard's Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums charts for many weeks.
Laufey's contenders for the award were Liz Callaway with her "To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim," Rickie Lee Jones with his "Pieces of Treasure," Pentatonix with their "Holidays Around the World," Bruce Springsteen with his "Only the Strong Survive," and "Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3" by a variety of artists.
The 2024 Grammy event also saw Laufey and Joel perform together, with the latter returning to the prestigious stage after 30 years with a performance of his "Turn the Lights Back On," which Laufey joined in on with her cello.
"It's so incredible to get to play with him," Laufey said. "He is just... such a good musician. One forgets how much craft these musicians put into their work and practice. Seeing him play and jamming [with him] in between rehearsals is very inspiring."
"I already feel like I won life at this point," the Icelandic singer remarked.
Read Also: Broadway Musical 'Some Like It Hot' Wins Best Musical Theater Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards
A Dominant Night for Women at the 66th Grammy Awards
The awards night was further cemented as perhaps one of the most memorable ones in recent memory due to the sheer "dominance" that female artists have exhibited across the board. Leading the pack were Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, SZA, and Billie Eilish.
Swift, for one, has made Grammy history as the first and only artist to ever win Album of the Year a total of four times through her world-acclaimed "Midnights" record. She got up on stage alongside fellow nominee Lana Del Rey to receive the monumental award.
"I would love to tell you this is the happiest moment of my life but I feel this happy when I've finished a song," she said. "All I want to do is keep doing this."
Joining her in the club of artists who had a phenomenal night was Cyrus, who won both the Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her "Flowers" single. Both these wins constitute the artist's first-ever from the award ceremony.
Eilish also had a wonderful showing at the event after her "What Was I Made For?" was formally named the Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Of her monumental wins, the artist said: "That was a crazy list of incredible people... I'm shocked out of my balls."
This particular song was also notable as it is the first "movie record" that won the Song of the Year since Celine Dion's legendary "My Heart Will Go On."
As for SZA, she led the night with a numerous nine nominations and won three of those. During the ceremony, she also "gave back" to the crowd with a tribute to the inspiration and namesake behind her "Kill Bill" song, through a nail-biting and action-packed number.
Laufey joins these female winners during the Grammys, alongside Lainey Wilson who won Best Country Album, Karol G who bagged the Best Música Urbana Album, and Coco Jones for Best R&B Performance.
