Why does Laufey’s new album feature a classical ballet interlude?

26 August 2025, 12:20

Multitalented musician Laufey, who helped bring classical-jazz music to a brand new TikTok audience, has released a three-minute ballet interlude as part of her new album.

Laufey returns, after her Grammy-winning 2023 album, with a new record for 2025: A Matter of Time.

The Icelandic-Chinese singer and cellist continues to blend classical and jazz music with modern pop techniques, and her new LP cements her as a trailblazer of the genre.

And now, she has delighted fans by co-writing a ballet interlude for new album. Here’s why...

Is Laufey trained in classical music?

Growing up in Washington and Iceland, Laufey (pronounced Lay-vay) was surrounded by classical music, crediting her family as the key inspiration for her music.

Her grandfather taught violin at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, and her mother was also a violinist. She cites artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Chopin and Liszt as key influences of hers.

Read more: Laufey: ‘I hope to be a gateway to classical music for new audiences’

Laufey: ‘I hope to be a gateway to classical music’

What is Laufey best known for?

Laufey gained a strong following during the 2020 pandemic on TikTok by showcasing traditional jazz stylings in modern music, most notably ‘I Fall in Love Too Easy’ to Billie Eilish’s ‘My Future’. Laufey’s blend of indie singer-songwriter lyrics with a traditional music conservatory style instantly captured a Gen-Z audience.

Her popularity has continued to grow, and she is now a Billboard 200 artist after her second studio album reached #23.

She was recently featured in TIME’s 2025 Women of the Year list, as well as Forbes 30 under 30. In a recent promotion for her new album, Laufey performed at the Grammy Museum’s Ray Charles Terrace, with Selena Gomez in attendance.

The new album’s lead singles, ‘Tough Luck’ and ‘Silver Lining’, give fans a look at her new sound, as this year Laufey teams up with Aaron Dessner who produces for Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Speaking to Billboard, Laufey said: “I’m constantly thinking about classical and jazz, how to properly preserve them and pay homage.”

Why does Laufey’s new album feature a ballet interlude?

A Matter of Time features a three-minute interlude consisting solely of orchestral music. ‘Cuckoo Ballet - Interlude’ is a delightful palette cleanser co-written by Laufey and producer-songwriter Spencer Stewart, which employs plenty of classical techniques such as exploring variations on themes from previous works.

The recurring motifs from tracks like ‘Carousel’ and ‘Lover Girl’ help to encapsulate the album’s themes of infatuation and heartbreak. And the significant use of the ticking clock – a reference to the album title – coupled with a change in orchestration signal a turning point in the album, where the lyrical content becomes heavier.

It calls to mind Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella, which similarly employs the use of a ticking clock as well as the twinkling instrumentation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

The ballet interlude is a reminder of Laufey’s cello pedigree – at age 15, she performed as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and some of her first viral videos featured the young musician playing cello and singing in a classical-jazz style.

Laufey also revealed in a Billboard interview that she “grew up doing figure skating and ballet”.

While it is difficult to categorise Laufey into a single genre, the inclusion of the ‘Cuckoo Ballet - Interlude’ proves she intends to explore new avenues in classical music. With currently over a million streams on Spotify, it is exciting to see contemporary ballet music breaking into a new generation.

Laufey opera next please!