‘I spent every summer in Beijing studying music’

CGTN Europe

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

Transcript

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.

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