TikTok jazz sensation Laufey: ‘It’s no longer about genre, it’s about feeling and mood’

As the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter begins a sellout world tour, she talks about how a ‘21st-century girl’ is making young fans nostalgic for a crooning jazz era they never knew

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.