“People sometimes expect me to be an audio snob because I exude ‘music snob’ sometimes, even though I’m not a snob. I’m not a snob at all": Laufey says she’s happy to make do with voice memo recordings and doesn’t pay much attention to the mics she uses

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 24: Laufey performs onstage with FIJI Water at A Very Laufey Day 2025 at Los Angeles Grand Park on August 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FIJI Water).

She might have the purest of voices, but Icelandic jazz-adjacent pop star Laufey reckons that she doesn’t need an amazing vocal chain to get good results when it’s being recorded.

Discussing the creation of Tough Luck - a recent single from her new album, A Matter Of Time - on the Tape Notes Podcast, Laufey agreed with her producer, Spencer Stewart, when he suggested that it’s the quality of the performer rather than the gear that matters most, and that it was “shame” rather than necessity that made him upgrade his recording setup.