Angelina Zhao

Laufey and Mitski, two prominent female songwriters and singers make impact on music industry and release world tour information.

Laufey and Mitski, two groundbreaking female artists who have created a massive platform for themselves, both emerged in popularity around the same time. Despite the difference in the genre of music they produce, their careers gained traction after the influence of TikTok. Both artists have won awards and charted on the Billboard Top 100 Hits.

As their influence grows on social media, a majority of their audience belongs to a younger demographic, inciting interesting similarities and distinctions between the two fandoms.

Laufey, having created and grown a large following on TikTok before the pandemic, has a large and diverse fan base.

“I just heard their songs on my For You page on TikTok and liked how they sounded,” Catherine Lou (10) said. “The most appealing part of their music is how unique it is.”

Additionally, Laufey has been credited for reviving and bringing more attention to modern jazz, a genre that was dying out. Her music is a creation of jazz-inspired pop music; her incorporation of orchestrated classical music takes a step in a new, fresh direction.

In contrast, Mitski’s musical career started during her high school years. Her hit album Lush was created as part of her college project which now has accumulated millions of streams for each track. She is known for her indie rock/pop music and has gathered a major following of mostly teenagers. Because of this, her audience consists of juveniles who are still developing, both mentally and physically.

There have been recent controversies as she has announced what may be her final tour due to the number of disrespectful fans at her concerts. Mitski works to create an intimate and meaningful performance for each show, but unfortunately, videos of her concert show many fans, typically preteens, acting inappropriately and yelling out comments to disrupt the show.

“I don’t listen to Mitski too much, but concerning the etiquette of people at her concerts, I think it’s okay to like an artist and verbalize it, but at a certain point, it is disrespectful to her and the audience to be constantly yelling during her show,” Sharon Park (10) said.

Additionally, Mitski has requested in the past for her attendees to refrain from filming her show.

“I think she’s valid in asking fans to not film so much. I know she’s not the first to request her audience to do so,” Park continues. “As for a potential age minimum for attendance, I don’t think it’s all younger people that are being disrespectful and it won’t be all that effective.”

Despite the difference in music these two artists make, many fans share an interest in them both and have compared the two. Laufey once tweeted, “Somebody just said I’m like Mitski without the trauma,” which referred to the opinion that Laufey and Mitski exist on the same plane despite the drastic difference in tone.

“That’s funny, but I think the only reason someone would say that is because they just happen to listen to Mitski and Laufey. There’s not much parallel between their music from what I know,” Trinity Gong (12) said. “They both have very distinct styles, although it would be very interesting if they do a collab one day.”

That day might just come sooner than expected. Earlier in January, Mitski announced her North America Tour for 2024, with multiple special guests and openers, one being Laufey.

While there is yet to be an announcement or speculation for the two artists’ collaboration on a track, the internet certainly awaits their duo performance on stage.