‘Tis the season for all things peppermint, decking the halls, and my personal favorite: jazz. The warm, jazzy Christmas carols and crooners waft through the background of sweet Christmas memories.
Jazz is not just for the holidays. And, if anything, jazz is back.
In my humble, amateur opinion, women have always dominated jazz. Women such as the powerhouse queen of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, and the raw, emotional, and legendary Billie Holiday paved the way for many female singers we know and love today. Some of the anthems dominating today’s top Billboard hits have obvious jazz influence, most notably Olivia Dean.
Olivia Dean, the English sensation, has emerged as a breakout star these past few years since the release of her EP Olivia Dean If You Know What I Mean in 2021. Many have come to know her through her most recent album, The Art of Loving, released in September 2025.
Her pop-soul sound and jazzy vocals have taken the world by storm; in 2024, she was named the runner-up in BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024. This jazzy influence can be heard particularly in one of her mega-hits, Be My Own Boyfriend and Ladies Room, blending female empowerment storytelling with a swinging beat.
Dean is not the only recent star to have demonstrated a shift towards jazz. A singer who has been dominating both my Spotify Wrapped and the jazz scene for years is the one and only Laufey. Laufey, an Icelandic, classically trained cellist, vocalist, and songwriter, has been coined the Gen Z jazz-pop star of my generation. Laufey dominated the charts; her album Bewitched is notably the biggest debut for a jazz album in Spotify history.
What sets her apart, in my opinion, is her ability to flawlessly merge classical sounds with a modern twang, creating a devoted fanbase to whom she calls ‘Lauvers.’ She defies the cliches of the jazz genre without compromising its roots. In an interview with Jake Shane on his podcast, Therapuss, she mentioned how two of her greatest music influences are the jazz icons Ella Fitzergerald and Norah Jones.
If you are into jazz for the holidays, I could not recommend her holiday album, A Very Laufey Holiday, enough. I am going to be vulnerable here when I say that I tend to be a traditionalist when it comes to holiday music. That being said, Laufey’s holiday tunes are among some of my favorites to play during the holidays!
Jazz is cool again!
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