Laufey's new album, 'A Matter of Time,' explores anger, love & more

Long before the Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey became recognized the world over for her neoclassical jazz-meets-pop music, she was a student, answering a familiar yearbook prompt: "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

- 

Her answer: Move to the U.S., sign a record deal and win a Grammy. The 26-year-old has done all three.

"I must have been so confident to write that because I remember that being a very far-sought kind of thing," the musician born Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir told The Associated Press.

Those aren't her only accomplishments: She's collaborated with Barbra Streisand, shared the stage with Hozier, Noah Kahan and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. An unexpected nonconformist to the rules of contemporary pop, Laufey's third album, "A Matter of Time" out Friday, pulls inspiration from country and Icelandic folk music as well as classical and bossa nova sounds.

"My ultimate goal is to introduce young audiences to jazz music, to classical music, to encourage them to learn instruments and explore their own sound," Laufey said.

In a recent interview, Laufey discussed her new album, embracing anger on the record, working with her twin sister and more. Responses are edited for clarity and brevity.

What's the story behind the title "A Matter of Time?"

"I knew I wanted the album to have time as a central theme. I was just so fascinated by how it's kind of like this one thing that humans have no control over, and sometimes we want to speed up and sometimes we want to slow down, but ultimately it's out of our control. And there's something romantic about that to me.