Laufey (Lay-vay), an Icelandic artist and lyrical genius, writes music about the typical “girlhood” experience: heartbreaks and falling in love. However, along with love, girlhood is also about facing insecurities in the teen years. As stated in the title “Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self,” the song is dedicated to her childhood insecurities in the form of a letter. I found myself feeling emotionally connected to this song in particular.

I wish I could go back and give her a squeeze, myself at 13, and just let her know, know that she’s beautiful.

Laufey, “Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self”

As a 15-year-old, I would say that I am currently experiencing girlhood in all its glory. Falling behind in romance and living life one day at a time, I feel as if I don’t fit in. I believe that girlhood is all about guiding yourself through life surrounded by the peer pressure of assimilating and the fear of judgment. Even if I don’t want to believe it, I can’t completely avoid the fact that I also face insecurities that others around me face, whether it be my facial appearance, personality, family, voice, body, etc. Laufey, who has gone through girlhood with all its ups and downs, explains how we’ll grow up and not worry about our differences because, at the end of the day, these differences are what makes us, us.

To thrive and survive, listening to Laufey (as well as some of my other favorite artists such as Wave to Earth, Lana Del Rey, etc.) helps get me through tough times. She acts as a figure I can look up to. I can enjoy not only her beautiful melodies but also her heartfelt lyrics simultaneously. Just a year ago, I was not as interested in music, but after being introduced to different genres and artists, I realized that there is much more to music than Taylor Swift or Drake, even if their music is good. In my opinion, music elevates all experiences we have in our day-to-day lives. If you enjoy different genres of music, here are a few music recommendations!