Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

From the Start

"From the Start" is a song by Icelandic singer Laufey. It was released as a single on 11 May 2023 via AWAL.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
Length
880 w
Citations
29
Source
Wikipedia ↗
"From the Start"
Single by Laufey
from the album Bewitched
Released11 May 2023 (2023-05-11)
Genre
Length2:49
LabelAWAL
Songwriters
  • Laufey
  • Spencer Stewart
Producers
  • Laufey
  • Spencer Stewart
Laufey singles chronology
"The Christmas Waltz"
(2022) 		"From the Start"
(2023) 		"Promise"
(2023)
Music video
"From the Start" on YouTube

"From the Start" is a song by Icelandic singer Laufey. It was released as a single on 11 May 2023 via AWAL.2

Background

"From the Start" was released after Laufey's performance with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, A Night at the Symphony in 2023.2 Lyrically, the song is about the unrequited love between a protagonist and her best friend, describing it as "a playful mix of old sounds with modern lyrics".3

Commercial performance

The song reached 1 million streams in less than 24 hours upon release.4

Covers

In 2023, "From the Start" was covered by the band Good Kid, who later incorporated the cover into their extended play Good Kid 4 on 27 March 2024.5

In January 2025, Laufey's dance steps from the music video, set to the chorus, were purchasable as a dance move in Fortnite.6

On 24 June 2025, Jiandro released a viral TikTok remix of the song called "Confess Your Love", while Spotify released the song on 13 August 2025.7

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "From the Start"
Chart (2023–2025) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)8 83
Iceland (Tónlistinn)9 19
Italy Airplay (EarOne)10 63
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)11 8
Singapore Regional (RIAS)12 23
UK Singles (OCC)13 92
UK Independent Singles (OCC)14 39
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)15 1
US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)16 34

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "From the Start"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)17 Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)18 Platinum 80,000‡
France (SNEP)19 Gold 100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)20 Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)21 Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)22 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "From the Start"
Region Date Format(s) Version(s) Label Ref.
Various 11 May 2023
Original AWAL 23
Italy 22 June 2023 Radio airplay 24
Various 26 July 2023
  • Streaming
  • digital download
 Sped-up 25
14 June 2024 String quartet 26
19 July 2024 Lo-fi 27
United States 11 November 2024 7-inch vinyl
  • Original
  • live
 28
References

References

  1. "Laufey: "Love From the Start"". Ones To Watch. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  2. "Laufey returns with new single 'From the Start'". pop.inquirer.net. May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. Taylor, Sam (May 12, 2023). "Laufey has released a new single about being in love with a friend, "From the Start"". Dork. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  4. "Laufey shares video for viral hit "From The Start" alongside new single". radioadndmusic.com. August 31, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  5. Hudson, Alex. "Good Kid Announce Fourth EP, Share New Single "Break"". Exclaim!. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  6. Hrólfsson, Ragnar Jón (2025-01-01). "Dansspor Laufeyjar komin í Fortnite - RÚV.is". RÚV. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
  7. Lipshutz, Jason; Denis, Kyle (2025-08-27). "As Laufey Releases Her New Album, A Hit From Her Previous Album Has a New Remix Blowing Up". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  8. "Canadian Hot 100: Week of October 25, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  9. "Tónlistinn – Lög – Viku 1 – 2024" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. "EarOne Airplay: Settimana #27 dal 30/06/2023 al 06/07/2023" (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  11. "Aotearoa Hot 40 Singles: Week of July 21th, 2023". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  12. "RIAS Top Charts: Week 38 (15 - 21 Sep 2023)". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. "From The Start by Laufey – Singles Chart". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  14. "From The Start by Laufey – Independent Singles Chart". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  15. "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  16. "Adult Alternative Airplay: Week of March 2, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  17. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  18. "Canadian single certifications – Laufey – From the Start". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  19. "French single certifications – Laufey – From the Start" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  20. "New Zealand single certifications – Laufey – From the Start". Radioscope. Retrieved 6 February 2025. Type From the Start in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  21. "British single certifications – Laufey – From the Start". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type From the Start Laufey in the "Search:" field.
  22. "American single certifications – Laufey – From the Start". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  23. "'From The Start' Laufey". Amazon Music. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  24. Predolin, Stefano (20 June 2023). "'From the Start' Laufey | (Radio Date: 22/06/2023)" (Press release) (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  25. "'From The Start (Sped Up)' Mei Mei The Bunny". Amazon Music. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  26. "'Bewitched / From The Start (String Quartet Editions)' Mei Mei The Bunny". Amazon Music. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  27. "'From The Start (Lofi Version)' Mei Mei The Bunny". Amazon Music. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  28. "'From The Start' Laufey". Urban Outfitters. Retrieved 11 November 2024.