Laufey, Gen Z’s Pop Jazz Icon, Sings for the Anxious Generation
24 April 2024 - 27 minsLaufey, the 25-year-old singer-songwriter, has risen to prominence by taking the trials of today’s dating world — casual relationships, no labels and seemingly endless swiping on apps — and turning them into timeless love songs.
Today, Laufey reads Coco Mellors’s essay, “An Anxious Person Tries to Be Chill,” which is about a woman trying to work through her deep-seated relationship anxieties and attachment issues in an on-again, off-again situationship. Laufey says she, too, has been an anxious partner. While she thinks a toxic relationship, like the one in the essay, can make for a great love song, she now knows secure relationships can make beautiful music, too.
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Zendaya and Robert Pattinson on Marriage and Secrets
explicitIn their buzzy new film, “The Drama,” Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play an engaged couple whose relationship is imploding. With their wedding just a week away, Emma (Zendaya) reveals a shocking secret about her past that sends her fiancé, Charlie (Pattinson), into a self-destructive spiral of doubt. The stakes are high for these fictional lovers, but the underlying relationship anxiety is relatable: What if you don’t know the person you love as well as you think you do? What if they surprise you, and that surprise is not good? In this episode, Anna Martin, the host of “Modern Love,” asks Pattinson and Zendaya what these questions mean to their characters, and in their own lives. You can watch a video version of this episode here: https://www.nytimes.com/column/modern-love-podcast
33 mins
1 April Finished
He’s Gay. She’s Straight. They’re Newlyweds. (Encore)
Jacob Hoff and Samantha Greenstone call their unlikely love “a soul connection.”
38 mins
25 March Finished
A Widow's Guide to Sex
explicitWhen Joan Price's husband died, her grief left her feeling alienated from her body. She was numb. She couldn’t have orgasms. Her sex drive disappeared. Joan understood better than most people the importance of a fulfilling sex life; as a sex educator for older adults, she centered her work around pleasure and desire. So, she began the process of rediscovering what it means to feel good after loss. Joan ended up writing a book about everything she learned, called "Sex After Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality After Losing Your Beloved." This week on “Modern Love,” Joan Price tells the story of reconnecting with her sexuality, and she shares advice for anyone looking to do the same. Please note: this episode contains explicit descriptions of sex.
53 mins
18 March Finished
Jessie Buckley Became a Mother for 'Hamnet.' Then She Became a Real One. (Encore)
explicitThe Oscar-nominated actress talks about the primal love and grief of motherhood.
36 mins
11 March Finished
Lindy West Thought She Couldn’t Handle Polyamory. She Was Wrong.
explicitWhen she was growing up, the writer Lindy West was bombarded with negative messages about being fat. The whole world seemed to think she didn’t deserve love unless she lost weight. In her first book, “Shrill,” West wrote about how hard it was to combat fatphobia within herself, in society and on the internet, where she was attacked by some particularly vicious trolls. By the end of the book, West had found confidence in herself. She also got married to the love of her life. Now, West is opening up about a conflict that was built into her marriage from the start: She wanted to be monogamous. Her husband, Aham, did not. To make Aham happy, West agreed that he could see other people, but she was terrified of what would happen to her self-esteem if he ever acted on it. This week on “Modern Love,” West talks about what happened when Aham started seriously dating someone else. Once this new girlfriend entered the picture, it forced West to rethink her feelings about her marriage, and about herself. On the other side of all that tough emotional work, she was surprised to discover a new kind of joy. Lindy West’s latest book, “Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane,” comes out March 10.
51 mins
4 March Finished
I Didn’t Want to Have Kids. My Husband Did. Could Our Marriage Survive?
explicitHelena de Groot thought she had decided not to become a mother. But, she found, she had to make that decision over and over again.
53 mins
25 February Finished