A trio of my favorite independent podcasts:
1. STARGIRL â Created and hosted by Emma Glenn Baker, STARGIRL explores girls with that ineffable star quality. (There is such a thing as a non-STARGIRL "It" Girl, which Baker frequently clarifies on the show.) A podcast that is equal parts pop culture tea and highbrow cultural critism, every episode delves into a different STARGIRL, their patterns, and what their fame reveals about our culture and ourselves. Episodes range from Gwyneth Paltrow and Zendaya to Addison Rae, Jennie Kim, and Willa Cather (!). Gentle and soothing, this is also a great podcast to put on before bedtime. Listen to STARGIRL on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VFykudaxSh0XNLzcL2YmS?si=pZOfBXBnQESmkjYRCtNgww&nd=1&dlsi=f58ee3b787a9497f
2. EYEWITNESS BEAUTY â Created and hosted by two experienced beauty industry and DTC brand professionals, Nick Axelrod-Welk and Annie Kreighbaumâwho met during their tenure at golden-era Into The GlossâEYEWITNESS BEAUTY investigates both the biggest and more niche beauty topics of the day, from why "the artist [Harry Styles] has left the building" with the f.k.a. nailpolish brand PLEASING to why a recent book release on Glossier may not be an altogether factually correct portrayal of the beauty company's rise. I also enjoy when Nick and Annie discuss their culture & art favorites, bring on special guests (from aestheticians and make-up artists to entrepreneurs and fellow beauty podcasters), and discuss their Products of the Week. This podcast is fully independentâno advertising dollars are at play hereâand it shows in the tastes, discernment, and honest opinions of its hosts.
Listen to EYEWITNESS BEAUTY on Apple Podcasts here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pelotons-cody-rigsby-the-seinfeld-of-cycling/id1518313105?i=1000514517551
3. THE IMMORTAL ICONS OF DANCE â Created and hosted by Lauryn Johnson, a dancer and dance history curator, THE IMMORTAL ICONS OF DANCE explores dancemakers, directors and choreographers who have changed the course of the medium. Each episode focuses on a game-changing subject (for example: Gene Kelly or Martha Graham), as told through the lens of a dancer, usually a protĂ©gĂ©, who worked with that icon and was actually in the (rehearsal) room where it happened. As dance is such a presence-oriented art, and often an ephemeral one, I'm a big fan of anyone who has the dedication to preserve its priceless oral histories in stone so that anyone can access and be enriched by it in some way.
Listen to THE IMMORTAL ICONS OF DANCE on Apple Podcasts here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/immortal-icons-of-dance/id1708302372