Lifestyle
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Laufey
Icelandic Chinese vocalist and songwriter Laufey (pronounced lāy-vāy) has an appreciation for life’s many wonders. It’s apparent in her music, which fuses the sounds of jazz and classical giants past with romantic storytelling, punctuated by a deep vibrato and modern-day references. And it’s apparent in her enthusiasm for her current hometown of Los Angeles. Though the 25-year-old alto has been around the world — growing up in Reykjavik, attending cello band camp in Beijing and bopping around Boston as a Berklee College of Music student — she was still struck by L.A. when her burgeoning music career brought her to West Hollywood in the summer of 2021
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
“I was just running around enjoying the sunny weather,” she said. “I was really so enamored by L.A. and couldn’t believe it was real. I still to this day feel like that.”
The TikTok-savvy songstress has since settled in, even referencing L.A.’s “weeping” mountains, and Sunset Boulevard in a collaboration with the Icelandic Philharmonic called “California and Me.” Her career reached new heights in February when her first album, “Bewitched,” won a Grammy in the best traditional pop vocal categories. (The “Goddess Edition” of that aforementioned album is out today.)
In the midst of her whirlwind recording industry success, Laufey’s appreciation for the city’s little joys hasn’t waned. Now situated in central L.A., her perfect day involves picking up Icelandic catch from her local fishmonger, relaxing with a good book by the beach, practicing Frederic Chopin’s children’s tunes as a form of meditation and spending more time on her phone than she cares to admit.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
8 a.m.: Rise and sip
I’m an early riser. Even on a Sunday. I love the day. I love running around and doing things and I don’t want to miss even an hour of it. So I usually wake up at around 8, maybe 9 on a Sunday. And I’ll immediately get coffee. There’s so many fun coffee shops. I love Maru, so I go to Maru a lot. I also really like Damo in K-town, they have really good matcha. [I’ll] sit and read, sit and journal, sit and call my parents. They’re in Iceland, so morning is the best time to call them.
11 a.m.: A taste of home
Then I like to go to the farmers market. I love the farmers markets in L.A. I think it’s one of the best things about L.A. And the produce is so fresh. I love the one in Larchmont because it’s just small and sweet. Larchmont Village is like my favorite place. And I love the one at Melrose Place as well. It’s a little fancier, it feels more like an event, almost. So I also like the Hollywood one, the Studio City one. I like changing it up and getting a different vibe from each neighborhood.
Jyan Issac Bread bakery has a rye bread — like a Danish rye bread — that I always have. Because it reminds me of the bread that I had in Iceland growing up. I toast it and I put butter on it.
I think the fruit and veg vendors at Larchmont are probably my favorite. And then they always have Icelandic fish, Nordic catch, at every single farmers market it seems. At least at Melrose, Hollywood and Larchmont they have Nordic catch: salmon, cod, everything. So I like to pick up fish there every Sunday as a little taste of home. Seeing that in L.A. is always so fun — these fishies were in Iceland recently. [Laughs]
1 p.m.: Little European treats
After that I like to grab a lunch, brunch. My eating is all over the place on a Sunday because I’ll basically just get little treats. Like whenever I have a coffee I’ll probably have a pastry. Or a matcha, I’ll have a pastry.
[For] lunch, Loupiotte Kitchen in Los Feliz is my favorite. It’s so cute and it feels almost like being in Paris. But it’s so fun because the weather’s really nice all year round. And the people — there’s always cute kids there. It feels very familial.
I like sitting outside. They have really good eggs. They make this egg scramble with crème fraîche that’s very French and very yummy. They have really good toasts as well. Avocado toast. They have a summer toast that has a ton of different veggies on it. They also have good pastries. And I like having a little orange juice as well.
I’ll usually be with a friend and just yap. I’ll end up talking until 3 p.m. or something. I’ve got to get it out of my system.
3 p.m.: Tuna and books pit stop
I love the Brentwood Country Mart. I stop there on the way to the beach. There’s a really nice bookstore there called Diesel that is one of my favorites in L.A..
I go to the Farm Shop, I get another coffee. I get coffee like three times a day. I like picking up there. Specifically they have a tuna salad that is so yummy, and you can put it on bread. So I’ll sometimes pick up bread, just like a loaf of bread at Farm Shop and get one of their tuna things — I’m literally making myself hungry right now — and spread it on at the beach.
3:30 p.m.: Long walks on the beach
I’ve been going to the beach. I’ll drive either to Malibu or just out to Santa Monica. And I’ll just walk on the beach.
I grew up near the ocean in Iceland. So the smell of salt, the smell of fish and ocean really reminds me of home. That’s why I love going to the beach so much. There’s something that just makes me feel like it’s all connected. It’s all the same ocean in a way. So I like that. I like looking at the birds, the scary seagulls. I just like to sit on the bench and look out, read, eat my bread and tuna.
I am reading “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig. And I’ve also been reading “The Shards” by Bret Easton Ellis. “Midnight Library” I just started, because it’s my book club read for the month. “The Shards” I’m really excited to read because I’ve heard there’s a connection between “The Shards” and “The Secret History,” which is a book by Donna Tartt, which is my favorite book ever. I’ve heard that there’s some common threads there, so I’m excited to discover those. But I always loved some kind of dark academic thing, which “The Shards” definitely is.
6 p.m.: Cooking with Nat King Cole
After that, I’ll return back and usually cook whatever I have from the farmers market that day. It’s more often than not fish, salmon. I love picking out any veggies that I haven’t used before, and then I just challenge myself to get home and figure out a recipe, or find a recipe. But anything super colorful I’m really drawn to, so if it’s like a really purple cauliflower, I’ll be like: “I’ve gotta figure that out tonight.”
My mother, she cooks a lot. And she’s taught me a lot of recipes. She’ll teach me by FaceTiming me. I’ll FaceTime her while I’m cooking. It’s so fun, it’s like a live cooking tutorial. All my recipes are hers.
I really like just cooking for myself, honestly. I do like cooking for others but pretty much only my twin sister because I’m scared that I’m going to disgust the people I cook for. My people-pleasing can’t handle hosting too many people at once. I play music. I love playing Nat King Cole. He lived in my neighborhood, so I feel extra connected to Nat King Cole.
8 p.m.: Chopin for the soul
I’ll practice cello, piano, guitar. [On] Sundays especially I like playing classical pieces. I don’t push myself too hard to write something new or original, I just pull out sheet music to pieces I played when I was younger, classical pieces, and it just always roots me. I think it’s the best way to end the week.
[I play] these little Chopin pieces. A lot of children’s music. Classical music that kids learn first, because it’s just very simple and meditative. And it’s not hard. And it’s oftentimes really beautiful melodies that are good for the soul.
9 p.m.: TikTok time
Realistically I’ll probably stay on my phone in bed or read or watch a TV show or something until like midnight.
I’ve been seeing a lot of these TikToks of this little Chinese boy making food. Like street food kind of? He’s making these really elaborate dishes outdoors on a plate and it’s so cute. He’s so good. He’s like a 3-year-old or something. And he’s so professional when he does it. And he always hands it to his grandpa or like the old person in the village.
There’s this older Japanese couple that posts their outfits together every day. Aki and Koichi. And they’re so chic. So I’ve been following that every day. And they do live in L.A. They’re so cool.
[I scroll on TikTikTok for] longer than I care to admit. [My screen time is] not great. But, you know, a lot of my job requires being on the phone. So I see it as work.
Midnight: A strict bedtime
I have a very regulated circadian rhythm that runs from midnight to 8 a.m., and if i don’t follow it, things get thrown off, I may not fall asleep. So I try to follow it very strictly.
Lifestyle
We process the explosive Drake-Kendrick beef : Pop Culture Happy Hour
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
2024 seems destined to go down as the Year of Pop Culture Grievances. Megan vs. Nicki. Beyoncé vs. Nashville. But above all: Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake, who are currently engaged in the nastiest lyrical warfare rap fans have seen in a minute. Today, we’re talking about all the pettiness: Why so much beef, and what makes a good battle? And is there ever a clear “winner” in these battles?
Lifestyle
Gypsy Rose Thinks One of Taylor Swift's New Songs Is About Her
Gypsy Rose Blanchard believes in her heart of hearts she’s Taylor Swift‘s new muse — she’s convinced one of the singer’s new songs is all about her, or at the least … inspired by her.
Sources connected to Gypsy tell TMZ … GRB thinks Taylor’s new song “Fresh Out The Slammer” — from her ‘Tortured Poets Department’ album — might be about her December release from prison.
The reason she even suspects that … we’re told Gypsy sees a lot of similarities between the song lyrics and her real life — almost to a T.
For those unfamiliar, “Fresh Out The Slammer” is a song about a woman getting out of prison and taking off with her lover. Remember, Gypsy moved in with her now estranged husband Ryan Anderson after she was released following 7 years behind bars.
This isn’t the only similarity Gypsy spots between the song and her life, BTW. We’re told the TV personality relates to the line “camera flashes, welcome bashes” — since paparazzi have been following her since her release AND her family threw her a welcome home bash.
We should also note — Gypsy ain’t alone here. Fans have also noticed the similarities … with one Swiftie even declaring on X that Tay wrote the anthem for Gypsy.
Despite the viral theory, sources tell us she has not heard from Taylor at all … even being the huge Swiftie she is.
Don’t forget, shortly after leaving prison, Gypsy purchased Kansas City Chiefs tickets in the hope of running into the Grammy winner. Sadly, she wasn’t able to go, because her parole officer instructed her to return to her home state of Louisiana after her release.
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Still, we’re told Gypsy isn’t bothered by the lack of contact … as she knows she’s a controversial public figure, and can understand why the superstar singer wouldn’t reach out.
Everyone will get a chance to catch up on more of Gypsy’s life when the 2nd season of her Lifetime show, “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,” debuts on June 3rd.
Lifestyle
Magic, secrets, and urban legend: 3 new YA fantasy novels to read this spring
As the flowers bloom and the sun starts to spread more warmth this spring, we have three new YA fantasy novels for you.
All of these new releases keep one foot grounded in reality while examining what their protagonists can do if they embrace the magic within themselves. Enjoy!
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Chosen-family siblings Arthie and Jin may be the proprietors of the Spindrift tea house in White Roaring, but that doesn’t make them respectable. They’ve earned a reputation for being the kind of underworld characters you don’t want to cross — and it’s not even a real secret that by night, Spindrift transforms from a tea house to an establishment that serves a different drink entirely, catering to the city’s population of vampires. When the city’s ruling power decides to shut them down, they have to assemble a motley crew to steal a well-guarded ledger book that may be the key to more than just saving their home.
Anyone who enjoys the rhythms of a heist will find a lot to love in this book. Arthie is a clever and determined leader, and the team she puts together includes unique characters like a vampire painter with ennui and a rich girl on the run from the law for her forging habit. The magic that creeps into the edges of the story is fairly subtle, and never feels like an easy answer to the problems and conflict at hand, making me genuinely worry that everyone wasn’t going to make it through to the end.
This heist also comes with a social conscience. Many historical-flavored fantasies peddle the trappings of wealthy European society without ever interrogating where the trappings of the genre come from. Characters sip their tea and wear their cotton lawn dresses, and we never have to think about who grew the tea or the cotton. A Tempest of Tea takes the opposite road, framing the lives of immigrants who are integrated into a society that exploits their homelands and who are intent on finding some way to take their power back.
The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson
Ever since her mother’s death, Ruby has had her hands full trying to keep things together. She and her father, who struggles with chronic pain and alcoholism, are living in the basement of her mother’s beloved house so the upper floors can be rented out to pay the bills. When she discovers that her father owes a debt to the mysterious people he works for, and that given his unreliability, they intend to call it in by taking away the house, she volunteers to take over his position and pay the debt in his place.
It comes as a shock when she finds out that her father works for a clandestine rail delivery business and uses magic to jump from one train line to another to move illicit goods and money around the world. As she learns how to do his job, she realizes that while the magic of the trains speaks to something inside her, the people she’s working for are ruthless and cruel. But what choice does she have but to do their bidding, if she wants to save her home?
I’ve always found that subways and trains intrinsically have a special magic to them, and it’s very exciting to see that used to such good effect in a fantasy novel. The Vanishing Station really captures that feeling of entering a liminal space and being swept through to darkness, destined to emerge once more in a new place. Ruby is one of those characters who is so accustomed to shouldering too much of the burden that she doesn’t realize when she’s in over her head, and it’s easy to root for her as she comes into her power and demands that the people around her do better.
I found that the middle of the story idles a bit in the station, but then rapidly picks up speed as romance builds between Ruby and her magical train mentor, Montgomery, who himself feels trapped in a role he never wanted. By the end, I was very invested in how they could escape a domineering power that can go anywhere the rail lines run, and what they might do with their own magic if they could be free.
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
In one night, four people go missing in Nora’s small town, and one of them is her best friend Becca. At first, Nora wonders if it’s just another way for Becca to hurt her in the wake of a fight that has fractured their relationship. But Nora senses that there is a connection between all the people who vanished, and she begins to believe that it may have something to do with the Goddess Game – an urban legend turned sleepover dare that the whole town seems to know about. Nora follows a trail of clues in search of Becca, and eventually realizes that in order to find her friend, she will have to play the Goddess Game and break a chain of tragedy and revenge that has been passed down through the decades.
Melissa Albert is an author I’ve followed since she made her debut with her dark fairytale series (beginning with The Hazel Wood). This book continues in the vein of taking familiar mythologies and patterns and doing something original with them. A haunting, a mystery, a goddess worshipped by teenaged girls: All of these elements blend together in The Bad Ones to create a missing persons supernatural thriller that feels like it has something new to say.
Most impressive is the complicated, deeply important depiction of the friendship between Nora and Becca. Their connection is one of adoration and ride-or-die dedication, but with all the trials that come with growing up alongside someone. Books depicting “toxic friendships” often fall into a trap of making one party the villain, but that’s not the case here. The Bad Ones shows a much more realistic version of this dynamic, where two friends love each other so much that they need space to grow into their own people, independent of who they are together. It’s only once they allow themselves to change that they come into the power they need to truly set things right.
Caitlyn Paxson is a writer and performer. She is a regular reviewer for NPR Books and Quill & Quire.
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