Since starting Mordlust in 2018, Paulina Krasa and Laura Wohlers have turned an after-hours project into one of the most popular German-language podcasts to date. The show has surpassed 400 million plays across 243 episodes, ranking as the No. 1 true crime podcast in Germany and Europe and the 17th most-streamed podcast on Spotify worldwide.
To celebrate the podcast’s eighth anniversary, Paulina and Laura are joining Spotify’s Legends Club, a series that brings together creators of German-language podcasts with more than 100 million plays with some of their biggest fans. Dedicated Berlin-based Mordlust listeners were invited to an intimate live recording at Funkhaus Berlin, the iconic venue and culture center. The video episode drops today, on Spotify.
Ahead of the event, For the Record spoke with Paulina and Laura about their journey from passion project to podcast powerhouse, their approach to true crime, and what it means to share this milestone with listeners who have been there since the start.
What is it about Mordlust that you think has driven such a strong connection with listeners?
We often hear from listeners that they feel as though they are sitting at the table with two friends, listening to a compelling story and talking openly about the emotions and questions it raises. We’ve never been afraid to share our own thoughts, reactions, and doubts, and we think that makes the conversations feel authentic and relatable. By openly talking through our emotions and thought processes, we often give voice to questions and feelings that many listeners are having themselves, creating a real sense of connection and community.
Looking back, when did you realize Mordlust was no longer a side project but the main event?
We started Mordlust as a passion project alongside our full-time jobs, so we would research, write, and record episodes in the evenings and on weekends. At the time, it never crossed our minds that it could one day become our full-time career or that we would build a company with our own team.
The moment it truly stopped feeling like a side project was when we decided to leave our permanent jobs in television. Taking that leap was exciting and terrifying, but it was also when we realized that Mordlust had grown into something much bigger than we had ever imagined.
From the start, Mordlust has aimed to take a victim-centered approach to true crime that is fair to the people at the center of these cases. Why was that editorial philosophy important to you?
From the beginning, we were especially interested in the victims and the people whose lives had been affected by these crimes. We often felt that many true crime formats, whether podcasts or television, focused primarily on the perpetrators, especially serial killers, while the victims were reduced to a footnote. Behind every case are victims, families, and friends whose lives have been changed forever.
Our goal is never to sensationalize their experiences. We also always kept in mind that those affected by a case might one day hear our episode, and if that happens, we want them to feel that their story had been treated with respect and care. We often speak with victims, families, and others directly affected before we tell their stories, and sometimes include their voices in our episodes, because no one can describe what they experienced more honestly or more powerfully than they can.
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