Pop Pantheon

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ talk Tinashe live in Brooklyn, Jay-Z picking himself to headline the Super Bowl, rumors of Dua Lipa, SZA, and Tame Impala headlining Coachella, the success of Tate McRae's new single "Housewife" and more.

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The New York Times' Joe Coscarelli joins Pop Pantheon for part three of our Rihanna series, digging into Rih's imperial era as the biggest hitmaker in pop. Joe and Louie explore her return to bright, carefree pop following the darkness of Rated R with 2010's Loud, which spawned three #1 hits, including “Only Girl (In the World),” “What's My Name?” and “S&M.” Then they tackle her rapid-fire follow-up, 2011's Talk That Talk, which featured her biggest hit yet, the EDM era-defining “We Found Love,” and pushed her sound and persona in increasingly sexually provocative directions. Finally, they discuss Rihanna's controversial reunion with Chris Brown on the “Birthday Cake” remix and how her relentless string of hits cemented her place at the very top of the pop hierarchy.

Join us next week when we'll dig into 2012's Unapologetic, Rihanna's then-unprecedented four year hiatus from solo albums, her return with 2016's magnum opus, Anti, and the ups and downs of the decade-long drought since then.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ take more listeners calls about the sound of the 2020s so far, generation bias, Lady Gaga's Mayhem, which Gen Z pop girl will be relevant in 10 years and MORE! Thanks to everyone who sent in mailbag questions and reminder we'll be doing a special monthly mailbag just for the QUEEN TIER. Spots in the Queen Tier tier open Nov 1!

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Lauren Michele Jackson returns to Pop Pantheon for part two of our five part Rihanna series. Lauren and Louie dig into Rih’s blockbuster third album, 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, which turned her from a tentative aspirant into a full-fledged diva via signature hits like the house-laced “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Umbrella." They then turn to her relationship with fellow budding pop star, Chris Brown, the domestic violence incident between them that forever changed Rihanna’s career and image, and the album that followed, 2009’s Rated R.

Join us next week, when we’ll break down Rihanna's Imperial Era with 2010's Loud and 2011's Talk That Talk.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Xtra Magazine's KC Hoard joins Russ to tackle Canadian pop queen Carly Rae Jepsen's recent double album Day and Night. KC and Russ debate the creative merit of Carly's prolific release strategy, then dig into the evolution of her artistry on Day and Night, which features some of her best work in years.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce joins Pop Pantheon for the first in our new five-part series on BadGalRiri herself, Rihanna. Sheldon and Louie dig into Rih’s early life in Barbados and how she was discovered then signed by Jay-Z and L.A. Reid. Then they discuss her breakout with “Pon De Replay” and the Caribbean sounds that defined 2005’s Music of the Sun before tackling her quick return with 2006’s A Girl Like Me, a more genre expansive record that spawned enduring hits like “SOS” and "Unfaithful" and set the stage for her global chart takeover.

Join us next week as we explore the second leg of Rihanna’s 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad and 2009's Rated R.

NOTE: An earlier version of this episode included a minor audio editing error around 12:25-12:40 that has now been fixed. If your podcatcher downloaded the episode, delete it from your library and refresh the feed for the corrected version.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ gather to break down Troye Sivan's 4th studio album, She's the Best, which sensually explores the middle ground between queer lust and longing.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Mailbag time! Louie and Russ tackle questions from the Mailbag, including one about Taylor Swift invoking her "haters" on record and a question about Rihanna's legacy. Plus we finally find out out: what is Russ' whole deal, anyways?

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ discuss their respective experiences seeing Charlie Puth and Charli XCX recently, before going deep on Tinashe's latest album, Popstar.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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From Taylor to Karol, both Olivias, Ella, Ariana, Audrey, and more, hosts of the Like a Virgin podcast, Fran Tirado and Rose Dommu, join Louie and Russ to power rank the Main Pop Girls of the last 12 months.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ discuss last night's woeful 2026 MTV Music Video Awards, before turning their attention to the deluxe re-issue of Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, going track-by-track.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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In anticipation of the annual MTV Video Music Awards airing this Sunday, comedian Jake Cornell joins Louie and Russ to count down each of their favorite performances from the storied show's 42 year history.

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Tinashe has a new album, Pop Star, dropping in a couple days. Get all caught up with her career to this point with our 2024 episode on the Niche Legend with The Cut's Cat Zhang.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ discuss live shows from Eli and Robyn, Troye Sivan's newest single, "Party," Miley Cryus' latest solo album, Bass Persuades, and who they think will headline the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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In a game of "Step Up, Step Down," Louie and Russ discuss recent career developments from Taylor Swift, Drake, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Gracie Abrams, and Audrey Hobert to determine whether they're currently trending up or down in the official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie shares his experience seeing Backstreet Boys live at The Sphere in Vegas. Then, Louie and Russ get into about Miley Cyrus' new single, "Bass Persuades," the lead single from her forthcoming album of the same name, before ranking it amongst all of Miley's lead singles.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Louie and Russ come together to debate what this year's song of the summer was. Was it Ella Langley's chart topper "Choosin' Texas"? What about Taylor Swift's latest mega-single, "I Knew It, I Knew You" or Ariana Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me"? Maybe Olivia Rodrigo? Drake?! Or something not even on the top of the charts, like Slayyyter or Madonna. They discuss the summer in pop and then reveal the winners of the 2026 Pop Pantheon Song of the Summer Draft.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Louie and Russ go track-by-track on the final studio album from Britney Spears, Glory, in honor of its 10th anniversary.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Julianne Escobedo Shepherd returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the career of a pop star who changed the very notion of what a “pop star” could be: M.I.A. Louis and Julianne dig into M.I.A.’s origins, from England to Sri Lanka, India and back, her first mixtape and breakthrough with 2005’s Arular. Next they discuss 2007’s Kala and “Paper Planes,” the 2010’s Maya, the mess that followed the 2012 and her commercial decline. Finally, they discuss her later era music, recent string of controversies and rank M.I.A. in The Official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Accessepisode, Russ shares his belated thoughts on Charli XCX's latest, Music Fashion Film, before he and Louie go track-by-track on 2016's Vroom Vroom, the pivotal Sophie-produced EP that forever changed Charli's sound and career.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

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