Pop Pantheon

In the past few years, we've seen a serious decline in the centrality of and views for music videos across the board, even for the biggest pop stars. Journalist Michael Cragg recently chronicled this phenomenon in his piece for The Guardian, "'This is an Art Form? and We're Losing it': Is the Music Video Dying?" and today, he joins DJ Louie to discuss the piece and the general state of the music video in 2024. Is the music video format still vital? Why has viewership declined? What do we lose if we allow music videos to slip away entirely and is there a way to save them?

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, last night in front of a live audience at The Bell House in Brooklyn, Pop Pantheon gathered Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos, Every Single Album's Nora Princiotti and Hung Up's Hunter Harris to discuss Taylor Swift's 11th studio album(s?) The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Louie and the crew dissect the new music from every angle: major themes, aesthetics, writing styles, the Jack Antonoff of it all and more. Next, they dig into Taylor's current Imperial Phase: how it happened, how long it can last and whether there's a backlash brewing before discussing Taylor's Pantheon ranking and sharing their updated Taylor album rankings.

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Bandsplain?s Yasi Salek joins DJ Louie to trace Nirvana's brief, iconoclastic trail through pop's mainstream in the early 1990s. Louie and Yasi unpack the group's origins in Aberdeen, Washington, their time on famed indie label Sub Pop, known for popularizing the "grunge" sound, and their bleak, sparse debut in 1989, Bleach, which garnered them a cult following. Next, they tackle Nirvana's breakthrough smash, the generational anthem ?Smells Like Teen Spirit?, and 1991?s unexpected blockbuster Nevermind, which briefly remolded the pop charts in their image and became one of the biggest albums of all time. They then discuss Kurt?s infamous marriage to Hole front woman Courtney Love, prickly relationship to his own fame and success and how his heroin addiction spun out of control during the promo cycle for 1993?s darker and grittier In Utero. Finally, Louie and Yasi detail Kurt?s tragic death by suicide in 1994, encasing the group in amber and forever giving their legacy a grand tragic air, before ranking Nirvana in the official Pop Pantheon. 

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It's listener mailbag time!

Louie and Russ are answering all your questions about their expectations for Taylor's The Tortured Poets Department, their personal pop pet peeves, the formula for following up a blockbuster album, why there are no more male pop stars and so much more. Plus, stay tuned until the end of the episode for a very special surprise guest appearance :-).

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Critic and writer Naomi Zeichner joins Pop Pantheon to explore the career of the ?vocal bible,? Brandy. Louie and Naomi unpacked Brandy?s self-titled 1994 debut, released when she was just 15, her landmark acting roles as Moesha and Cinderella, and 1998?s Darkchild-assisted Never Say Never, which reimagined her at the vanguard of R&B futurism and became one of the signature blockbusters of the decade. They then discuss 2002 adventurous electropop-R&B fantasia Full Moon, 2004?s deeply personal Afrodisiac and her later period output, like 2012?s Two Eleven, which kicked off a cultural and critical reappraisal of her work. Finally, Louie and Naomi rank Brandy in the Official Pop Pantheon.
 
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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Beyoncé eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, dropped last Friday. Once perceived as a foray into country music, this sprawling 80 (!!) minute epic turned out to be so much more than that and, as with any Bey project, begs for some serious unpacking. DJ Louie, Russ and Oxford American's Danielle Amir Jackson are here to do just that, breaking down the music, themes, references, history and breadth of the expansive second installment in Beyoncé's unfurling new trilogy.

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Tonight, Beyoncé will drop her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, her first explicit full-length foray into country music. As with every Bey project, there's a ton of meaning and history to unpack.

DePaul University professor and author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions, Dr. Francesca Royster, and writer and editor Taylor Crumpton, author of TIME piece Beyoncé Has Always Been Country, join the show to explain the long and often under-sung history of Black women in country: from the birth of many of the genre's core aesthetics and tenants during slavery, to 20th century recording artists who have attempted to break Nashville's white and male mass co-option, to recent breakthroughs from stars like Mickey Guyton.

Dr. Royster, Taylor & DJ Louie attempt to position Cowboy Carter in this long and arduous lineage, unpack the details and gestures of singles "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages", and parse how Beyoncé's country pivot is tapping into a much larger story than may appear at first blush.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, music critic Jewly Hight joins DJ Louie for a wide-ranging discussion about Kacey Musgraves' fifth studio album, Deeper Well, which dropped last week. Louie and Jewly discuss how this record fits in the broader narrative arc of Kacey's music and career trajectory, her influences from across the folk rock spectrum and the themes on this music from break-ups to death to the meaning of life itself, all filtered through Kacey's singular lens of blissful wonderment.

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. 

Culture writer and author Lina Abascal returns to Pop Pantheon to revisit the fleeting early 2010s moment when EDM DJs utterly consumed American popular music via two of the genre?s most emblematic figures, David Guetta and Calvin Harris. Louie and Lina trace David?s roots in the Paris club scene through to his breakthrough in the U.S. with hits like "When Love Takes Over", "Sexy Bitch" & "Memories", "Where Them Girls At?", "Titanium" and "Turn Me On", his big pop collaborations with artists like Sia, Kelly Rowland and Nicki Minaj. They then tackle Calvin?s bloghouse-y origins through to his peak-era work, from 2011?s ?We Found Love? with Rihanna to smashes like "Feel So Close", "Sweet Nothing", "One Kiss" and "This is What You Came For". Finally, Louie and Lina discuss how the EDM bubble burst, how Guetta and Harris adapted, and rank both David Guetta and Calvin Harris in the Official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Justin Timberlake put out his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, last Friday. But is it possible to hear this music? or appreciate Justin's talents? outside of the narrative nosedive his career has taken in the last decade? Vox's Kyndall Cunningham joins Louie and Russ to discuss.

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. 

Host and culture writer for Dazed, Vogue and more, Kemi Olivia Alemoru, and writer on race, culture and politics and author of the upcoming book Black Genius, Tre Johnson, join the show to discuss how we as critics and the public interface with the work of famous pop stars who have done awful things. Kemi, Tre and Louie dig into the complex legacies of Kanye West and Michal Jackson in particular, parsing apart how darker revelations about each of their characters have impacted how they think about their legacies, how cultural commentators should talk about them and their own personal listening habits. They also attempt to figure out a universal rubric for how and when we should separate art from artist.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode and as a capstone to our latest series on Ariana Grande, Bustle's Nolan Feeney joins DJ Louie to discuss Ari's seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which dropped on Friday. Louie and Nolan dig into all the record's themes, aesthetics, how it toys with her public narrative, the impact of collaborator Max Martin, absence of long-time songwriting aces Victoria Monet and Tayla Parx and so much more.

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. 

For part two of our Ariana Grande series, Pitchfork senior editor Anna Gaca is here to discuss the aesthetic pivot of 2018?s Sweetener, the superstar's first album following the horrific bombing of her Manchester concert and which found her reaching for light amidst unthinkable darkness. From there, Louie and Anna tackle the tabloid frenzy of Ari's relationship with comedian Pete Davidson and how their break-up, along with the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, turned 2019?s thank u, next into a once-in-a-career deluge of public fixation and artistic revelation. Finally, they consider 2020?s ode to stay-a-home pandemic sex, Positions, discuss their hopes for her imminent seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, due tonight, and re-address Ariana Grande's ranking in the official Pop Pantheon.

Join us on Pop Pantheon: All Access next week for our review of Ariana?s seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine.

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Pop music critic at the LA Times, Mikael Wood, joins Pop Pantheon for our first ever full re-examination of the first ever artist we ever ranked in the official Pop Pantheon: Ariana Grande.

In Part 1, Louie and Mikael trace Ariana?s roots as a performer, from her start on Broadway as a teenager to her Nickelodeon years and her bubblegum debut single through to her first studio album, 2013?s Babyface-assisted Yours Truly. Then they tackle 2014?s My Everything, which ensconced Ariana as pop?s newest superstar, and 2016?s Dangerous Woman, which marked her rite of passage from child starlet to sexually-embodied adult pop star. Finally, they discuss the 2017 terrorist attack at her concert in Manchester; an international tragedy that forever altered the course of Ariana?s persona, narrative, music and career.

Join us next week for Part 2 where we'll explore 2018's Sweetener, 2019's Thank U, Next and 2020's Positions and join our Patreon for our album review of Ariana?s upcoming seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, due March 8. 

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When was the last time a single pop star dominated culture like Taylor Swift? From her blockbuster re-recordings, which brought a new generation of fans into the Swiftie fold, to her world-conquering Eras Tour, record-breaking 4th Album of the Year Grammy for 2022?s Midnights and the endless fascination with her personal life and new relationship with Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift has become the biggest music superstar of the millennium. In the wake of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, Pop Pantheon?s DJ Louie XIV will be joined by Every Single Album?s Nora Princiotti, writer Hunter Harris and Rolling Stone?s Brittany Spanos to break down Taylor?s latest record, dissect her place atop the current pop firmament and ponder how long this blazing hot streak can possibly last.

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Jennifer Lopez might not have stopped the world when she released her new self-financed visual album, This is Me... Now: A Love Story, last week. But she certainly drummed up a lot of conversation, much of which most certainly would not have been happening had she simply dropped a new record.

After watching the film, DJ Louie got together with writer Sydney Urbanek, who is currently developing a series for her newsletter Mononym Mythology on the history of the visual album, to talk This is Me... Now, how it fits into the broader lineage of visual albums and serves as just the latest in a long history of pop musicians turning to film as a way to flesh out the world of their music. 

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, as we gear up for Justin Timberlake's sixth studio album Everything I Thought I Was, due in March, DJ Louie and writer Rachel Brodsky gather to reflect on his debut, 2002's Justified. The two parse out how Justin's public profile nosedive has impacted the public's experience of this music, whether it's possible to enjoy this album in vacuum, and If perhaps there's been an overcorrection on Timberlake in recent years that ignores some of delights of his peak work.

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Writer Natalie Weiner joins Pop Pantheon to unpack Sheryl Crow?s ?winding road? to pop superstardom. Natalie and Louie trace back Sheryl?s early days in the music business, from her gig singing backup on Michael Jackson's blockbuster Bad Tour to writing songs for Celine Dion and Tina Turner, then discuss the roots rock infused pop of 1993's Tuesday Night Music Club that made Sheryl a star and won her Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. From there, they break down her signature 1996 self-titled album, 1998?s The Globe Sessions, her status as a tabloid celebrity, Sheryl?s second wave of hits like ?Soak Up the Sun? and ?Picture,? her continued output of varied and critically acclaimed records, and the massive influence she's had on contemporary acts from HAIM to BoyGenius to Kacey Musgraves and more. Finally, they rank Sheryl Crow in the Official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Beyoncé dropped two singles plus announced her new album! Usher performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show! Variety's Steven J. Horowitz joins Louie and Russ to discuss it all, plus a new music speed round featuring Justin Timberlake, Kacey Musgraves & Ice Spice.

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In anticipation of Usher's Super Bowl Halftime performance on Sunday, we're re-sharing our episode on him from September 2022.

Music writer and Assistant Professor at Syracuse University, Rawiya Kameir, is back on the show to discuss the career and confessions of the great Usher. DJ Louie and Rawiya break down Usher?s musical origins singing in the church, the failed boy band he fronted in the early ?90s, Nu Beginnings, and how his deal with the storied LaFace Records and subsequent ?flavor camp? with Sean ?Puff Daddy? Combs set the stage for his self-titled debut record in 1994. They then dive into his breakthrough sophomore album, 1997?s My Way, how it solidified Usher?s persona as a smooth, sensitive, emotionally-conflicted lover boy as well as one of the most dexterous R&B singers of his generation, its blockbuster follow up, 2001?s 8701, which furthered Usher?s thematic fascination with the complexities of and distress caused by love and sex and of course, his magnum opus, 2004?s Confessions, a hit-packed concept album about the aftermath of infidelity that sold over 20 million copies worldwide and stands today as Usher?s signature artistic and commercial achievement. Next, Louie and Rawiya debate Usher?s latter period output, from swings at trendiness on 2008?s Here I Stand and 2010?s Raymond Vs. Raymond to more rewarding experiments on 2012?s Looking 4 Myself and 2016?s Hard II Love. Finally they rank Usher in the official Pop Pantheon.

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The long-simmering beef between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion recently exploded from our streaming services with the release of their respective diss tracks "Big Foot" and "Hiss" and onto social media, where Nicki vented her ire for her rival for days, then, thanks to the rapper's most ardent fans, onto some people's front doorsteps and even to the gravesite of Megan's mother.

This beef is yet another moment where the ferocity of stan armies and their relentless defense of their pop star favs went from fun and games on the internet to doxxing, threatening people's families and more. Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh is here to discuss the beef, the role stans have played in it, our increasingly cloistered internet bubbles and realities, what we lose artistically and personally when stanning dominates our cultural discourse and why it may be time to seriously rethink the stan ecosystem, for all of our sakes.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, it?s been 25 years since a Black woman won Album of the Year. If neither Beyonce or SZA can do it, who can? Louie + Russ ponder that question with Variety?s Chris Willman as they walk through the good, the bad + the infuriating from the 2024 Grammys.

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For part two of our Black Eyed Peas series, writer and critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd returns to Pop Pantheon to dissect the brief but remarkable reign of the Duchess of Pop, Fergie. Louie and Julianne break down Fergie?s brushes with child stardom via Peanuts and Kids Incorporated and her failed 90s girl group, Wild Orchid. Then they explore the sonic melange of her debut solo album,  2006?s The Dutchess, which traded in everything from camp pop-rap to 80s hip house, mid-century pop-soul and A/C rock. Next they tackle Fergie?s follow-up more than a decade later, 2017?s Double Dutchess, her disappearance from pop, her ongoing presence as a meme queen and, finally, rank Fergie in the Official Pop Pantheon.

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Ringer music critic and host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s Rob Harvilla returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss one of the most derided ? and successful ? pop acts of the 21st Century, The Black Eyed Peas. Louie and Rob trace the group?s roots as an optimistic, politically progressive ?conscious rap? crew, starting with their first two pre-Fergie records, 1998?s Behind The Front and 2000?s Bridging the Gap. Then they tackle the Peas? reinvention as a garish, craven, operatically tacky band peddling radio pop on 2003?s Elephunk and their doubling down on big-tent pop maximalism on 2005?s Monkey Business. Next, Louie and Rob chart the Peas? ride into the rising EDM wave on 200?s The E.N.D., their break-up, re-assembly and post-Fergie output. Finally, they rank the Black Eyed Peas in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Join us next week where we'll be tackling the career of breakout Peas star, Fergie.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, when it came out in 2020 at the height of Covid19 lockdown, Dua Lipa's sophomore album Future Nostalgia made her a superstar. Now, nearly four years later and on the eve of a new Dua era, Senior Editor at Pitchfork Anna Gaca, who reviewed the album when it dropped, is here to talk about the record, how it's held up, how Dua's dance revival set the terms for pop and where it all positions her in the pop landscape as she verges on new music.

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Olivia Rodrigo's Guts, Harry Styles' Harry's House, Lizzo's Special, Adele's 30, Miley Cyrus' Endless Summer Vacation. What's one thing all of these albums have in common? They're each major releases by pop superstars in the last few years that churned out one massive hit single and then struggled to find a second to match it. They also serve as slightly counterintuitive representations of the state of the modern pop blockbuster in which, unlike past eras, putting together a string of massive singles might be less important than ever for a pop icon's era. Billboard's Andrew Unterberger and music writer Eric Bennett join DJ Louie to discuss this new one-hit-wonder phenomenon amongst pop's elite.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, the year is major pop star releases kicked off late last week with three singles from three stars of three different pop generations: Ariana Grande's "Yes, And?", Lil Nas X's "J. Christ" & Jennifer Lopez' "Can't Get Enough". Louie and Russ gather to break each of them down, share their thoughts on their quality and parse out how each of these superstars are attacking the idea of the lead single in the fractured, center-less world of pop music in 2024.

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Host of the And Introducing podcast Molly Mary O'Brien returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the often harrowing and sometimes triumphant life and career of Demi Lovato.

Molly and Louie unpack Demi?s squeaky clean debut on Barney at 10 and her induction into the Disney machine, from her starring role in Camp Rock to her Hollywood Records efforts, including 2008?s well-made but anodyne Don?t Forget and 2009?s Kidz-Bop-Kelly-Clarkson Here We Go Again. Then they discuss Demi?s very public personal struggles starting in the early 2010s and their impact on albums like 2011?s dance-oriented Unbroken, 2013?s synthpop-nodding Demi, and 2015?s Confident, which includes the bi-curious slammer ?Cool For the Summer.? From there, they break down 2017?s R&B-leaning Tell Me You Love Me, 2021?s recovery-themed Dancing With The Devil: The Art of Starting Over, Demi?s recent return to pop rock with 2022?s Holy Fvck and 2023?s Revamped and whether, in the context of her rocky personal narrative, Demi's music ever really rises to the fore of her celebrity. Finally, they rank Demi Lovato in the official Pop Pantheon.

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Before we launch all our exciting new content for 2024, Louie and Russ look back on every single Pop Pantheon ranking from 2023 and discuss whether we got it right or wrong, take calls and emails from listeners with their ranking disputes and adjust some of our decisions. Does Shakira move from Tier 2 to Tier 1? Does Jessica Simpson really deserve to be in Tier 5?? And should the Niche Legend tier exist at all?!?! 

It's all on the table. 

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and guest Miles Marshall Lewis look back Madonna's 11th studio album, 2008's Hard Candy, an album where the Queen of Pop uncharacteristically played catch-up with her pop star progeny, enlisting Timabland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell to help get her music back in American radio's good graces. The gambit only minorly paid off. The album received mixed reviews and while lead single "4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake" reached the top ten, the album was middling performer commercially. But how has it aged? And how does it stack up again other latter period Madonna albums? Louie and Miles dive into all this and more.

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

In a rerun of an episode from Pop Pantheon: All Access published back in May, Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua & host of the And Introducing podcast Molly Mary O'Brien join DJ Louie to look back on three years of Chromatica: How they absorbed it when it dropped in the context of May 2020, how it sounds to them now, what's happening aesthetically and thematically on the songs, where it stacks up against in Gaga's catalog and what it says about her status in the pop firmament of the 2020s.

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Louie and a series guest look back on the career, work and legacies of some pop greats we lost in 2023: Sinéad O'Connor, Tony Bennett & Tina Turner.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tate McRae has, to some, been on the rise for the past few years. To many, she became the pop starlet of the moment overnight with her viral hit "Greedy". On the occasion of her sophomore album, Think Later, released a couple weeks ago, Louie and Russ came together to talk everything Tate: How she's metamorphosed over her ascent, what's clicked with "Greedy" and how that's reflected (or not) in the rest the album, and what Tate's sudden catapulting to the top says about the current state of pop stardom.

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For the conclusion of our three-part series on Mariah Carey, Pot Psychology?s Rich Juzwiak returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss Mariah?s later period work, starting with one of the greatest comebacks in the history of pop: 2005?s The Emancipation of Mimi. Louie and Rich unpack Emancipation?s smash hits and how it helped rewrite Mariah's legacy, then move on to its 2008?s sequel, E=MC², and 2009's idiosyncratic Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Rich and Louie tackle the calcification of her camp diva persona and status as meme queen, her brittle relationship to being "The Queen of Christmas", awkward tenure as a judge on American Idol, 2014?s Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, and Mariah?s most recent work, 2018?s notably relaxed Caution. Finally, Louie and Rich discuss Mariah Carey?s formidible legacy, her significant contributions to pop and rank her in the official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Nicki Minaj dropped her long-awaited fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, last Friday. But is it a worthy follow-up to her legendary debut, 2010's Pink Friday? Hung Up's Hunter Harris joins DJ Louie to break it all down: what's good on this record, what's not and whether albums?this one or any other in her discography? are useful formats for Nicki's unique genius. 

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For the second in our three-part series on Mariah Carey, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour's Aisha Harris joins the show to unpack some of the most fascinating, liberated and enduring music Mariah has made, as well as a professional nadir from which it once seemed she'd never recover. Louie and Aisha pick up with Mariah's self-described magnum opus, 1997?s Butterfly, then move on to her final album under her deal with Sony and Tommy Mottola, 1999?s Rainbow, before digging into the embarrassing blunder of 2001?s Glitter film and soundtrack, the first and only release on Mariah's historic $100 million with Virgin Records. Finally, they tackle Mariah?s initial attempt at a comeback in 2002, Charmbracelet.

Join us next week for Part 3 which will cover Mariah?s triumphant comeback with 2005?s The Emancipation of Mimi, her later period work, her legacy and her impact on pop. Plus, we'll rank Mariah Carey in the official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The Wall Street Journal's John Jurgensen, who has chronicled Mariah's ascent to the Queen of Christmas over the last 30 years, joins DJ Louie to discuss just how she's come to claim that title. Louie and John are talking Merry Christmas and "All I Want For Christmas Is You", the historical relationship between pop and Christmas music and how social media, stan culture, Love Actually, and a good-old fashioned banger came together to eventually make Mariah the biggest pop star in the world once again for two festive months, every single year.

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In the first of three new episodes on pop icon Mariah Carey, DJ Louie is joined by The New School's Dr. Brittnay L. Proctor to discuss Mariah's origin story and early career. They begin with her upbringing on Long Island as the product of a biracial marriage, her first forays into the music industry as a demo singer and background vocalist and her chance meeting with future husband Tommy Mottola which resulted in her smash self-titled debut album, home to four consecutive number one hits. They then discuss her pivot towards Black dance styles on her sophomore album, Emotions, her juggernaut, adult-contemporary-leaning third album, 1993's Music Box, her Christmas classic "All I Want for Christmas is You" and finally, her pivotal 1995 album Daydream, a blockbuster which saw Mariah defying Mottola's influence on her life and music, embracing hip hop and R&B into her sound and paving the way for her future as an artist and woman.

Join us next week for Part 2 where we will be talking Mariah's middle period, beginning with 1997's Butterfly through 2002's Charmbracelet.

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Music writer Shaad D'Souza joins DJ Louie to discuss pop music in 2023. They each share and discuss their three favorite albums, three favorite songs, greatest disappointments, major trends in the genre and more.

Check out a Spotify Playlist of Louie and Shaad's 2023 Favs

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Bonnie McKee is the songwriter behind many of the most enduring pop hits of the last 15 years including Taio Cruz' "Dynamite", Britney Spears' "Hold it Against Me" and no fewer than 5 (!) of Katy Perry's #1s. She's also a pop star in her own right, having run the gamut from singer-songwriter-aspirant in the early 2000s through numerous major label deals and finally, her current career as an indie pop act.

Bonnie joins DJ Louie to talk about it all: her love of pop music, how she writes it, her experience as song-crafter to the stars, how the "song machine" works when it comes to major pop stars, the difference between writing songs for yourself and for other artists and how the pop music ecosystem has changed over her nearly 20 year career.

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Author of the book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah Kathy Iandoli returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the far too short career of one of the most exciting pop recording artists of her generation, Aaliyah. Kathy and Louie discuss Aaliyah?s upbringing in Detroit, her connection to soul legend Gladys Knight and how she came to create 1994?s Age Ain?t Nothing But a Number with R. Kelly, a convicted sexual predator who married her illegally as a teen. Then they examine one of the most forward-thinking pieces of R&B futurism ever produced, 1996?s One in a Million, a collaboration largely with innovative songwriting and production duo Timbaland and Missy Elliott, which is widely considered one of the best albums of the ?90s. Next, they dissect Aaliyah?s showcase of triple-threat talent in Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, her thrilling soundtrack songs, "Are You That Somebody" and "Try Again,? the blend of R&B traditionalism and avant garde genre experiments on Aaliyah?s 2001?s self-titled album, released just one month before her untimely death and how her early passing as impacted her legacy. Finally, they rank Aaliyah in the official Pop Pantheon.

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Pop Pantheon had it's first live show ever last night at the Crawford Auditorium in Pasadena, courtesy of LAist!

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, USC's Jason King, Beyond the Blinds' Troy McEady and Gloss Angeles' Kirbie Johnson were all on stage with DJ Louie to discuss all things Britney: her new memoir, The Woman in Me, her legacy as a pop star and musician, why she mattered and continues to impact the world of pop and generations of stars who came after her, and finally, of course, where she might fit into the Pop Pantheon.

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Back in August, Lizzo was sued by a number of her former dancers for creating a hostile work environment, with allegations including racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination and assault, and more. This flew directly in the face of her brand, which champions positivity, inclusivity and authenticity above all else (including even her music).

The Sunday Times' Megan Agnew and journalist and culture critic Hanna Phifer join DJ Louie to break down how this scandal has played out for Lizzo, where it fits in with and differs from other pop star scandals past and present, and what, if anything, she can do fix the damage it's caused to her brand and image.

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There sure is a lot of Taylor Swift happening right now but when is there not these days? 

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ got together to talk about it all: 1989 (Taylor's Version), which dropped Friday, its attendant "from the vault" tracks, The Eras Tour film which was released a few weeks ago, her new high-profile relationship with football star Travis Kelci and, with Taylor having the biggest monocultural moment in recent history, whether we'll ever reach a tipping point of Too Much Taylor.

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Stereogum?s Tom Breihan returns to Pop Pantheon to dissect the career of pop history?s greatest mimic, Bruno Mars. Louie and Tom dive into how Bruno spent his childhood impersonating greats like Elvis and Michael Jackson, his failed start on Motown and early work for other artists, including via his production group The Smeezingtons. Then they discuss his tightly-stitched 2010 debut, Doo-Wops and Hooligans, 2012?s pop history grab-bag, Unorthodox Jukebox, and the cultural sensation of his 2014 Mark Ronson-collab, the Morris Day-tributing ?Uptown Funk.? Next, they explore Bruno?s  tour through Black pop and soul history on 2016?s 24K Magic and his Philly Soul and Parliament-Funkadelic-homaging super-duo with Anderson .Paak., Silk Sonic, as they parse whether Bruno is central to his music at all or simply a nostalgia curator. Finally, they rank Bruno Mars in the official Pop Pantheon.

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There are more pop artists than ever but very few of them seem to be able to grab a serious foothold at the top of the heap. Billboard's Elias Leight has been covering this topic extensively lately and for this week's B-side, he joins DJ Louie to break down why it's become nearly impossible to ascend to pop's  A-List in the Tik Tok era, how various factions? from artists, to labels, to fans? are reacting to this and how each may need to adjust expectations for what a successful pop career means in the context of this new paradigm.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Troye Sivan released his third album, Something to Give Each Other, on Friday and Louie and Russ got together to dig into the music and world of this record. The two had very differing interpretations of the themes, mood and production choices here which led to a dynamic conversation about Troye, Something and how the continued paucity of queer pop stars puts inordinate amounts of pressure on each release to be everything to everyone.

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Beyond The Blinds? Troy McEady joins Pop Pantheon for a double header on a pair of TRL-era pop princess sisters, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. Louie and Troy track Jessica and Ashlee?s upbringing in Texas, Jessica?s failed attempts at teen stardom via Disney and Christian music and her breakthrough with 1999?s ?I Wanna Love You Forever? and Sweet Kisses. Then they discuss 2001?s robotic Irresistible and the surprising vehicle for Jessica?s biggest success, MTV?s Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, which boosted 2003? In This Skin. Next, they tackle Ashlee?s rocket to stardom with The Ashlee Simpson Show and 2004?s scrappy, guitar-driven Autobiography and her quick demise following her infamous performance on Saturday Night Live. Finally, they unpack how the Simpson sisters? pop careers fizzled out and rank both in the official Pop Pantheon.

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There's been a record-breaking trend this year of country music dominating the top of the Billboard Hot 100. But it's not just any country music. These hits by artists like Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean, Oliver Anthony & Luke Combs? all cis white men? are each employing identity politics and tapping into broader socio-political conflict in the US, either implicitly or explicitly, to help power their rise to pop dominance.

So for the first segment of today's show, The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber, who has written extensively about the influx of bro country on the charts, is here to help explain this phenomenon. In the second of half of the episode, writer and journalist Marissa R. Moss, who publishes the great country newsletter Don't Rock the Inbox turns Louie on to five great country acts operating on the margins? all of whom, notably, are not cis white men? who deserve our attention and are providing a beacon of hope in the entrenched and often sexist, homophobic, transphobic and racist world of Nashville radio.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, journalist and author Michael Cragg joins Louie for a discussion of Kylie Minogue's sixteenth studio album, Tension, which dropped a couple weeks ago. 

Tension arrives amidst a heightened level of interest on Kylie following the viral success of its lead single "Padam Padam", which was a gay club anthem in the US and a bonafide hit around the world, including becoming her first top ten in the UK in more than a decade. Louie and Michael discuss whether Tension delivers on the promise of "Padam Padam", how it slots in with the rest of her latter day work, their favorite and least favorite moments on the record, what allows Kylie to simply employ "The Kylie Thing" on album after album and what it means for her to have a hit at this phase in her career and life, especially for American audiences who are largely unfamiliar with her illustrious four decades as a pop phenomenon.

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