In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, on Friday, Chappell Roan finally dropped her long-awaited country single "The Giver," first teased on SNL back in November, plus Lil Nas released his Neptunes-nodding "Hot Box," Haim shared their treatise on "Relationships," and Lizzo gave it another whirl. Louie and Russ discuss all these songs, plus take a question about their British pop canon. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon,...
Mar 17, 2025•12 min
For the third episode in our five-part series on Britney Spears, The New York Times pop music editor Caryn Ganz makes her Pop Pantheon debut to parse through a period in which tabloids covered Britney’s every move like a national news story. Caryn and Louie discuss how a turbulent time in Britney’s personal life led to what’s now considered a pop classic and one of the most prescient and influential albums of the period, 2007’s Blackout . From there, they tackle the start of Britney’s conservato...
Mar 13, 2025•2 hr 14 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Lady Gaga just dropped her hotly anticipated 7th studio album, Mayhem , this past Friday. Monster braintrust Louie, Russ and Who? Weekly's Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber got together to queen on the new record, which indexes past Gaga styles through a decidedly distilled, adult framework and is perhaps her best solo album in over a decade. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain ac...
Mar 10, 2025•11 min
For the second in our five-part series on Britney Spears, NPR ’s Ann Powers joins Pop Pantheon to discuss Britney’s first attempts to transition from teen queen to grown-up pop star. Ann and Louie tackle Britney's iconic “I’m a Slave 4 U” VMA performance, work with The Neptunes and play at maturity on 2001’s Britney, relationship and breakup with Justin Timberlake, and her one and only starring film role in the teen road comedy Crossroads . Finally, they dive into Britney and Madonna’s VMA kiss,...
Mar 06, 2025•2 hr 12 min
For the first in our five-part series on Britney Spears, The New Yorker ’s Doreen St. Felix returns to Pop Pantheon to chart the birth of a pop princess. Doreen and Louie dig into Britney’s origin story, from Star Search and The New Mickey Mouse Club to her Jive deal and development in Sweden with Max Martin. Then, they tackle her legendary breakout smash and music video, “...Baby One More Time," and her 1999 album of the same name, which shot her to the front of the teen pop pack. Next, they pa...
Feb 27, 2025•2 hr 36 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, is pop music stuck in a nostalgia loop? Pop starlet Tate McRae's new album is highly referential to the last twenty years of pop from Britney to the Pussycat Dolls to Halsey and beyond. But on her new album So Close to What, which dropped last week, does she form her own identity? Or do she and her murderer's row of collaborators just do good karaoke? Louie, Russ, and Variety 's Steven J. Horowitz discuss. To hear the rest of the this...
Feb 24, 2025•11 min
Lady Gaga's seventh studio album Mayhem drops on March 7 and in anticipation of the big day, Carey O'Donnell, Kristen S. Hé, and Naomi Zeichner join DJ Louie to break down their thoughts, hope and dreams on the upcoming record before each sharing their ranking of Gaga's albums to this point. Come to Main Pop Girls on 3/21! Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/1 Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/14 Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop ...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 34 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Katy Perry's second studio album Teenage Dream is deemed a classic "pop bible" by many pop fans. The album produced five number one singles and spun off a deluxe version with another couple top tens. But what about the other seven tracks from the TD era? If you listen to this record without its classic hits, does it hold together as a complete body of work? Louie and Russ dive into every one of Teenage Dream' s non-singles to get answ...
Feb 17, 2025•10 min
Louie and Russ are answering your questions about whether pop stars like Cher can still exist, what Olivia Rodrigo should do next, how they listen to music for the show, why gay men have trouble embracing gay male pop stars, and so much more. Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Valentines Day in LA on 2/14 Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/1 Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram Follow DJ Loui...
Feb 13, 2025•51 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ break down Kendrick Lamar's explosive Super Bowl halftime performance before getting into new songs from Tate McRae, Sexxy Redd & Bruno Mars, Rose Gray & Doechii. 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 ...
Feb 10, 2025•11 min
Critic Stephen Kearse joins Pop Pantheon for the conclusion of our two-part series on Kendrick Lamar ahead of his Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. Stephen and Louie tackle Kendrick’s string of hit-making guest appearances in the mid-2010s, his first solo number one, “Humble,” and 2017’s critically adored Damn . Then they discuss Black Panther and Kendrick’s final album with Top Dawg, 2022’s sprawling Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers . Finally, they unpack the Kendrick/Drake beef, his recen...
Feb 06, 2025•2 hr 6 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, last night's Grammys featured show-stopping performances from Doechii, Chappell Roan and others, plus wins from Roan, Kendrick Lamar and, finally, a long-awaited crowning for Beyoncé in Album of the Year. Louie and Russ share their reactions before going deep on Lady Gaga's newest single, "Abracadabra", the third from her forthcoming album Mayhem and the video for which dropped during the awards ceremony. To hear the rest of the this ...
Feb 03, 2025•10 min
Rolling Stone ’s Mankaprr Conteh returns to Pop Pantheon for part one of our two-part series on Kendrick Lamar ahead of his Super Bowl performance. Louie and Mankaprr dig into Kendrick’s origins in Compton, his teenaged mixtapes under the alias K. Dot and his independently released studio debut, 2011’s Section.80 . From there, they tackle 2012's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City , a mainstream pop breakthrough immediately hailed as a masterpiece. Finally, they walk through how Kendrick weaved together musi...
Jan 30, 2025•2 hr 12 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Ultimate Friend of the Pod Rich Juzwiak returns to the show to make predictions in the top 4 categories for this Sunday's Grammys with Louie and Russ, before the three break down FKA Twigs' latest album, Eusexua , which Rich reviewed in Pitchfork . 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 Ic...
Jan 28, 2025•11 min
Somehow, we're halfway through the 2020s, which makes it the perfect time to take stock: what have been the best pop albums of this decade so far and what do they tell us about the state of both the album and music more broadly in 2025? The New York Times' Joe Coscarelli, NPR 's Aisha Harris and YouTuber Mic The Snare join DJ Louie to discuss all of that, before each sharing their top 5 albums of the 2020s so far. Come to our dance party Main Pop Girls on 2/1 at Parkside Lounge in NYC! Come to G...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 43 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Madonna's thirteenth studio album, 2015's Rebel Heart, was released ten years ago in a flurry of leaks and unprecedented chaos for the famously controlled diva. On impact, it became her least successful album to date, producing no hit songs in the US. A decade later, removed from the harsh glare of its' moment, how has this very long collection of latter period Madonna music aged? To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive week...
Jan 20, 2025•11 min
Chris Molanphy returns to Pop Pantheon for the second and final part in our Cher series. Chris and Louie pick up on Cher’s career just as she scored a hit in 1979 with “Take Me Home” during the disco craze. Then they track her string of failures through the early eighties before her massively successful pivot to acting, including her Best Actress Oscar win for 1987’s Moonstruck . Next they dig into her best-selling album to date, 1989’s Heart of Stone, her infomercial era in the nineties and Son...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 47 min
Chris Molanphy returns to Pop Pantheon for part one of our special two-part series on the Goddess of Pop herself, Cher. Chris and Louie dig into the origins of Cher’s mythology, her early work with Sonny Bonno and Phil Spector and Sonny and Cher’s breakout hit, “I Got You Babe.” From there, they dive into Cher’s iconic looks, her first solo hits and Sonny and Cher’s reinvention as television variety stars. Then they tackle the couple’s split, Cher’s second run of hits, including “Gypsys, Tramps ...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 36 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, pop music stops for no man, even Santa Claus. Louie and Russ got together with Dazed contributor Conor Garel to get into it about two of the most talked about pop events that happened over this holiday season: Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Christmas extravaganza from a football game on Netflix and the long-awaited release of the deluxe version of Sza's 2022 masterpiece SOS . To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus epi...
Jan 06, 2025•11 min
Happy New Year! Before we get back to new episodes and our regularly scheduled programming next, we're unlocking one of our favorite All Access episodes from this past year in which Russ and Louie dig into Sabrina Carpenter's surprisingly awesome 6th studio album, Short 'n Sweet , released last summer. To hear more episodes like this every single week, 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...
Jan 02, 2025•54 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, we hope everyone is having a lovely holiday! For our last All Access episode of 2024, Russ and Louie got together to react to more of your unpopular opinions about Ava Max, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, Mariah Carey, live pop shows & 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 ...
Dec 30, 2024•11 min
In anticipation of Beyoncé's much anticipated return to the stage at tomorrow's halftime show for some football game, we're republishing an episode from our Beyoncé series which originally aired back in August of 2022 in the ramp up to that year's Renaissance . This episode features Yale University's Dr. Daphne Brooks, discusses Queen B's work from her 2013 self-titled visual album through just before Renny dropped and is one of the most moving in PP's history. If you haven't listened to the who...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 49 min
Clover Hope, journalist and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop, joins Pop Pantheon All Access to discuss the state of the female rap game in 2024. Clover and Russ revisit Meg Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj’s beef, discuss Doechii’s recent string of breakthrough performances, and dig into Alligator Bites Never Heal, Megan, GloRilla’s Glorious and more. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop...
Dec 23, 2024•10 min
For our final main episode of 2024, Louie and Russ look back at all the artists ranked in the Pop Pantheon this year— from Demi Lovato to Frank Ocean to Adele, Tina Turner, Pink and so many more— and, with the help of calls from our dedicated and very passionate listeners, assess whether any tier adjustments need to be made. Did Brat Summer make us overzealous on Charli XCX? Was it cruel to put Hillary Duff in Tier 5? With the blockbuster success of Wicked , has Ari finally made it to Tier 2? Al...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 6 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Russ saw over 20 (!!!) live concerts in 2024. Louie saw a few too. Today, they're getting together to rank them all— from Charli & Troye to Missy Elliott to Tate McRae to Usher to Madonna— from worst to best. 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 ...
Dec 16, 2024•11 min
Last week, Louie, Nora Princiotti, Jason P. Frank & Julianne Escobedo Shepherd counted down their favorite pop songs of 2024 before duking it out to settle on Pop Pantheon's definitive pop songs of the year. This week, Louie is joined by Nora once again along with Rolling Stone 's Larisha Paul and Sam Murphy to discuss their favorite albums of the last twelve months and land on Pop Pantheon's Top 5 Albums of 2024. Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Presents: Y2GAY! The New Year's Eve Party in Brookly...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 33 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, over on the main feed, we're rolling out our best songs and albums of 2024 by some of the premier pop acts in the world. But what about some of the pop girlies who got.... less attention from mainstream audiences and critics? For our 2nd Annual Top of the Flops, Friend of the Pod Omri Rolan is back to count down the biggest and best flops of 2024 with Russ and Louie. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episo...
Dec 09, 2024•11 min
Live from Parkside Lounge in New York City, DJ Louie is joined by Hearing Things ' Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Vulture 's Jason P. Frank and The Ringer 's Nora Princiotti to countdown each of their favorite top ten pop songs of the year, before hashing out the definitive Pop Pantheon Top Ten Pop Songs of 2024. Check out a Spotify Playlist of Louie, Julianne, Jason & Nora's Favorite Pop Songs of 2024 Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Presents: Y2GAY! The New Year's Eve Party in Brooklyn Come to Gorge...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 12 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tom Breihan is here to talk about Kendrick Lamar's surprise 6th album, GNX , which surprise dropped last week in the wake of his triumph over Drake in their highly publicized battle from this summer. But Tom and Louie also get caught in the broader GNX Nexus, going off on tangents about Drake's future, Taylor and Jack Antonoff's creative collaboration and more. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of...
Dec 02, 2024•10 min
Happy Thanksgiving! We're off this week but we wanted to highlight an older episode, a personal fav of Louie's that many of you might have missed. This is our Robyn episode from way back in May 2021— the sixth of Pop Pantheon ever— with the brilliant Jia Tolentino. Not only is it wonderful conversation about one of the greatest pop artists of the modern era. It's where the Niche Legend Pantheon tier was created. A seminal moment in the podcast's history! Enjoy. Buy tickets to Pop Pantheon: Best ...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 18 min
