In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ discuss buzzy new albums from three very different pop girlies: Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun , Audrey Hobert's Who's The Clown?, and Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving. 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 Ap...
Oct 20, 2025•10 min
Louie & Russ play a game of Step Up, Step Down where they look at recent career moves by Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Cardi B, and Lorde and decide if they are currently on an upward or downward slope in the Pop Pantheon. Grab tix to Gorgeous Gorgeous Halloween in NYC and LA Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram Follow DJ Louie XIV o...
Oct 16, 2025•1 hr 8 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie is joined by friend of the pod, Pot Psychology 's Rich Juzwiak, to break down Mariah Carey's 16th studio album, Here For It All , which dropped a few weeks ago. The two dig into the record's mix of '70s soul and contemporary R&B, how Mimi deploys her more limited vocal range, and how Here attempts to solve for the problems of the late-career pop diva album. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episo...
Oct 13, 2025•11 min
Louie and Russ are answering all of your questions about Season One of our Taylor Swift series which covered her early era and first three albums, 2006's debut, 2008's Fearless , and 2010's Speak Now. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Early Taylor Swift Essentials Playlist Grab tix to Gorgeous Gorgeous Halloween in NYC and LA Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagr...
Oct 09, 2025•48 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, what else could it be? Louie and Russ go extra long on Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, consider each track, and ask the big questions about what it all means in the career trajectory of the biggest pop star of them all. 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 ...
Oct 06, 2025•11 min
The Guardian 's deputy music editor Laura Snapes makes her Pop Pantheon debut for the conclusion of season one of our epic Taylor Swift super-series. Louie and Laura revisit the marquee music event of autumn 2010, the release of Taylor’s third album, Speak Now . They discuss the album's six platinum hits, how it revitalized the record industry in a moment of peril and the way Taylor used Speak Now to respond to public narratives about her. Join us next week for a bonus B-Side Mailbag episode cov...
Oct 02, 2025•1 hr 44 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ talk the announcement of Bad Bunny as next year's Super Bowl halftime show performer, Russ' experience at Lorde's Ultrasound World Tour, and take bets on the first week sales for Taylor Swift's Life of a Showgirl before digging into Doja Cat's '80s pastiche on her new album, Vie , released last week. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord chann...
Sep 29, 2025•12 min
Stereogum senior editor Tom Breihan returns to Pop Pantheon for the second episode of season one of Pop Pantheon’s epic Taylor Swift super-series. Louie and Tom touch down on Taylor as she lands her first big pop hit, the pop-rock anthem “Love Story.” From there, they tackle Taylor’s graduation from country ingenue to global superstardom with her number one Grammy-winning sophomore album, 2008’s Fearless, and discuss modern pop music history's big bang with Taylor and Kanye West's infamous meeti...
Sep 25, 2025•1 hr 43 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ talk their predictions for who will be next year's Super Bowl halftime performer and talk there experiences seeing Katy Perry's Lifetimes Tour before digging into Cardi B's long-awaited sophomore album, Am I the Drama? , which dropped on Friday. 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 Acce...
Sep 22, 2025•13 min
Rolling Stone ’s Rob Sheffield returns to Pop Pantheon to kick off the first season of our sprawling, multi-year super series about the biggest pop star phenomenon of the 21st century, Taylor Swift. Louie and Rob, author of Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music , dig into Taylor’s origins in suburban Philadelphia, the famed Christmas tree farm she grew up on and her bootstrapped teenage years in Nashville. Then they discuss her 2006 self-titled album, which tra...
Sep 18, 2025•2 hr 2 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ get together to share their experiences of seeing Lady Gaga's epic Mayhem Ball World Tour, before diving into their thoughts on new albums from Justin Bieber and Jade. 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...
Sep 16, 2025•14 min
Louie, Russ, and returning champ Reanna Cruz discuss the year in main pop girls before each sharing their personal top five Main Pop Girl Power Ranking for 2025 and putting their heads together for a collective top ten. Gaga? Addison? Doechii? Sabrina? PinkPantheress? Who will win?!?! Grab tix to Main Pop Girls on Oct. 3 at Parkside Lounge Grab tix to Gorgeous Gorgeous on Sept. 12 at The Sultan Room Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in ...
Sep 11, 2025•1 hr 23 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, With performances from everyone from Doja Cat to Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga and major awards for Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, Louie and Russ reflect on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, the first to air on CBS. It was a show loaded with a lot of stuff but very little that felt essential. The two try to parse apart the purpose and future of the VMAs is an era where both MTV and music videos feel less relevant than ever. To hear...
Sep 08, 2025•14 min
Louie and Russ look back on 2025's wonky summer of pop music, discuss whether there was any true song of summer this year, and look at Billboard's definitive rankings before sifting back through their bets from this spring to see who got the most right about Song of Summer 2025. Grab tix to Main Pop Girls on Oct. 3 at Parkside Lounge Grab tix to Gorgeous Gorgeous on Sept. 12 at The Sultan Room Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pa...
Sep 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ talk briefly about the engagement news of the century before digging into Sabrina Carpenter's 7th (!!)— although for all intents and purposes, sophomore— studio album, Man's Best Friend , which dropped on Friday. 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...
Sep 01, 2025•12 min
Pop Pantheon will return with new episodes next week! In the meantime, enjoy a taste of our Patreon channel, Pop Pantheon: All Access, with this live show about Taylor Swfit's The Tortured Poets Department from back in April of '24. If you enjoy this and want to 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. Joi...
Aug 28, 2025•1 hr 28 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The Wall Street Journal's Myles Tanzer returns to Pop Pantheon ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Justin Bieber's fourth studio album, Purpose, to unpack the blockbuster record. Louie and Myles touch down on Justin's recent album Swag, discuss Purpose's trio of number one hits, "Love Yourself," "Sorry" and "What Do You Mean?," and talk about Justin's approach to pop stardom over the years. To hear the rest of the this episode plus re...
Aug 25, 2025•12 min
Pop Pantheon is off until September but we didn't want to leave you high and dry! This episode on Cyndi Lauper from back in January 2022 is one of Louie's favorites. If you missed it or are new to the pod, this is great gem from the back catalog. If you've heard it before, we hope you enjoy revisiting the career, work, and legacy of this early MTV era icon. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on...
Aug 21, 2025•1 hr 28 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ revisit Miley Cyrus' divisive 2013 blockbuster Bangerz , her most successful pop star era but one loaded to the brim with controversy and worse. To do so, they go track-by-track on the album but skip it's three enduring hits— "We Can't Stop," "Wrecking Ball," and "Adore You"— to decide if this explosive, chaotic record many deem some kind of "classic" stands on it's own two feet without them. To hear the rest of the thi...
Aug 18, 2025•12 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, it's a true Pop Emergency! Earlier this week, Taylor Swift announced her forthcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl , due out October 3rd, so Louie and Russ had to gather for a little bonus pod to discuss everything we know about the album so far and what to expect from a whole new Taylor era. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so m...
Aug 15, 2025•12 min
To conclude our epic four-parter, the time has come to rank Kylie Minogue in the official Pop Pantheon! Louie and Russ convene an international gay summit with friends of the pod Owen Myers and Sam Murphy to break down one of the toughest tier rankings in Pop Pantheon history. Do we rank Kylie differently in different territories? Try to come up with a global ranking? How do we make sense of such an enigmatic career that played out so differently across different regions of the world? Panelists ...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 17 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, writer and producer Lakin Imani Starling joins Pop Pantheon ahead of the first anniversary of Doechii's mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal to talk about how the project turned Doechii into a breakout star. Lakin and Russ dig into Doechii's origins in Florida, her early years as a rapper and musician and early hits like "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" and "What It Is" that helped set the stage for her massive mainstream breakthrough. From the...
Aug 11, 2025•11 min
We have recently received a number of takedown notices from Spotify on behalf of an organization representing songwriters and publishers and indications that Spotify could, at some point, remove Pop Pantheon from their platform. In light of that and while our current plan is to continue publishing on Spotify for the the time being, we're highly suggesting that our Spotify listeners subscribe to PP on Apple Podcasts , Amazon Music , or any other podcast app so that you never miss an episode of th...
Aug 08, 2025•4 min
Katherine St. Asaph makes her Pop Pantheon debut for the third in our four-part series on Kylie Minogue. Louie and Katherine discuss Kylie's life-changing cancer diagnosis and the celebratory record that followed her public battle with the disease 2007's X . Then they tackle Kylie’s later era run of records, from 2010’s Aphrodite through to 2020's Disco , when led into her third moment in the American zeitgeist with "Padam Padam" nearly 40 years into her career. Join us next week for part 4, in ...
Aug 07, 2025•1 hr 41 min
For the second installment in our four-part series on Kylie Minogue, Paper ’s Joan Summers joins Pop Pantheon to discuss Kylie’s commercial crash out in the '90s and glorious rebirth in the early 2000s. Joan and Louie dig into Kylie's commercial nadir with 1997’s Impossible Princess , then unpack one of pop’s greatest rebounds, her 2000 maximalist camp fantasia Light Years . From there, they discuss her robotic pop masterpiece “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” Kylie’s second brush with U.S. succes...
Jul 31, 2025•2 hr 8 min
Nashville Public Radio's senior music writer Jewly Hight joins Russ to help break down country music's continued boom. Russ and Jewly chat about the aftermath of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, try to make sense of Morgan Wallen's behemoth success with I'm the Problem and discuss new songs from Tanner Adell, Megan Moroney & 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: Al...
Jul 28, 2025•10 min
For the first in our four-part series on Kylie Minogue, Michael Cragg returns to Pop Pantheon to help unpack the origins of a zenith superstar of global pop, Kylie Minogue. Michael and Louie explore Kylie’s breakout moment, first with the Australian soap Neighbours , then “The Loco-Motion.” From there, they unpack her early work with eighties hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman and her first brush at success in America. Then they tackle her coming of age on 1990’s Rhythm of Love , her final outing u...
Jul 24, 2025•1 hr 55 min
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ go track-by-track on Lady Gaga's fifth studio album, 2016's Joanne . A departure from the slamming dance beats and extravagance of her earlier eras, the record posited a more "stripped back" version of the camp queen, featuring a campaign laden with country signifiers including her signature pink cowboy hat, and a backstory about Gaga's aunt, the titular Joanne, who died before the pop star was born. But does it deliver...
Jul 21, 2025•12 min
Writer and editor Carly Lewis joins Russ to rank their respective top 10 Canadian pop stars of all time. Carly and Russ discuss why Canada has produced so many successful pop stars, then talk about some of the biggest names in Canadian pop from Celine Dion to Drake and Shania Twain – and a few Canadian greats who never found fame outside the Great White North. BUY TICKETS TO MAIN POP GIRLS: POP GIRL SUMMER ON 7/25 AT THE MEADOWS! Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive ...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 55 min
Friend of the pod Troy McEady returns to Pop Pantheon All Access for a super sized New Music Speed Round. Troy and Russ give their first impressions of Justin Bieber's surprise album Swag, Cardi B's lead single for her sophomore record, "Outside," Katseye's EP Beautiful Chaos, Lizzo's rap mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling & 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 Pant...
Jul 14, 2025•10 min
