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 conservatorship and the album that brought her back to number one under perhaps dubious behind-the-scenes circumstances, 2008’s Circus.Join us next week for Part 4, in which we’ll discuss Femme Fatale (2011), Britney Jean (2013), Glory (2016), #FreeBritney, the end of the conservatorship, The Woman in Me, as well as Britney's enduring legacy in pop.Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials PlaylistCome to Main Pop Girls: BRITNEY VS. GAGA on 3/21!Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 4/11Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

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 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.Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

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, the duo's generational pop baton passing on the single “Me Against The Music” and Britney’s most adventurous record up to that point, 2003’s In the Zone.Join us next week for Part 3, in which we’ll discuss and Britney's infamous mid-aughts along with 2007's Blackout and 2008's CircusCheck out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials PlaylistCome to Main Pop Girls: BRITNEY VS. GAGA on 3/21!Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/14Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

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 parse 2000’s hit-packed Oops!... I Did It Again, which solidified Britney’s spot as the most important pop star of the new Millennium. Join us next week for Part 2, in which we’ll discuss 2001’s Britney and 2003’s In The Zone.Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials PlaylistCome to Main Pop Girls on 3/21!Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/1Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/14Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

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 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.

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 3/1Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/14Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

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 answers and decide if the album is a bonafide classic, or just a great collection of smashes paired with some less great filler. 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.

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 2/14Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/1Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

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 the Apple Podcasts app.

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 recent hot streak and 2024’s GNX, before ranking Kendrick Lamar in the Official Pop Pantheon.Check out our Kendrick Lamar Essentials Playlist on SpotifyCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous Valentines Day in LA on 2/14Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/1Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram