Pop Pantheon

Dr. Francesca Royster & Taylor Crumpton discuss Beyoncé's pivot to country in 'Cowboy Carter', highlighting Black women's history in the genre, Bey's storytelling in songs like 'Texas Hold 'Em' & '16 Carriages', reclaiming white genres, and the intersection of race, nationalism, and segregation in country music. They explore challenges faced by female country artists, Beyoncé's impact on the industry, and the need for inclusivity and representation in Nashville's music scene.

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. Send your mailbag questions to PopPantheonPod@Gmail.com!!Listen to Pop Pantheon's Calvin Harris & David Guetta EssentialsJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Pop Pantheon Live: Tortured Poets & The State of Taylor Mania on 4/22 at the Bellhouse in BrooklynBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents: Taylor Mania at Parkside Lounge on 4/19Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/23 at Los GlobosFollow Lina Abascal on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Pop Pantheon Live: Tortured Poets & The State of Taylor Mania on 4/22 at the Bellhouse in BrooklynBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents: Taylor Mania at Parkside Lounge on 4/19Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/23 at Los GlobosFollow Kemi Olivia Alemoru on TwitterFollow Tre JohnsonFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Ariana Grande Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Pop Pantheon Live: Tortured Poets & The State of Taylor Mania on 4/22 at the Bellhouse in BrooklynCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/23 at Los GlobosFollow Anna Gaca on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Ariana Grande Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Pop Pantheon Live: Tortured Poets & The State of Taylor Mania on 4/22 at the Bellhouse in BrooklynCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/23 at Los GlobosFollow Mikael Wood on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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. Get Your Tickets Here!

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. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 3/23 at Los GlobosFollow Sydney Urbanek on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter