Pop Pantheon

Billboard's Elias Leight discusses the challenges faced by new pop stars in achieving and sustaining mainstream success in the Tik Tok era. They explore the changing dynamics of pop stardom, the challenges of mainstream success while maintaining niche appeal, and the difficulties pop artists encounter in reaching a broader audience. They also discuss the importance of building genuine connections with fans and the impact of TikTok on pop music.

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. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. 

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.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Jessica & Ashlee Simpson Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live: Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy on 11/2 In PasadenaCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC: Halloween Edition on October 27Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on November 10Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Troy McEady on TwitterFollow Troy McEady on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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. Read Spencer's pieces on the rise of country bros in The AtlanticSubscribe to Marissa's newsletter, Don't Rock the InboxListen to a playlist of Marissa's recommendationsJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live: Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy on 11/2 In PasadenaCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC: Halloween Edition on October 27Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Marissa R. Moss on TwitterFollow Spencer Kornhaber on TwitterFollow 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, 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. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. 

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Rawiya Kameir joins the show in a companion piece to this week's main feed episode on Doja Cat. Here, Louie and Rawiya are talking all things Doja's fourth studio album, Scarlet, which dropped this past Friday. This is a very different type of Doja album: rap-heavy, combative and very very long. Louie and Rawiya are sharing all their thoughts on the record: what's working, what's not, whether Doja has effectively answered to her critics on this music and whether it's given us newfound insight into the quite slippery but always fascinating superstar. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. 

Rolling Stone’s Larisha Paul joins Pop Pantheon to dissect the career of one of the most enigmatic, eccentric talents working in pop today: Doja Cat. As Doja releases her fourth studio album, Scarlet, Larisha and Louie dig into her origin story, connection to controversial super-producer Dr. Luke, rise on Soundcloud and the laid-back stoner R&B of her 2014 debut EP Purrr!. They then tackle Doja's first full-length LP, 2018’s Amala, the strange breakout success of the novelty track and video, the meme-sensation “"Mooo!", 2019’s sonically eclectic Hot Pink and the single that turned Doja into an A-Lister, “Say So.” Finally, they discuss Doja’s 2021 juggernaut third album Planet Her, the various controversies that have helped define her prickly public persona and how she's responded to them, where Doja is at in her pop stardom as she releases Scarlet and rank Doja Cat in the official Pop Pantheon. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access to listen to Louie break down Scarlet in detail with writer and critic Rawiya Kameir. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Doja Cat Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live: Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy on 11/2 In PasadenaCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on September 29Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC: Halloween Edition on October 27Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Larisha Paul on TwitterFollow Larisha Paul on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

For the conclusion of our three-part series on Prince, writer and critic Miles Marshall Lewis joins Pop Pantheon to discuss the final swing of Prince's career, beginning with his tumultuous battle with Warner Bros in the early 1990s, which saw him change his name to an unpronounceable symbol and perform with “slave” written on his face. Louie and Miles then tackle the ups and downs of Prince’s wildly prolific latter career, including 1991’s genre-spanning Diamonds and Pearls, his commercial decline through a glut of records in the later '90s, and his minor comeback 2004’s back-to-basics Musicology and 2006's funky 3231. Along the way, they consider his legacy-defining Super Bowl performance, his innovations in music distribution, vast influence on music and pop stardom and Miles shares a story about a personal meeting with The Purple One months before his death in 2016. Finally, Louie and Miles rank Prince in the official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Prince Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live: Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy on 11/2 In PasadenaCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on September 29Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Miles Marshall Lewis on TwitterFollow Miles Marshall Lewis on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

For the second in our three-part series on Prince, Pot Psychology's Rich Juzwiak joins the show to unpack Prince’s imperial years, starting with one of the best-selling albums of all time, 1984’s Purple Rain. Louie and Rich discuss all the music from this blockbuster record as well as the accompanying Oscar-winning film, which together made Prince a cultural phenomenon for the ages, before tackling his swerve into kaleidoscopic psychedelia on 1985's Around the World in a Day, his second swing at the box office, Under the Cherry Moon (1986), the genre-traversing Parade (1986), and his most acclaimed album, 1987’s Sign o' the Times, dubbed by Rolling Stone as "perhaps the finest album of the 1980s". Finally, they dive into the spiritually-enlightened LoveSexy (1988) and his chart-topping Batman soundtrack (1989) .Join us next week for Part 3 which will cover Prince’s name change, record label battle and later period work, plus his legacy and indelible influence on many of the pop stars who came in his wake. Plus, we'll rank Prince in the official Pop Pantheon. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Prince Essentials PlaylistJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreBuy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live: Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy on 11/2 In PasadenaCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on September 16Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on September 29Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Rich Juzwiak on TwitterFollow Rich Juzwiak 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, Streogum's Tom Breihan joins DJ Louie to break down Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album Guts, which dropped Friday: What's working (more rock!), what's not, the major themes and sounds and what it all says about Olivia's place in the pop star firmament of 2023. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three episodes of the show per month, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.