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PODCAST

Pop Pantheon

The podcast where DJ Louie XIV and guests completely overanalyze all your favorite pop stars, then rank them in the official Pop Pantheon.

music music commentary

All Episodes

8:02

Hard Candy is a Sweet Spot in Madonna's Late Period...

Pop Pantheon ·

2024/01/03

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and guest Miles Marshall Lewis look back Madonna's 11th studio album, 2008's Hard Candy, an album where the Queen of Pop uncharacteristically played catch-up with her pop star progeny, enlisting Timabland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell to help get her music back in American radio's good graces. The gambit only minorly paid off. The album received mixed reviews and while lead single "4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake"

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61:12

How Has Lady Gaga's Chromatica Held Up? (with Matthew...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/28

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! In a rerun of an episode from Pop Pantheon: All Access published back in May, Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua & host of the And Introducing podcast Molly Mary O'Brien join DJ Louie to look back on three years of Chromatica: How they absorbed it when it dropped in the context of May 2020, how it sounds to them now, what's happening aesthetically and thematically on the songs, where it stacks up against in Gaga's catalog and what it says about her status

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59:34

Pop Stars We Lost This Year: Sinéad O'Connor, Tony...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/21

Louie and a series guest look back on the career, work and legacies of some pop greats we lost in 2023: Sinéad O'Connor, Tony Bennett & Tina Turner. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Annie Zaleski on TwitterFollow Brian Newman on TwitterFollow Melissa Vincent on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

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9:17

Who TF is Tate McRae? Making Sense of Pop's New Main...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/18

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tate McRae has, to some, been on the rise for the past few years. To many, she became the pop starlet of the moment overnight with her viral hit "Greedy". On the occasion of her sophomore album, Think Later, released a couple weeks ago, Louie and Russ came together to talk everything Tate: How she's metamorphosed over her ascent, what's clicked with "Greedy" and how that's reflected (or not) in the rest the album, and what Tate's

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111:34

MARIAH CAREY: PART 3 (with Pot Psychology's Rich...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/14

For the conclusion of our three-part series on Mariah Carey, Pot Psychology’s Rich Juzwiak returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss Mariah’s later period work, starting with one of the greatest comebacks in the history of pop: 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi. Louie and Rich unpack Emancipation’s smash hits and how it helped rewrite Mariah's legacy, then move on to its 2008’s sequel, E=MC², and 2009's idiosyncratic Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Rich and Louie tackle the calcification of her camp

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11:00

Is Pink Friday 2 a Worthy Sequel? (with Hunter...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/12

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Nicki Minaj dropped her long-awaited fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, last Friday. But is it a worthy follow-up to her legendary debut, 2010's Pink Friday? Hung Up's Hunter Harris joins DJ Louie to break it all down: what's good on this record, what's not and whether albums—this one or any other in her discography— are useful formats for Nicki's unique genius. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive at least three

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111:27

MARIAH CAREY: PART 2 (with NPR's Aisha Harris)

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/07

For the second in our three-part series on Mariah Carey, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour's Aisha Harris joins the show to unpack some of the most fascinating, liberated and enduring music Mariah has made, as well as a professional nadir from which it once seemed she'd never recover. Louie and Aisha pick up with Mariah's self-described magnum opus, 1997’s Butterfly, then move on to her final album under her deal with Sony and Tommy Mottola, 1999’s Rainbow, before digging into the embarrassing

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12:09

How Mariah Carey Became the Queen of Christmas (with...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/12/04

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The Wall Street Journal's John Jurgensen, who has chronicled Mariah's ascent to the Queen of Christmas over the last 30 years, joins DJ Louie to discuss just how she's come to claim that title. Louie and John are talking Merry Christmas and "All I Want For Christmas Is You", the historical relationship between pop and Christmas music and how social media, stan culture, Love Actually, and a good-old fashioned banger came together

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132:12

MARIAH CAREY: PART 1 (with Dr. Brittnay L. Proctor)

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/30

In the first of three new episodes on pop icon Mariah Carey, DJ Louie is joined by The New School's Dr. Brittnay L. Proctor to discuss Mariah's origin story and early career. They begin with her upbringing on Long Island as the product of a biracial marriage, her first forays into the music industry as a demo singer and background vocalist and her chance meeting with future husband Tommy Mottola which resulted in her smash self-titled debut album, home to four consecutive number one hits

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67:10

The Best Pop Music of 2023 (with Shaad D'Souza)

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/22

Music writer Shaad D'Souza joins DJ Louie to discuss pop music in 2023. They each share and discuss their three favorite albums, three favorite songs, greatest disappointments, major trends in the genre and more. Check out a Spotify Playlist of Louie and Shaad's 2023 FavsJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on December 16Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Shaad D'Souza on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on

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47:13

Bonnie McKee on the Song Machine, Pop Stardom & Ego...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/16

Bonnie McKee is the songwriter behind many of the most enduring pop hits of the last 15 years including Taio Cruz' "Dynamite", Britney Spears' "Hold it Against Me" and no fewer than 5 (!) of Katy Perry's #1s. She's also a pop star in her own right, having run the gamut from singer-songwriter-aspirant in the early 2000s through numerous major label deals and finally, her current career as an indie pop act. Bonnie joins DJ Louie to talk about it all: her love of pop music, how she writes it,

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110:29

AALIYAH (with Kathy Iandoli)

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/09

Author of the book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah Kathy Iandoli returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the far too short career of one of the most exciting pop recording artists of her generation, Aaliyah. Kathy and Louie discuss Aaliyah’s upbringing in Detroit, her connection to soul legend Gladys Knight and how she came to create 1994’s Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number with R. Kelly, a convicted sexual predator who married her illegally as a teen. Then they examine one of the most

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13:23

Pop Pantheon Live! Britney's Memoir, Music & Legacy...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/03

Pop Pantheon had it's first live show ever last night at the Crawford Auditorium in Pasadena, courtesy of LAist!In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, USC's Jason King, Beyond the Blinds' Troy McEady and Gloss Angeles' Kirbie Johnson were all on stage with DJ Louie to discuss all things Britney: her new memoir, The Woman in Me, her legacy as a pop star and musician, why she mattered and continues to impact the world of pop and generations of stars who came after her,

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54:16

Lizzo & The Nature of Celebrity Scandal (with Megan...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/11/02

Back in August, Lizzo was sued by a number of her former dancers for creating a hostile work environment, with allegations including racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination and assault, and more. This flew directly in the face of her brand, which champions positivity, inclusivity and authenticity above all else (including even her music). The Sunday Times' Megan Agnew and journalist and culture critic Hanna Phifer join DJ Louie to break down

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9:28

Taylor Touchdown! (1989 TV! Eras Tour Film! Travis!)...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/30

There sure is a lot of Taylor Swift happening right now but when is there not these days? In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ got together to talk about it all: 1989 (Taylor's Version), which dropped Friday, its attendant "from the vault" tracks, The Eras Tour film which was released a few weeks ago, her new high-profile relationship with football star Travis Kelci and, with Taylor having the biggest monocultural moment in recent history, whether

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113:54

BRUNO MARS (with Stereogum's Tom Breihan)

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/26

Stereogum’s Tom Breihan returns to Pop Pantheon to dissect the career of pop history’s greatest mimic, Bruno Mars. Louie and Tom dive into how Bruno spent his childhood impersonating greats like Elvis and Michael Jackson, his failed start on Motown and early work for other artists, including via his production group The Smeezingtons. Then they discuss his tightly-stitched 2010 debut, Doo-Wops and Hooligans, 2012’s pop history grab-bag, Unorthodox Jukebox, and the cultural sensation of his

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44:46

Where are All the New Pop Stars? (with Billboard's...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/19

There are more pop artists than ever but very few of them seem to be able to grab a serious foothold at the top of the heap. Billboard's Elias Leight has been covering this topic extensively lately and for this week's B-side, he joins DJ Louie to break down why it's become nearly impossible to ascend to pop's A-List in the Tik Tok era, how various factions— from artists, to labels, to fans— are reacting to this and how each may need to adjust expectations for what a successful pop career

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12:22

Searching for Queer Utopias on Troye Sivan's...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/17

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

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118:28

JESSICA & ASHLEE SIMPSON (with Beyond the Blinds'...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/12

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,

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70:59

How Country Bros Took Over Pop (with Spencer...

Pop Pantheon ·

2023/10/05

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

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