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PODCAST

Greatest Pop Stars

Billboard"s weekly deep dive into the past, present and future of pop stardom. New episodes every Thursday.

music music history

All Episodes

59:23

Which Pop Stars Won August 2025? Taylor Swift,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/09/04

On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Danielle Pascual to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who dominated August 2025 in pop stardom. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead to who we're most anticipating hearing more from in the months to come.If you enjoy the pod, check out out the rest of our

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119:41

Will Smith's 1998: Vintage Pop Superstardom (with...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/08/28

We've seen plenty of pop stars and plenty of movie stars in our lifetime, but only one entertainer who has ever been one of the very biggest stars in both mediums at the same time. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by YouTube star and Song vs. Song podcast co-host Todd in the Shadows to talk about 1998 Will Smith — the year of "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," "Just the Two of Us," "Miami," 'Enemy of the State' and a period of

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54:56

Taylor Swift's 'Life of a Showgirl' Era: Pop Star...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/08/21

Taylor Swift had every excuse to take 2025 off — but as of last week's 'New Heights' podcast, she is once again back in full effect. On this extended Pop Star Preview episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard executive director of music Jason Lipshutz to look ahead to the 'Life of a Showgirl' era and beyond, discussing everything from the album's tracklist to sound to collaborators and making some forecasts about the rest of Swift's 2025 — and if she

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137:53

Mariah Carey's 2005: Vintage Pop Stardom (with Trevor...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/08/14

Mariah Carey spent the '90s as the biggest pop star on the planet, but after a brutal start to the 21st century, it took an all-time comeback year to get her back to the top of the pop game. On this extended Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard charts manager Trevor Anderson to talk about 2005 Mariah Carey — the year of 'The Emancipation of Mimi," "We Belong Together," "Shake It Off," and a run that reminded everyone that 15

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55:38

Chappell Roan's "The Subway": Rollout Report Card

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/08/07

It's been 14 months since we first heard "The Subway," as debuted by Chappell Roan as part of her set at New York's Governors Ball festival — and last week, we finally got the studio version and official music video. We mark the occasion with a Pop Star Rollout Report Card for the song and video release, as host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Hannah Dailey to evaluate everything that has gone into this Chappell mini-era so far -- from the timing of the release to

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63:33

Which Pop Stars Won July 2025? Justin Bieber, KPop...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/07/31

On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Michael Saponara and Kyle Denis to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who dominated July 2025 in pop stardom. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead to who we're most anticipating hearing more from in the months to come.If you enjoy the pod, check out out the rest of our

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75:33

Justin Bieber's 'Journals': Great Moments in Pop Star...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/07/24

Upon its 2013 release, Justin Bieber's 'Journals' project couldn't have flopped much harder — but 12 years later, it's grown to not only be an enduring fan favorite, but maybe the most important release of Bieber's career. On this week's Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kyle Denis to recall what went wrong with 'Journals' a decade ago, and why it's ultimately proven to have been well ahead of its time

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136:51

Oasis' 1996: Vintage Pop Stardom (with Lisa Ebe)

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/07/17

While Oasis never stopped being pop stars in the U.K. — even during the band's 15-year hiatus before its current reunion stadium tour — in the U.S., the lads only got one year on top: 1996. On this supersized Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by his real-life partner, longtime Oasis superfan Lisa Ebe, to talk about the year of "Wonderwall," "Champagne Supernova," Knebworth and MTV Unplugged, where Oasis broke out into stateside

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50:50

KPop Demon Hunters: HUNTR/X & Saja Boys Fictional Pop...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/07/10

If you've been paying any attention to the Billboard charts the past couple weeks, you've seen the chart onslaught of two brand-new groups: HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, inventions of the hit animated Netflix musical 'KPop Demon Hunters'. On this first-ever Fictional Pop Star Review on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Assistant Social Editor and K-pop superfan Abby Webster to talk about all things HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, the entire 'KPop Demon Hunters'

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111:40

Kesha's 2010: Vintage Pop Stardom (with AJ Marks)

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/07/03

In 2010, Kesha (then Ke$ha) kicked off the decade in pop with an ass-kicking run of pop smashes that set the tone and tempo for 2010 to become an all-time year in pop music. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by AJ Marks of r/Popheads and Main Pod Girl to relive the signature year for everyone's favorite sleaze-pop superstar — with "Tik Tok," "Your Love Is My Drug," and both 'Animal' and 'Cannibal' — and to remember how much has

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78:21

Which Pop Stars Have Won 2025's First Half? Kendrick...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/06/26

It's midyear season at Billboard, so it's time for us to look back at the year in pop stardom so far -- by revisiting our Greatest Pop Stars fantasy draft from January. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined once again by Billboard staffers Kyle Denis, Meghan Mahar and Jason Lipshutz to go over how each of our pop star fantasy teams has done so far, while also sizing up the Greatest Pop Star of 2025 race in general, and predicting some of the artists who aren't in the discussion yet but still might be by

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72:31

Sly & the Family Stone's 1969: Vintage Pop Stardom

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/06/19

In 1969, Sly Stone and his Family Stone band reached superstardom and just kept climbing, with timeless singles, a classic album, and several of the year's most legendary live performances. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Joe Lynch to pay tribute to the late Sly Stone with a look at his band's greatest year, one that saw him reach a level of all-consuming pop stardom that few have ever matched in the decades

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106:58

The Beach Boys' 1966: Vintage Pop Stardom

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/06/17

In 1966, Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys realized all their greatest artistic and commercial ambitions -- though not always at the same time -- with their 'Pet Sounds' album and "Good Vibrations" single, making for one of the greatest years in U.S. pop history. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Katie Atkinson to pay tribute to the late Brian Wilson with a look at his greatest year, one whose music and lore

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76:15

"Weird Al" Yankovic's "Eat It": Great Moments in Pop...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/06/12

On this week's Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Rebecca Milzoff to talk about her recent cover story subject, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, and his 1984 breakout hit "Eat It." We dive into the context that allowed "Weird Al" to crash the charts and MTV over 40 years ago and has allowed him to remain pretty much consistently popular for every decade since, and also dive into Yankovic's history with Michael Jackson and

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94:58

Which Pop Stars Won May 2025? Beyoncé, Taylor Swift,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/06/05

On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard charts staffers Trevor Anderson and Eric Frankenberg to discuss the big pop stars and rising prospects who dominated May 2025 in pop stardom. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead to who we're most anticipating hearing more from in the months to come.If you enjoy the pod, check out our first three 2025 recaps:

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85:00

1995 Hootie & The Blowfish: Vintage Pop Stardom

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/05/29

It was the Year of Hootie: In 1995, an unassuming group of good-time frat-rockers unexpectedly became the biggest thing in popular music, with hit after hit and over 10 million in sales -- but their fall from pop stardom would come just as quickly and dramatically as their rise. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Christine Werthman to look at the wildest one-and-done crossover year of any mid-'90s artist, and

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41:30

Pop Star Performance Review: Morgan Wallen's New...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/05/22

In addition to releasing his 37-track 'I'm the Problem' album last weekend (May 16), Morgan Wallen also headlined the first installment of his self-curated Sand in My Boots Festival in Alabama. On this week's Pop Star Performance Review, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by music and culture writer Meaghan Garvey -- who both recapped Sand in My Boots for Billboard and reviewed 'I'm the Problem' for Pitchfork -- to go over the weekend in Wallen, and how (if at all) it's changed our perception of him

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74:55

Maren Morris: Is She a Pop Star?

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/05/15

On this week's Greatest Pop Stars, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by country writer Marissa Moss to size up the career of the country hitmaker Maren Morris, and ask the fundamental question: Is Maren a pop star? Along the way, we relive the major moments in her career, from becoming a country phenom the mid-'10s, to scoring massive crossover hits in the late decade and ultimately falling out with the country world -- but now reinventing herself with the fantastic new 'Dreamsicle' album. If

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63:19

Lorde's "Ribs": Great Moments in Pop Star History

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/05/08

On this week's Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Hannah Dailey to talk about one of the most beloved pop non-singles of this century (and an unlikely recent Billboard Hot 100 debut): Lorde's "Ribs." We share when we first came to connect to the song, what makes it such an important song for the generation of pop fans who grew up with it, and whether it might one day pass "Royals" to be seen as Lorde's

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71:59

Which Pop Stars Won April 2025? Kendrick & SZA, Gaga,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/05/01

On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Eric Frankenberg to discuss the pop stars who dominated a live-heavy March 2025 in pop stardom. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead to who we're most anticipating hearing more from in the months to come.If you enjoy the pod, check out our first three 2025 recaps: Greatest Pop

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