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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

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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44:09

Kendrick Lamar & SZA's Stadium Tour Kickoff: Pop Star...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/04/24

On this Pop Star Performance Review of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard deputy editor Joe Lynch -- a Minnesota native who was in attendance for the show at Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday (Apr. 19) -- to go full "30 for 30" on the kickoff of Kendrick Lamar & SZA's Grand National tour, the year's most anticipated pop trek. Joe answers all our questions about the experience, from the crowd to the staging to the pacing to the energy to the "A

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76:12

Vintage Pop Stardom: 2005 50 Cent (with Carl Lamarre...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/04/17

After became the hottest rapper in the game in 2003, 50 Cent returned in 2005 arguably bigger and more omnipresent than ever -- but after two years where it felt like he couldn't miss, 50's strike rate was finally starting to slip a little. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop's Carl Lamarre and Michael Saponara to continue celebrating our 2005 Week -- with 2005-themed content all this week (Apr. 14-18) on

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69:33

Vintage Pop Stardom: 2005 Ciara (with Natalie Weiner)

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/04/14

After breaking through in late 2004, with her Goodies album and its seven-week Billboard Hot 100-topping title track, Ciara stayed winning all throughout 2005 -- with a run of top five hits that made her one of the biggest top 40 hitmakers, but which she had trouble equaling later in her career. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by former Billboard writer Natalie Weiner to kick of our 2005 Week -- with 2005-themed content coming

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90:43

Vintage Pop Stardom: 2005 Green Day (with Eric Renner...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/04/10

Green Day entered 2005 at the center of popular music for the second time in its career -- but the first time in a decade. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Eric Renner Brown to preview our upcoming 2005 Week -- with 2005-themed content coming all next week (Apr. 14-18) on Billboard.com -- with a look at the year when Green Day springboarded from its comeback album (and single) 'American Idiot' to the biggest pop

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56:59

Which Pop Stars Won March 2025?

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/04/03

On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Kyle Denis and Danielle Pascual to discuss the pop stars who dominated a comeback-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 as winter turns to spring.If you enjoy the pod, check out our first two 2025 recaps: Greatest Pop

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62:13

Great Moments in Pop Star History: Selena Gomez's...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/03/27

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 Jason Lipshutz, to talk about one of the most fascinating pop songs of the last decade, Selena Gomez's "Bad Liar." We look at why the song enraptured us upon release, why it won over so many critics but stalled on the charts, and whether it ended up being the major turning point in Selena Gomez's career that we thought it might be at the time. If you enjoy

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103:03

Vintage Pop Stardom: 1995 Madonna (with Keith Caulfield)

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/03/20

By 1995, Madonna was no longer the center-of-everything top 40 force she was a decade earlier, but she still a massive star about to enter one of the most fascinating phases of her career. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Keith Caulfield of the Billboard charts department (and the Pop Shop Podcast) to discuss the Queen of Pop's 1995. We cover her 'Bedtime Stories' and 'Something to Remember' eras and how it all led up to

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72:45

Rollout Report Card: Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem'

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2025/03/13

We're spending the first Greatest Pop Stars episode since the long-awaited Friday (March 7) release of Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem' talking about the entire album era, with a new series we're calling the Pop Star Rollout Report Card. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Eric Frankenberg to evaluate everything that has gone into this Gaga era so far -- the old songs and the new songs of course, but also all her many interviews and performances, and what it all adds up to

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73 results

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