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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

69:19

Greatest Pop Stars of 2024: Honorable Mentions,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/12/13

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 series gets underway with a look at our 10 Honorable Mention artists -- the stars who were great enough this year to get into the discussion but not quite onto our top 10. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Kyle Denis and Eric Renner Brown as we go over their cases -- and whether we disagree with any of them not making the proper list -- and then also discuss our Rookie (Shaboozey) and Comeback (Hozier) of the Year artists, and give shouts to some pop stars who

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93:13

List Recap With AJ Marks & Final Thank Yous

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/12/06

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by AJ Marks, moderator of Reddit's r/Popheads forum and host of the stellar Main Pod Girl podcast, to help look back at our list's top 10, and the entire Greatest Pop Stars project. We talk about whether our rankings (and the criteria used for them) made sense to AJ, let him air out some of his own list-related grievances, and run through the categories one more time with AJ choosing from all 25 artists. Then, Andrew closes

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206:51

No. 1: Beyoncé

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/12/04

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Beyoncé lifers Trevor Anderson and Kyle Denis to pay homage to the Queen, our No. 1 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century. We break down the case for Bey as the greatest of the past 25 years, then remember her entire career -- from Destiny's Child fromwoman to solo pop superstar to industry-shifting albums artist to bar-setting veteran -- before playing a little "A or Bey" and breaking down some personal favorite songs,

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149:12

No. 2: Taylor Swift

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/11/27

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by renowned Swiftie (and GPS essay writer) Hannah Dailey and former Woman of the Decade cover story author Jason Lipshutz to remember the one-and-only career of our No. 2 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Taylor Swift. We remember all the twists and turns that have brought Swift to her status now as the unquestioned biggest pop star on the planet, and discuss the reasons behind our incredibly difficult decision to place

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110:33

No. 3: Rihanna

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/11/20

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staff writer Kyle Denis and senior branded content producer/writer Walaa Elsiddig to remember the iconic career of our No. 3 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Rihanna. We remember everything there is to remember about Rihanna's incredible 13-year run at the center of pop music (and fashion and social media and everything else), and how even after the eight-year wait since her most-recent album -- with no end

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102:07

No. 4: Drake

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/11/13

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop team's Carl Lamarre and Michael Saponara to remember the brilliant career of our No. 4 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Drake. We try to explain why even though Drake doesn't fit the most classic pop star profile, he was still able to achieve the numbers, the impact and the overall greatness to make him one of the century's most important mainstream artists -- and we recount what made his

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121:32

No. 5: Lady Gaga

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/11/06

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Pride editor Stephen Daw and executive digital director Katie Atkinson to remember the brilliant career of our No. 5 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Lady Gaga. We try to capture what made Gaga's turn-of-the-'10s peak so shocking, so singular and so important, and remember the winding and occasionally rocky road Mother Monster took from there to where she is today, as one of the still-vital hitmakers and

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106:26

No. 6: Britney Spears

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/30

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard executive digital director Joe Lynch and senior charts/data analyst Eric Frankenberg to talk about our No. 6 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century, Britney Spears. We talk about Britney's incomparably iconic 2000s run and the classic albums, singles, videos, performances and cultural moments that cemented her legacy -- as well as the triumphs and tragedies of her last 20 years in the limelight, and the few timing

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113:54

No. 7: Kanye West

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/25

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B's Angel Diaz and Michael Saponara to talk about our No. 7 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Kanye West. We talk about how Kanye became both one of the greatest artists of his generation and one of the most all-consuming stars and celebrities -- and then, how over the past decade, he both retreated from pop stardom and did serious damage to his own legacy with some of his comments and

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87:13

No. 8: Justin Bieber

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/23

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Josh Glicksman and Kristen Wisneski to talk about our No. 8 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Justin Bieber. We talk about what makes The Bieb the highest-ranked traditional male pop artist on our list, and why his rise to ubiquity was still very representative of (and impactful on) the 21st century -- while also sharing some personal memories of peak Bieber Fever and attempting to defend some of his less

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94:33

No. 9: Ariana Grande

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/18

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staff writers Kyle Denis and Hannah Dailey to talk about our No. 9 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Ariana Grande. We make the case -- not obvious to or agreed upon by all -- that she is one of the 10 greatest pop stars of the century so far, despite being a relatively newer artist, and how everything from her deep cuts to her romantic drama to her evolving album rollout strategy to her

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79:38

No. 10: Adele

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/16

Today on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by returning guests Joe Lynch and Jason Lipshutz to talk about our No. 10 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, Adele. We debate what should weigh more on Adele's ranking on this list -- the fact that she only has four total albums to her name, or that two of them were among the biggest albums in pop music history -- while also trying to explain what made Adele such an unusual (and successful) phenomenon among 2010s pop

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157:37

No. 11: Usher & 25-11 Recap W/ AJ Marks

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/11

This week on the Greatest Pop Stars Podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by returning guests Kyle Denis and Trevor Anderson to talk all things Usher Raymond, about how incredible his '00s peak was, and how his recent '20s run was able to confirm his overall legacy. Then (at around 1:26:00), r/Popheads moderator AJ Marks joins the podcast to talk about the first 15 artists on the list so far, which rankings and snubs he disagrees with and his predictions for the top 10.Learn more about your ad

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135:02

Nos. 13 & 12: Nicki Minaj & Eminem

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/10/04

This week, we've got a pair of "Roman's Revenge" collaborators in Nicki Minaj and Eminem. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by honorary Barbz Meghan Mahar and Michael Saponara to talk about the Queen of Rap's trailblazing career in pop and hip-hop. Then (at 48:58), it's a Billboard Unfiltered crossover, as Carl Lamarre and Damien Scott join to discuss the peaks and valleys of Eminem's unparalleled run of crossover superstardom, and talk about why his first three years of the century compare with any

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144:19

Nos. 15 & 14: Miley Cyrus & Justin Timberlake

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/09/27

This week, we've got a pair of Tennessee natives in Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by a pair of Smilers in Billboard Social's Danielle Pascual and Billboard Pride's Stephen Daw to talk about how they've grown up with Miley over the past 18 years. Then (at 59:03), Jason Lipshutz and Trevor Anderson return to Greatest Pop Stars to track the highs and lows of Justin Timberlake, and explain why you had to be there to understand just how great he was at his '00s

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94:16

Nos. 17 & 16: Shakira & Jay-Z

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/09/20

This week, we've got two artists who go back even further than the beginning of the 21st century: Shakira & Jay-Z. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Isabela Raygoza and Sigal Ratner-Arias of Billboard Español to talk about Shak's emergence as a global superstar and how she's maintained that status for 20-plus years, and then (38:38) Billboard Hip-Hop's Angel Diaz and Michael Saponara tap in to discuss Hov's reign as the closest thing to a consensus greatest rapper of all time, and how he also

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125:25

Nos. 19 & 18: BTS & The Weeknd

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/09/13

This week, it's a 2020 flashback as Billboard takes on perhaps the two biggest pop acts of the first year of this decade: BTS and The Weeknd. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined first by Jason Lipshutz and Billboard K-pop correspondent Jeff Benjamin to go deep on the Bangtan Boys and their global impact as hitmakers and generational spokesmen, then Kyle Denis and Senior R&B/Hip-Hop/Afrobeats Writer Heran Mamo stop by to talk Abel Tesfaye (1:08:05), and how a guy who emerged in the shadows eventually

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106:56

Nos. 21 & 20: Lil Wayne & Bruno Mars

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/09/06

This week on Greatest Pop Stars, we're talking about the men in the "Mirror": Lil Wayne (No. 21) and Bruno Mars (No. 20). First, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Kyle Denis and Carl Lamarre to talk about the pop star qualifications of the self-proclaimed best rapper alive -- the peerlessly prolific Lil Wayne -- and then Andrew and Kyle return with Trevor Anderson to discuss the immaculately curated catalog of Bruno Mars (45:40), the rare pop star without a single true flop on his resume.Learn

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84:28

Nos. 23 & 22: Bad Bunny and One Direction

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/08/30

This week Billboard goes international, with Puerto Rico's Bad Bunny (No. 23) and England's One Direction (No. 22)! Host Andrew Unterberger is joined to first by BB's preeminent Conejos, Isabela Raygoza and Emily Fuentes, to talk about Bad Bunny's historic rise to superstardom, and then staff Directioners Danielle Pascual and Rylee Johnston check in to discuss how 1D changed pop stardom (and pop standom) in the 2010s.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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94:15

Nos. 25 & 24: Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2024/08/23

Our countdown is officially underway with our first two Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century: Katy Perry (No. 25) and Ed Sheeran (No. 24)! Billboard's Andrew Unterberger and Jason Lipshutz are joined by longtime KatyKat Joe Lynch to remember the dizzying highs of Perry's early-2010s run, then Sheeran superfan (don't call her a Sheerio!) Walaa Elsiddiq comes on to discuss Ed's unlikely rise from coffeehouses to stadiums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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