x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

70:35

Which Pop Stars Won February 2026? Bad Bunny, Ella...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/03/05

On this Who Won the Month episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Eric Frankenberg and Meghan Mahar to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who were heard from loudest in February 2025 — which was largely defined by major cultural events like the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead

en

103:39

1983 David Bowie: Vintage Pop Stardom (with Chris...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/02/26

He'd been on something of a commercial cold streak in the U.S., but in 1983, David Bowie decided it was time for him to take on MTV-era superstardom — which he did, with the biggest pop year of his career, and the start of a period he later looked back on in anger. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by pop and chart history expert Chris Molanphy following the 10th anniversary of Bowie's death to remember all things about his '83,

en

43:44

Charli xcx at the Movies: Pop Star Performance Review

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/02/19

Charli xcx kicked off what is looking to be an absurdly prolific year at the movies with two film projects already this year: Her self-starring not-quite-autobiographical January mockumentary 'The Moment,' and the Valentine's Day weekend-released latest 'Wuthering Heights' adaptation, with her doing an entire accompanying album. On this week's Pop Star Performance Review, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kyle Denis to evaluate the year in Charli Cinema thus far, and look forward to

en

69:59

Ella Langley Has a No. 1: What Does It Mean For Her,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/02/12

During a crowded past month in pop stardom, one of the most interesting stories has been the unexpected arrival of country signer/songwriter Ella Langley not just as a major new star, but a Billboard Hot 100-topping hitmaker — making her part of an extremely exclusive club of female country artists to go No. 1. This week, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by country journalist Marissa Moss of the excellent Don't Rock the Inbox newsletter to look at how Langley got here, what her success means for

en

48:13

How'd Bad Bunny Do at the Super Bowl? Greatest Pop...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/02/09

For the second straight February, it's our Greatest Pop Star of last year's biggest moment yet! After many months of buzz and controversy — follow Kendrick Lamar's months of buzz and controversy last year — this time it was Bad Bunny's turn to take the stage at Super Bowl LX to cap his last year of triumph, delivering one of the most-anticipated and ultimately mostly hotly debated halftime show sets of our lifetime. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Emily Fuentes to discuss how Bad

en

74:29

Which Pop Stars Won January 2026? Bruno Mars, Bad...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/02/05

On this Who Won the Month episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Trevor Anderson and Eric Renner Brown to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who were heard from loudest in January 2025 — which was largely defined by the beginning of massive album rollouts for Bruno Mars, Harry Styles and other big pop names. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances,

en

56:55

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 1, Bad Bunny

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/30

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series concludes its top 10 countdown with a look at our No. 1 artist, Bad Bunny. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Isabela Raygoza to talk about Bad Bunny's second year finishing atop our Greatest Pop Stars rankings — with a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated blockbuster album in 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' a trio of top 10 hits, a headline-making residency, a whole lot of classic music videos, two film roles, endless TV appearances and his biggest gig of

en

129:20

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 2, Taylor Swift

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/29

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 2 artist, Taylor Swift. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Denise Warner to talk about Taylor Swift's incredible sixth straight year in the top five of our Greatest Pop Stars rankings — with a full-circle moment in her masters reacquisition, a beyond-historic first week on the Billboard 200 for her 'Life of a Showgirl' album, and plenty more incredible moments serving as crucial checks off the career

en

98:28

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 3, Lady Gaga

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/28

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 3 artist, Lady Gaga. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard charts senior analyst/writer Eric Frankenerg to talk about Lady Gaga's return to the top five of our Greatest Pop Stars list — with a chart-topping album on the Billboard 200, a chart-topping hit on the Billboard Hot 100, one of the year's biggest and most spectacular live shows, and a year full of Classic Gaga moments to remind longtime fans (and

en

37:02

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 4, Kendrick Lamar

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/27

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 4 artist, Kendrick Lamar. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop's Carl Lamarre to talk about Kendrick Lamar's second straight year in our top five Greatest Pop Stars — as his 2024 dominance just kept rolling through the first half of 2025, with Lamar continuing to top the Billboard charts, score Grammy recognition (for both 2025 and 2026) and find his way to the center of popular culture, much to the

en

86:03

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 5, Sabrina Carpenter...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/26

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 5 artist, Sabrina Carpenter. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Lina Morgan of the Song vs. Song podcast to talk about Sabrina Carpenter's second straight year in our top five Greatest Pop Stars — with another blockbuster album and smash hit lead single, topping Billboard charts and getting Grammy nominations with both, as well as another year of major touring, headline-making and near-total pop culture

en

46:19

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 6, KPop Demon Hunters...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/23

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 6 artist, KPop Demon Hunters Cast. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard branded producer and social manager Meghan Mahar to talk about the year of the KPop Demon Hunters takeover — with the animated musical not only becoming the most-watched film in Netflix history, but with seven songs from its fictional K-pop groups HUNTR/X and Saja Boys becoming IRL smashes, as the movie, its hits and the real-life artists

en

46:33

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 7, Tate McRae

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/22

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 7 artist, Tate McRae. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kristen Wisneski and Michael Saponara to talk about McRae's ascendant 2025 — where she scored her first No. 1s on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 albums chart, went on a best-selling arena tour, lit up the MTV Video Music Awards, and cemented herself beyond any doubts as one of the still-rising A-list pop stars of her

en

61:56

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 8, Morgan Wallen

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/21

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 8 artist, Morgan Wallen. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's executive editor, West Coast and Nashville Melinda Newman to look at the country's superstar momentum-maintaining 2025 — where he once again set records on the weekly and year-end Billboard Hot 100 with his 37-track 'I'm the Problem' blockbuster, while forging into newfound pop territory with his chart-topping Tate McRae duet and creating one of

en

61:40

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 9, Doechii

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/20

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 9 artist, Doechii. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by AJ Marks of r/Popheads and the excellent Main Pod Girl podcast to look at the ascendant rapper's breakout 2025 — where she made good on all the most optimistic prognostications about her in late 2024 with multiple breakout hits from her 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' mixtape, a star-making Grammys night in February, and an out-of-nowhere smash that both capped her

en

29:37

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: No. 10, Tyler, The Creator

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/19

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series kicks off its top 10 with a look at our No. 10 artist, Tyler, The Creator. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kyle Denis to look at the veteran rapper's first year making our top 10 — where he pushed forward from an already-huge 2024 with the stunning Chromakopia World Tour, the dancefloor-insistent semi-surprise album 'Don't Tap the Glass,' a full-circle moment alongside the Clipse in that duo's comeback season, and even a long-awaited film debut

en

41:40

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: Clipse, Comeback of the Year

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/16

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues on with a look at our Comeback of the Year artist, the Clipse. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop's Michael Saponara to dive deep into the Virginia brother duo's insanely triumphant 2025 campaign, where Pusha T and Malice not only recaptured past glories but forged new ones with their rapturously received 'Let God Sort Em Out' album, team-ups with Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator and one of the best album rollouts of the

en

45:36

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: Olivia Dean, Rookie of...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/16

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues on with a look at our Rookie of the Year artist, Olivia Dean. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard U.K.'s Sophie Williams to dive deep into the British singer-songwriter's impossibly quick-rising 2025 campaign, where she won over hearts on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond with her breakthrough album 'The Art of Loving,' hit songs like "Man I Need" and "So Easy (To Fall in Love)," and near incalculable amounts of charm.Find all our

en

98:29

Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: Honorable Mentions (with...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/15

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 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 YouTuber Todd and the Shadows as we go over their cases -- and whether we disagree with any of them not making the proper list -- then give shouts to some pop stars who couldn't quite make the cut this year but still deserve mention, as well as some who aren't

en

50:55

Which Pop Stars Won December 2025? Mariah Carey,...

Greatest Pop Stars ·

2026/01/08

On this Who Won the Month episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Jason Lipshutz and Danielle Pascual to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who were heard from loudest in December 2025 — which, was largely defined by Mariah Carey making chart history and Taylor Swift marking the 'End of an Era.' We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look

en

100 results

Similar Podcasts

Pasquale Maassen Soundcloud

Pasquale Maassen

Marian Klose

Marian Klose

sevenism

sevenism

Dean Delray"s LET THERE BE TALK

Cactus Radio Network

Word In Your Ear

Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold