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Pop Pantheon — Music
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.

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Copyright: © 741598

Latest Episodes:

SHERYL CROW (with Natalie Weiner) Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Writer Natalie Weiner joins Pop Pantheon to unpack Sheryl Crow’s “winding road” to pop superstardom. Natalie and Louie trace back Sheryl’s early days in the music business, from her gig singing backup on Michael Jackson's blockbuster Bad Tour to writing songs for Celine Dion and Tina Turner, then discuss the roots rock infused pop of 1993's Tuesday Night Music Club that made Sheryl a star and won her Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. From there, they break down her signature 1996 self-titled album, 1998’s The Globe Sessions, her status as a tabloid celebrity, Sheryl’s second wave of hits like “Soak Up the Sun” and “Picture,” her continued output of varied and critically acclaimed records, and the massive influence she's had on contemporary acts from HAIM to BoyGenius to Kacey Musgraves and more. Finally, they rank Sheryl Crow in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Listen to Pop Pantheon's Sheryl Crow Essentials

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Second Spin: USHER (with Rawiya Kameir) Feb 10, 2024

Show notes

In anticipation of Usher's Super Bowl Halftime performance on Sunday, we're re-sharing our episode on him from September 2022.

Music writer and Assistant Professor at Syracuse University, Rawiya Kameir, is back on the show to discuss the career and confessions of the great Usher. DJ Louie and Rawiya break down Usher’s musical origins singing in the church, the failed boy band he fronted in the early ‘90s, Nu Beginnings, and how his deal with the storied LaFace Records and subsequent “flavor camp” with Sean “Puff Daddy’ Combs set the stage for his self-titled debut record in 1994. They then dive into his breakthrough sophomore album, 1997’s My Way, how it solidified Usher’s persona as a smooth, sensitive, emotionally-conflicted lover boy as well as one of the most dexterous R&B singers of his generation, its blockbuster follow up, 2001’s 8701, which furthered Usher’s thematic fascination with the complexities of and distress caused by love and sex and of course, his magnum opus, 2004’s Confessions, a hit-packed concept album about the aftermath of infidelity that sold over 20 million copies worldwide and stands today as Usher’s signature artistic and commercial achievement. Next, Louie and Rawiya debate Usher’s latter period output, from swings at trendiness on 2008’s Here I Stand and 2010’s Raymond Vs. Raymond to more rewarding experiments on 2012’s Looking 4 Myself and 2016’s Hard II Love. Finally they rank Usher in the official Pop Pantheon.

Check out Louie's Usher Essentials Playlist on Spotify

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N*cki, M*gan & Why it's Time to Rethink Stan Culture (with Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh) Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

The long-simmering beef between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion recently exploded from our streaming services with the release of their respective diss tracks "Big Foot" and "Hiss" and onto social media, where Nicki vented her ire for her rival for days, then, thanks to the rapper's most ardent fans, onto some people's front doorsteps and even to the gravesite of Megan's mother.

This beef is yet another moment where the ferocity of stan armies and their relentless defense of their pop star favs went from fun and games on the internet to doxxing, threatening people's families and more. Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh is here to discuss the beef, the role stans have played in it, our increasingly cloistered internet bubbles and realities, what we lose artistically and personally when stanning dominates our cultural discourse and why it may be time to seriously rethink the stan ecosystem, for all of our sakes.

Read Mankaprr's breakdown of Nicki and Megan's beef from Rolling Stone

Watch Ryan Ken's Tik Tok on stanning

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The Grammys Still Have a Problem with Black Women (with Variety's Chris Willman) (Patreon Preview) Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, it’s been 25 years since a Black woman won Album of the Year. If neither Beyonce or SZA can do it, who can? Louie + Russ ponder that question with Variety’s Chris Willman as they walk through the good, the bad + the infuriating from the 2024 Grammys.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.

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FERGIE (with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd) Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

For part two of our Black Eyed Peas series, writer and critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd returns to Pop Pantheon to dissect the brief but remarkable reign of the Duchess of Pop, Fergie. Louie and Julianne break down Fergie’s brushes with child stardom via Peanuts and Kids Incorporated and her failed 90s girl group, Wild Orchid. Then they explore the sonic melange of her debut solo album, 2006’s The Dutchess, which traded in everything from camp pop-rap to 80s hip house, mid-century pop-soul and A/C rock. Next they tackle Fergie’s follow-up more than a decade later, 2017’s Double Dutchess, her disappearance from pop, her ongoing presence as a meme queen and, finally, rank Fergie in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Listen to Pop Pantheon's Black Eyed Peas Essentials Playlist on Spotify

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THE BLACK EYED PEAS (with The Ringer's Rob Harvilla) Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

Ringer music critic and host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s Rob Harvilla returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss one of the most derided – and successful – pop acts of the 21st Century, The Black Eyed Peas. Louie and Rob trace the group’s roots as an optimistic, politically progressive “conscious rap” crew, starting with their first two pre-Fergie records, 1998’s Behind The Front and 2000’s Bridging the Gap. Then they tackle the Peas’ reinvention as a garish, craven, operatically tacky band peddling radio pop on 2003’s Elephunk and their doubling down on big-tent pop maximalism on 2005’s Monkey Business. Next, Louie and Rob chart the Peas’ ride into the rising EDM wave on 200’s The E.N.D., their break-up, re-assembly and post-Fergie output. Finally, they rank the Black Eyed Peas in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Join us next week where we'll be tackling the career of breakout Peas star, Fergie.
Listen to Pop Pantheon's Black Eyed Peas Essentials Playlist on Spotify

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How Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia Made Her a Main Pop Girl (with Pitchfork's Anna Gaca) (Patreon Preview) Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, when it came out in 2020 at the height of Covid19 lockdown, Dua Lipa's sophomore album Future Nostalgia made her a superstar. Now, nearly four years later and on the eve of a new Dua era, Senior Editor at Pitchfork Anna Gaca, who reviewed the album when it dropped, is here to talk about the record, how it's held up, how Dua's dance revival set the terms for pop and where it all positions her in the pop landscape as she verges on new music.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

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Why Can't Pop Stars Score Two Hits Off One Album? (with Andrew Unterberger & Eric Bennett) Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Olivia Rodrigo's Guts, Harry Styles' Harry's House, Lizzo's Special, Adele's 30, Miley Cyrus' Endless Summer Vacation. What's one thing all of these albums have in common? They're each major releases by pop superstars in the last few years that churned out one massive hit single and then struggled to find a second to match it. They also serve as slightly counterintuitive representations of the state of the modern pop blockbuster in which, unlike past eras, putting together a string of massive singles might be less important than ever for a pop icon's era. Billboard's Andrew Unterberger and music writer Eric Bennett join DJ Louie to discuss this new one-hit-wonder phenomenon amongst pop's elite.

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DEMI LOVATO (with Molly Mary O'Brien) Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Host of the And Introducing podcast Molly Mary O'Brien returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the often harrowing and sometimes triumphant life and career of Demi Lovato.

Molly and Louie unpack Demi’s squeaky clean debut on Barney at 10 and her induction into the Disney machine, from her starring role in Camp Rock to her Hollywood Records efforts, including 2008’s well-made but anodyne Don’t Forget and 2009’s Kidz-Bop-Kelly-Clarkson Here We Go Again. Then they discuss Demi’s very public personal struggles starting in the early 2010s and their impact on albums like 2011’s dance-oriented Unbroken, 2013’s synthpop-nodding Demi, and 2015’s Confident, which includes the bi-curious slammer “Cool For the Summer.” From there, they break down 2017’s R&B-leaning Tell Me You Love Me, 2021’s recovery-themed Dancing With The Devil: The Art of Starting Over, Demi’s recent return to pop rock with 2022’s Holy Fvck and 2023’s Revamped and whether, in the context of her rocky personal narrative, Demi's music ever really rises to the fore of her celebrity. Finally, they rank Demi Lovato in the official Pop Pantheon.

Listen to Pop Pantheon's Demi Lovato Essentials on Spotify

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What Pantheon Rankings Did I Get Wrong in 2023?: Shakira, The Simpson Sisters, Lana & More! Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

Before we launch all our exciting new content for 2024, Louie and Russ look back on every single Pop Pantheon ranking from 2023 and discuss whether we got it right or wrong, take calls and emails from listeners with their ranking disputes and adjust some of our decisions. Does Shakira move from Tier 2 to Tier 1? Does Jessica Simpson really deserve to be in Tier 5?? And should the Niche Legend tier exist at all?!?!

It's all on the table.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

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Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 1/13 at Los Globos

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Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

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Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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