Pop Pantheon

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As a little Xmas treat, we're posting this episode which was originally published on our Patreon, Pop Pantheon: All Access, a deep-dive with Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos into Taylor Swift's misunderstood 2017 album Reputation. Largely derided upon its release in 2017, Reputation is an album that's worthy of a re-appraisal, especially given its connections to Taylor's current blockbuster success with Midnights. As a special bonus for our Patrons, Louie's tackling work by an artist not yet ranked in the Pantheon – he even teases his thoughts on Taylor's legacy as a pop icon.Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chief Television Critic at Variety Daniel D’Addario is back with DJ Louie for part two of our series on Purposeful Popstress Katy Perry! Louie and Dan kick off this installment by talking about the long tail of Teenage Dream and how Katy's highly-publicized divorce from comedian Russell Brand informed both the deluxe edition's hit singles as well as the setting into which she delivered her much-anticipated fourth album, 2013's Prism. They then parse about Prism's disjointed mix of Dream-styled pure pop confections aimed at uplift and more earnest ruminations on the dissolution of her relationship, as well its mixed commercial reception with certain singles like "Roar" and "Dark Horse" topping the charts while a slew of other songs failed to connect, how her celebrated Super Bowl halftime show represented her last moment of monocultural dominance, the career nadir of her 2017 flop Witness which tried and failed at both deepening Katy's on-record persona and updating her sound for a new era without the help of long-time partner Dr. Luke, and how her career as centrist pop figure never recovered, yet her legacy as an emblem of the most unfettered iteration of Pop Stardom lives on. Finally, Louie and Dan rank Katy Perry in the official Pop Pantheon. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store!Check out Pop Pantheon's Katy Perry Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Daniel D'Addario on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chief Television Critic at Variety Daniel D’Addario joins DJ Louie for a long-awaited and sprawling two-parter about Rick Caruso’s favorite pop star, Katy Perry! In Part 1, Louie and Dan begin with Katy’s cloistered early life as the daughter of two Pentacostal ministers who was denied access to most popular culture, her teenaged forays into Christian rock, eventual pivot to secular music and myriad false starts as a pop star, including dalliances with Alanis Morrisette producer Glen Ballard, a short stint fronting the artist project for production team The Matrix and series of failed record deals. They then lay out how everything finally clicked thanks to Capitol Records and, most importantly, her collaboration with super-producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke who helped craft the soft-serve controversy of her breakthrough smash, 2008’s “I Kissed a Girl”, parse apart the pop-rock leanings and pert poses of her hit second album, One of the Boys, later that year, before going long on her seminal third album, 2010’s technicolor pure-pop juggernaut Teenage Dream, only the second album in history to produce five #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Join us next week for Part 2 where Dan and Louie will explore 2013’s Prism, 2017’s Witness, 2020’s Smile and rank Katy Perry in the official Pop Pantheon!Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store!Check out Pop Pantheon's Katy Perry Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Daniel D'Addario on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of an "Imperial Phase"- a short-lived period of a pop star's career where artistic revelation meets commercial saturation and everything they touch turns to gold- comes up quite a bit on Pop Pantheon. Originally coined by Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, the term gained purchase in our pop music discourse thanks to Tom Ewing's taxonomy of the phrase in his classic 2010 Pitchfork piece, "Imperial". For this week's B-side, Tom joins DJ Louie to discuss Imperial Phases past, present and future. Louie and Tom get into the history of the term and the details of how to spot one when it's happening, before turning to the careers of individual pop stars- Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Diana Ross, Prince, Madonna, Lady GaGa, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and more- to figure out who's had one, who hasn't and when exactly they've had happened (or not) for each. Finally, Louie and Tom discuss whether it's become more difficult to achieve an Imperial Phase in the streaming and social media era, how we need redefine the term in the context of cult-of-personality pop stardom and who of the new generation seems primed to achieve one in the coming years. Read Tom's piece "Imperial" in PitchforkJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Buy Pop Pantheon's "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Tom Ewing on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editor at NPR Music Hazel Cills joins DJ Louie for a thorough rundown of pop music in the year 2022. They talk Beyoncé, Rosalia, Taylor, Muna, Drake, Charli, Kendrick, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Lizzo, shifting musical trends (welcome back, dance music!), wonky rollouts, more Beyoncé (of course), list their favorite and least favorite pop albums and songs of the year, and more. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Buy Tickets to See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous At Resident in DTLA on Dec 3Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Listen to a Spotify Playlist of Louie and Hazel's Favorite PopMusic of 2022Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Hazel Cills on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musician and Writer Sasha Frere-Jones joins DJ Louie to discuss the tragically short career and life of the great British soul singer, Amy Winehouse. Louie and Sasha begin by discussing how an early death, perhaps before a pop star has even reached their peak, affects their legacy before diving into Amy’s story, how she grew up on the music of jazz greats like Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn and ‘90s American hip hop superstars like Nas and Lauryn Hill and the ways that marriage formed the aesthetic of her debut album, 2003’s Frank. They then discuss how a painful breakup led Amy both down a dangerous path with drugs and alcohol but also inspired her breakthrough sophomore album, 2006’s modern classic Back to Black, a meticulously constructed throwback to ‘50s and ‘60s soul and girl group aesthetics made in collaboration with producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi. Louie and Sasha lay out the ways in which that album juxtaposed backwards-looking production with Amy’s utterly singular and thoroughly-modern perspective on love, heartbreak and substance abuse, how Black’s massive and expected success only exacerbated her problems, the toxicity of celebrity press coverage in the late 2000s, and how it all ultimately helped lead to Amy’s untimely passing from alcohol poisoning in 2011. Lastly, Louie and Sasha discuss the long shadow of Amy Winehouse’s legacy in pop culture, before ranking her in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Sasha's piece following Amy's death in The New YorkerJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Buy Tickets to See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous At Resident in DTLA on Dec 3Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Listen to Pop Pantheon's Amy Winehouse Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Sasha Frere-Jones on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York Magazine's Rachel Handler joins DJ Louie to discuss both Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, the recently-released doc about the pop star on Apple TV+, and the broader state of the pop star documentary. Rachel had the opportunity to sit down with Selena and director Alek Keshishian to talk about the film, so Louie and Rachel first get into what Selena was like as interview before diving into My Mind & Me, what it tells us about Selena, and how it fits into the broader of narrative of pop docs historically, beginning with Keshishian's seminal 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare. Rachel and Louie then attempt to contextualize My Mind & Me in a recent wave of pop docs that began with Justin Bieber's Never Say Never in 2011, and includes films like Katy Perry's Part of Me, Beyoncé's Life is But a Dream, Lady Gaga's Five Foot Two, Taylor Swift's Miss Americana, Demi Lovato's Dancing With The Devil, and more, parsing apart what binds them all together, what separates them from one another and whether they are effective, either as revelations or machiavellian PR moves. Read Rachel's Interview with Selena and Alek in VultureJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Buy Tickets to See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous At Resident in DTLA on Dec 3Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rachel Handler on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re shaking things up a bit this week! The ‘80s were formative for our ideas of modern pop stardom but it’s not just Madonna, Prince, Michael, Janet, George and the gang that deserve credit for shaping that legacy. So in this episode, Senior Editor at Stereogum Tom Breihan joins me to break down the careers and legacies of four more erstwhile women who hit high highs during this decade, with smash singles and multi platinum albums, then fell off the charts just as the decade turned over to the 1990s: Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Taylor Dayne. Tom and I first lay out why the ‘80s were such an important decade for our conceptions of the pop star and pop music, before turning to each woman’s story individually, where they came from, how they rose to fame, what made them click, why they all eventually fell off, and the important contributions each made to pop culture- whether it be songs (“Heaven is a Place on Earth”! “Only in My Dreams”! “Tell it to My Heart”!), tropes, music videos, or otherwise. Finally, Tom and I rank Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Taylor Dayne in the official Pop Pantheon. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More!!Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Check out our Forgotten Ladies of the 1980s Spotify Playlist!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Tom Breihan on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop Music Reporter for The New York Times, Joe Coscarelli, returns to the podcast to dig into the origins, agony and ecstasy of internet stan culture. DJ Louie and Joe discuss how classic fandoms morphed into internet stan armies, the difference between being a "fan" in the old sense of the word and a modern "stan", who often wraps their entire identity around a pop star, how these armies are weaponized by the star they worship and serve as powerful promotional arms and also, more worryingly, attack dogs against anyone who they perceive as slighting them. Louie and Joe also discuss the connection between pop star stan armies and the broader pervasive of grievance culture in politics and other areas, the positive aspects of these armies, which help like-minded, often queer individuals find community and sometimes organize for good, what gets lost artistically and developmentally in the blind devotion practiced many of these groups, and so much more. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our New Patreon Channel for Exclusive Content and More!!Read Joe's Piece, "How Pop Music Fandom Became Sports, Politics, Religion and All-Out War" in The New York TimesBuy Joe's New Book, Rap Capital: An Atlanta StoryBuy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Joe Coscarelli on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host of the Podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s, The Ringer's Rob Harvilla, is back with DJ Louie to break down Taylor Swift's 10th studio album, Midnights, which dropped this past Friday. Louie and Rob set up Taylor's career and discography heading into this record before breaking down the lyrical motifs, recurrent themes and production choices on the album, what's working and not working for each of them, whether this record marks the end of one phase, the beginning of a new one, or some sort of static transitional moment, the Jack Antonoff of it all and so much more. Read Rob's review of Midnights on The Ringer Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rob Harvilla on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music journalist Owen Myers is back with DJ Louie to discuss the career and legend of British super girl group, Spice Girls. First, Louie and Owen talk through the history of girl groups and how various waves helped form the foundation for the Spice Girls’ ethos, before getting into the band’s journey from prefab answer to the UK boy band wave of the era to self-possessed girl-gang in control of their own destiny. Louie and Owen then discuss what made the Spice Girls and their explosion so singular with their debut album, 1996’s Spice, which cleverly fused American R&B tropes with a European pop sheen to create accessible music with edge, the ways they embodied their message of female friendship and solidarity above all else in their music and presentation and the vibe of fun, goofiness and sexiness which rendered them wholesome without ever seeming pandering. Next, Louie and Owen discuss Spice Girls’ second album and its accompanying movie, 1997’s Spice World, how the record expanded their sonic palette and the film, along with a panoply of endorsement deals, doubled down on their commercial prowess but also lent to burn out both on the part of the public and girls, how member Geri Halliwell’s sudden and explosive departure from the group in 1998 ended their brief imperial phase, the ways they’ve sured up their legacy over the last couple of decades and how the true meaning of Girl Power has reverberated through the pop that’s come after them. Finally, Louie and Owen rank Spice Girls in the official Pop Pantheon. See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 10/22!Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Listen to the Pop Pantheon Spice Girls Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Owen Myers on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senior Writer for Jezebel Rich Juzwiak joins DJ Louie once again to discuss the formidable work and legacy of the iconic George Michael. Louie and Rich discuss George’s early life, his chance middle-school meeting with Andrew Ridgely which lead to the formation of his breakthrough musical endeavor- the duo Wham!- the group’s two albums, 1983’s Fantastic and 1984’s blockbuster Make It Big, and how both Wham!’s well-executed appropriation of canonically Black musical aesthetics and its pervasive critical derision set the table for Michael’s solo career. Then then breakdown Michael’s era-defining magnum-opus, his debut solo record 1987’s Faith, how it showcased his meticulous craftsmanship as a producer, songwriter, performer and purveyor of Pop Stardom, his struggles with his sexual identity and why they may have lead him to retreat from the spotlight on its much more low-key follow-up, 1990’s Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and how the tragic death from AIDS of his first true love, Anselmo Feleppa, along with a drawn-out lawsuit with his record label created a nearly six-year gap between Listen and 1996’s Older, his bold and devastating 3rd album that all but revealed Michael’s sexuality to the world. Next, Louie and Rich discuss Michael’s 1998 arrest for cruising in a public restroom, how he cannily used it as an opportunity to come out to the world once and for all and why, unfortunately, his post-closet life ultimately ended in tragedy with his untimely death in 2016 at the age of 53. Finally, they debate Michael’s enduring legacy as both a consummate pop figure, a lynchpin in the broader narrative of gay male pop stars and rank George Michael in the official Pop Pantheon. See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 10/22!Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Take the Pop Pantheon Listener SurveyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Listen to the Pop Pantheon George Michael Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rich Juzwiak on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's listener mailbag time! DJ Louie and Russ are here to tackle questions from across the Pop Pantheon extended universe. Who is the greatest British pop star of all time? Is Nicki BACK?! Are "Flop Eras" actually good?! Can DJs be Pop Stars??!! How does dying young affect your Pop Pantheon ranking?!!! How can Janet reach Tier 1??!! And so much more. See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 10/22!Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Take the Pop Pantheon Listener SurveyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senior Culture Reporter for the South China Morning Post and author of the book BTS: Blood Sweat and Tears, Tamar Herman, joins DJ Louie for a deep-dive on K-Pop phenom boyband BTS. First, Louie and Tamar lay out some of the contours and history of the K-Pop scene and music industry before diving into BTS’ story, how they were initially put together in 2010 by producer Bang Si-Hyuk as a socially-conscious rap outfit on their “Skool Trilogy” in 2013 and 2014, and Bang’s vision for a boy band that broke K-pop norms by giving each member more agency in creating a distinct persona and shaping the group’s music. They then get into the group’s pivot to a more overt pop-oriented sound with mid-2010s output like the "Youth Trilogy", Wings, and the Love Yourself suite, all of which continued the group’s message-forward music while expanding their sound into EDM, R&B, Moombahton and more to massive success in Asian marketplaces and eventually, in the English-speaking world as well. Later, Louie and Tamar discuss just how BTS were able to fully cross-over into the biggest boy band in the world in the later 2010s, breaking into mainstream U.S. popular culture in a way no K-pop act had even whiffed at prior with their Map of the Soul albums, 2020’s BE, as well as on massive English-language hits like “Dynamite” and “Butter”, the unique pressure K-pop “Idols” are under in terms of how the present themselves in public, and how BTS and their success have changed the pop landscape both in their home country, stateside and across the globe. Finally, Louie and Tamar rank BTS in the official Pop Pantheon. Buy Tamar's book BTS: Blood Sweat & TearsBuy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Take the Pop Pantheon Listener SurveyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Listen to the Pop Pantheon BTS Essentials Playlist on SpotifyFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Tamar Herman on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by his bffs Steven, Omri and Lala to debrief their night at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium stop of Lady Gaga's epic, years-in-the-making Chromatica Ball World Tour. They talk all aspects of the show- from the stage to the setlist to the fashion to Gaga's presence, dancing and voice- how it stacks up against past LG tours, where they'd rank Chomatica against her previous records, what it felt like to finally hear "Rain on Me" amongst 52,000 other Little Monsters and finally, the girlies have a knock-down-drag-out-take-no-prisoners fight about whether GaGa belongs in Tier 1 or 2 of the Pop Pantheon. Paws up! Come See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 9/23Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Take the Pop Pantheon Listener SurveyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Omri Rolan on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop and host of The Ringer podcast Black Girl Songbook, Danyel Smith, joins DJ Louie to explore the work, impact and legacy of the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. Louie and Danyel begin with Donna’s early life as the eccentric Black girl in her Boston community during the 1950s and ‘60s, her move to Germany in 1968 to star in the musical Hair which eventually led to a star-crossed meeting with producers Giorgio Morodor and Pete Bellotte who would go on to be her primary collaborators, and their breakthrough with the radically orgasmic disco anthem “Love to Love You Baby” in 1975. Louie and Danyel then cover Donna, Giorgio and Pete’s ambitious run of concept albums through the mid ‘70s, their seismic innovations on 1977’s “I Feel Love”, considered the first electronic dance song, Donna’s status as the poster child for both the music and aesthetics of the disco movement thanks in part to her role in the film Thank God It’s Friday and its luscious Oscar-winning smash “Last Dance”, her magnum opus, 1979’s Bad Girls which set the template for the modern pop event album, and how she managed to outrun the sudden decline of disco thanks to 1983’s economical new-wave anthem “She Works Hard for the Money”. They conclude with Donna’s commercial decline in the latter 1980s, her Born-Again Christianity and controversial statements about the AIDS Epidemic and the gay community, her absolutely massive impact on the sound and look of pop stardom and how her legacy- and that of the movement she defined- has evolved over time. Finally, Louie and Danyel rank Donna Summer in the official Pop Pantheon. Come See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 9/23Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Take the Pop Pantheon Listener SurveyBuy Danyel's Book Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in PopCheck out Louie's Donna Summer Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Danyel Smith on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Chair of the The Clive Institute of Recorded Music, Jason King, to talk the history, culture, ethos and aesthetics of disco music. Louie and Jason lay out the elements of a disco song, what the word meant as a cultural movement, its roots as a queer black artform and unique platform for black women’s voices, what made the “disco diva”, the genre’s trajectory through the 1970s as a fast burning phenomenon that crashed just as quickly by the turn of the 1980s and the key artists, songs and moments of its prime years. Finally, Louie and Jason discuss whether disco ever really died, how it’s continued to be revived again and again in pop music, and Jason shares some of his favorite disco deep cuts. Come See Louie DJ at Gorgeous Gorgeous in DTLA on 9/23Buy Pop Pantheon's New "Niche Legend" Dad Hat!Check out Louie's Disco Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Jason King on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We did it! We finally made merch!Please welcome to the stage: The Pop Pantheon "Niche Legend" Dad Hat! Be the Carly Rae Jepsen you want to see in the world by purchasing this gorgeous black and hot pink baseball cap! It reads "Niche Legend" on the front and "Pop Pantheon" on the back. This hat is a celebration of both our favorite Niche Legend pop girlies AND, most importantly, the Niche Legend in all of us!!Enjoy <3Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rawiya Kameir on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MTV Video Music Awards will air this Sunday, August 28 2022, from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ but does anybody care? For this week’s Pop Pantheon B-Side, Dunzo’s Troy McEady is back to discuss the history of the once-must-watch award show with DJ Louie, what made them the most raucous and exciting live event around at their peak, how grabbing a VMA headline could change a pop star’s career forever and what’s gone wrong with the show in recent years. Then, Louie and Troy count down their favorite “VMA Moments” in history. Listen to Louie and Troy's episode on MTV's TRL Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Dunzo on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music critic Shaad D’Souza joins DJ Louie to talk about one of modern pop’s most captivating, divisive and perplexing figures, Miley Cyrus. Louie and Shaad open with a break down of Miley’s emergence on the smash Disney show, Hannah Montana, how the character’s own double life as a pop star and a “normal girl” mirrored Miley’s own, and the chaste image and anodyne pop-rock empowerment anthems on which Miley-as-Hannah made her name and, later in career, had to torch. They next dive into Miley’s various, often bold but almost always awkward attempts to break out of the Hannah Montana box, first with her calculated pivot towards sexed-up dance pop on 2010’s nonstarter Can’t Be Tamed and much more effectively on 2013’s Bangerz, a fascinating, garish record that repositioned the former Disney kid as a freewheeling, hip hop-obsessed party monster, a brazen and un-self-aware culture vulture and, for the first and perhaps only time in her a career, a trendsetting pop star. Louie and Shaad debate the record’s prescient centering of trap in mainstream pop, as well its table-setting fusion of rap and country, how we view Miley’s egregious cultural appropriation through a contemporary lens, and whether the album’s whirlwind of controversy obscured some of the record’s delicate, honest songwriting and virtuoso vocal performances. Later, they discuss how Miley squandered a lot of remaining good will with her next two projects, 2015’s utterly bizarre Wayne Coyne-collabo Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz and 2017’s middle-of-the-road country-pop-leaning Younger Now, and if Miley has effectively repositioned herself in recent years with a series of well-received live performances and covers and a turn towards rock homage on her 2020 album Plastic Hearts. Finally, Louie and Shaad rank Miley Cyrus in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Shaad's review of Plastic Hearts in Pitchfork Check out Louie's Miley Cyrus Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Shaad D'Souza on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every episode of Pop Pantheon contains at least some mention of the Billboard's iconic singles chart, the Hot 100. So for this week's B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by chart analyst, cultural critic and host of Slate's podcast Hit Parade to talk the 60 year history of the chart, the way its metrics have evolved over time, what role having hits on the Hot 100 plays in a pop star's mythology and legacy, whether or not we can compare current hits like this week's #1 "Break My Soul" to past ones given how Billboard's methodology has been altered to fit new data and music-consuming ecosystems, some weird kinks that have prevented massive hits like "I'm a Slave 4 U" from reaching to the top of the charts, and what fixes Chris might make to improve the Hot 100, still our best tool for measuring a hit record.Listen to Chris Molanphy's podcast Hit ParadeCheck out Chris' last appearance on Pop Pantheon, discussing The Supremes and Diana Ross Tickets to DJ Louie's Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 8/12 in Downtown Los Angeles!Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Chris Molanphy on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyoncé’s seventh studio album and her first in over six years, Renaissance, is finally upon us! For the fourth and final episode of our series on Queen B, DJ Louie is joined by The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix to discuss the new record. Louie and Doreen share gut-check reactions, break down Renaissance's themes of bacchanalia and sexual freak-dom and how they register through Beyoncé’s signature meticulousness, its lush, dynamic sonic palette which runs the gamut from house to disco to afrobeat, this weekend’s controversy with Kelis and whether an artist of B’s stature’s can celebrate other artists and sub-cultures- like ballroom- without subsuming them, and why this may be a superlative pandemic record, a manifestation of Beyoncé’s delayed adolescence and of a superstar’s fantasy of what life is like for people who, unlike her, can actually go to a club. Read Louie's review of Renaissance in Buzzfeed Tickets to DJ Louie's Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 8/12 in Downtown Los Angeles!Check out Louie's Beyoncé Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Doreen St. Félix on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 3/4! Beyoncé’s latest solo album, Renaissance, drops on July 29th so to get everyone prepared, Pop Pantheon will be releasing a series of four episodes on the work and legacy of Queen Bey, each with a different guest!In our third installment, DJ Louie is joined by author of Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound, Yale University’s Dr. Daphne A. Brooks, to discuss the latest decade of Beyoncé’s solo career. Louie and Dr. Brooks begin with the quagmire that pop stars- and particularly black female pop stars- face as they enter their mid 30s in the fickle, ageist pop cultural landscape and how various icons of the genre like Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Janet Jackson have re-engaged audiences during this period of their lives and careers. They then discuss Beyoncé’s culturally transformative 2013 self-titled 5th studio album, how the surprise release and inclusion of visual components for each song solved the problem of finding a hit single, created a singular shared cultural experience, and forever changed the way pop stars would release music, the rich musical textures which filtered black musical tradition through mordern electro-R&B, and the ways in which this record depended Beyoncé’s artistry and self-revelation, as well as her feminism and activism. They then unpack her 2016 single “Formation”, its confrontational video and performance at the 2016 Super Bowl, and how the song functions as both a call to action and certified rump shaker for the ages, before diving into her masterwork of that same year, her sixth album, the audiovisual magnum opus Lemonade. Louie and Dr. Brooks break down how Lemonade reimagined the feminist ideal of the “personal as political”, using Beyoncé’s own story of domestic disruption to narrate a broader story about American history, how it effectively reclaimed genres like rock ‘n roll and country for Black women, and the innovative ways Beyoncé mined her own pain to radically heal herself, her marriage, her people and the nation through this project. Finally, Louie and Dr. Brooks dive into Beyonce’s latest three side projects, 2018’s collaboration with Jay-Z Everything is Love, 2019’s live concert film Homecoming and 2020’s Lion King companion-piece Black is King, all of which have helped enrich and deepen her artistry and activism and served as a victory lap for her storied career and what, when we look back on it in 50 years or more, Beyoncé’s enduring legacy will be as the greatest and most important pop figure of the 21st century thus far. Stay tuned for next week’s installment, in which we’ll be giving first reactions to Beyoncé’s new record Renaissance, her seventh studio album and first in over six years! Tickets to DJ Louie's Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 8/12 in Downtown Los Angeles!Buy Dr. Daphne A. Brooks' book, Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist SoundCheck out Louie's Beyoncé Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2/4!Beyoncé’s latest solo album, Renaissance, drops on July 29th so to get everyone prepared, Pop Pantheon will be releasing a series of four episodes on the work and legacy of Queen Bey, each with a different guest!In our second installment, DJ Louie is joined by author and journalist Julianne Escobedo Shepherd to discuss the first decade of Beyoncé’s solo career. Louie and Julianne begin with Beyoncé’s first steps outside of Destiny’s Child, including her film appearances in 2001’s MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera and 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, as well as on record with “Work It Out” and, most importantly, her feature on future-husband Jay-Z’s smash 2002 hit “‘03 Bonnie and Clyde”. They then discuss the major themes of the first period of Beyoncé’s solo music: ecstatic monogamous love, betrayal and infidelity, wealth accumulation and imbalanced gender dynamics and how they’re all represented on Beyoncé’s first solo album, 2003’s blockbuster Dangerously in Love and amplified on her second, 2006’s funky, terse fan-favorite, B’Day. They then dig into how B’Day’s harder edge and relative commercial underperformance-- and the attention her co-star Jennifer Hudson swept up from under Beyoncé in the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls-- led to the more widely-appealing, if less singular, I Am… Sasha Fierce in 2008, and, after firing her father Mathew as manager, how Bey began to shape a new phase of career with 2011’s languid, lowkey 4, in which she was no longer beholden to trends or hit-chasing, expanding her impact into something much greater than conventional pop stardom and providing the platform for the thrilling audio-visual projects which would both define the next decade of her career and change the music industry forever. Stay tuned for next week’s installment, in which we’ll dive into 2013’s BEYONCÉ the visual album, 2016’s Lemonade, 2018’s Everything is Love, 2019’s Homecoming and 2020’s Black is King! Check out Louie's Beyoncé Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Julianne Escobedo Shepherd on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 1/4!In the first of four episodes in our new series covering the work and career of pop titan Beyoncé, DJ Louie is joined by Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos, to discuss the group that started it all: Destiny’s Child. Louie and Brittany begin with a broad history of black R&B girl groups, specifically the ‘90s wave of which DC was a part, and the ever-evolving way black women have presented themselves in the pop space. They then discuss Beyoncé’s early life, how she and her father Mathew Knowles helped form Destiny’s Child with the initial lineup including Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and Letoya Luckett, their 1998 self-titled debut and it’s surprise #3 hit, the remix of their ballad “No No No”, “No No No Pt. 2” featuring Wyclef Jean which showcased Beyoncé’s signature singing-rapping hybrid. Next, they dive into their smash sophomore album, 1999’s The Writing’s on the Wall and its innovative singles, all of which featured the groups virtuosic harmonies, a sharp pop feminist perspective that often traded in the role money plays in gender dynamics, and futuristic staccato R&B production courtesy Darkchild and others, before diving into all the tea on how, at the peak of their success, the initial line-up very messily and publicly gave way to a new trio: Beyoncé, Kelly and new member Michelle Williams. Louie and Brittany then cover DC’s blockbuster third album, largely an answer to the negative press of the group shake-ups, 2001’s Survivor and its attendant hits, the member’s various solo endeavors, and how Beyoncé returned to the group following her solo success for one final chapter, 2004’s Destiny Fulfilled. Finally, Louie and Brittany rank Destiny’s Child in the official Pop Pantheon.Stay tuned next week for our next episode, Beyoncé Pt. 1, which will cover the first half of Beyoncé’s solo career from 2003’s Dangerously in Love through 2011’s 4!Tickets to see Louie DJ Pop Music at Gorgeous Gorgeous 7/16 in DTLA!Check out Louie's Destiny's Child Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Brittany Spanos on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-Side episode, Executive Director of Music at Billboard Jason Lipshutz joins DJ Louie to discuss the Song of the Summer! Louie and Jason dig into the history of the concept and Billboard's SOTS Chart, discuss the most recent winners and what makes for the ideal Song of the Summer, whether having a SOTS can meaningfully change the trajectory of pop star's career, and then each name their favorite Songs of the Summer of all time. Tickets to see Louie DJ Pop Music at Gorgeous Gorgeous 7/16 in DTLA!Check out Pop Pantheon's Song of the Summer Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Jason Lipshutz on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and author of the 33 ⅓ book Duran Duran’s Rio, Annie Zaleski, joins DJ Louie for a deep-dive into ‘80s British pop-rock band and seminal music video-pioneers, Duran Duran. First, Louie and Annie parse the various music scenes-- glam rock, new wave, “The New Romantics”-- from which Duran Duran emerged before discussing the band’s formation in Birmingham in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, their deal with storied label EMI, and what factors lead their 1981 self-titled debut, a prescient blend of rock and dance music, to become a smash overseas but fail to impact here in America. They then move on to the band’s second record, 1982’s blockbuster Rio, their groundbreaking and trendsetting videos for singles like “Rio” and “Hungry Like the Wolf”, the latter of which won the inaugural Best Music Video prize at the 1984 VMAs, how the group cleverly broke onto American radio thanks to their then-novel use of dance remixes, and how their massive success with teenage girls led them to be dismissed as fluff by the rockist critical establishment. Louie and Annie then lay out Duran Duran’s continued success with albums like 1983’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger and 1986’s Nile Rodgers-produced Notorious, why the band quickly fell out of favor with mainstream audiences during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, how they made one of the most unlikely comebacks in pop history with 1993’s Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) featuring two of their definitive hits, “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone”, and what their recent induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame means for their legacy. Finally, Louie and Annie rank Duran Duran in the official Pop Pantheon. Tickets to see Louie DJ Pop Music at Gorgeous Gorgeous 7/16 in DTLA!Buy Annie Zaleksi's 33 1/3 Book on Duran Duran's RioCheck out Louie's Duran Duran Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Annie Zaleski on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an emergency B-Side (Bey-Side??), DJ Louie, along with Pop Pantheon producer Russ, break down everything about Beyoncé's latest single, the '90s house-nodding club anthem "Break My Soul", which dropped last night. Louie and Russ lay out where Beyoncé's commercial and artistic trajectory stands leading into this new era, from which genres, songs and artists "Break My Soul" draws, whether or not it's any good, pontificate on whether Bey can score a radio hit in the third decade of her in her career, what the song might portend for the rest of her forthcoming solo album, Renaissance Pt. 1, her first in 6 years, and what they each hope the album sounds like. Listen to Louie's appearance on Eat, Pray, BritneyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My dad, Tim, is not only the biggest Pop Pantheon fan who loves to share his many opinions on all the episodes, but is also a music fanatic and entertainment attorney who specializes in music. As such, I had the privilege of growing up in a household where the two of us bonded over our mutual love of pop and often got to experience it together. His passion for it all was (obviously) formative to my own identity, career and life. For this bonus episode of Pop Pantheon, in honor of Father's Day this Sunday, I invited him on the show to talk a little about his own musical journey, a lot about our shared pop memories (including him taking me to see Alanis Morissette at Roseland Ballroom when I was 7, playing me "...Baby One More Time" for the first time in the car and screaming "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" at The 1989 Tour together), all of his opinions on the episodes and rankings, and of course, whether he thinks his fav pop girlie of all time, Taylor Swift, is in Tier 1 or Tier 2 of the Pop Pantheon. Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, DJ Louie is joined by music journalist and co-host of the podcast Legends Only, Bradley Stern, to discuss the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson! First, Louie and Bradley discuss Kelly’s legendary run on Idol, from being deemed “forgettable” by Simon Cowell to winning the show and America’s hearts in a landslide victory, her display of down-home affability and incredible versatility on the show, equally adept at Motown as she was at rock, show-tunes and pop ballads, her first album, 2003’s Thankful, which played up her chameleonic and powerful vocal talent but played down her singular personality to middling results, how she fought tooth and nail to take more control of her artistry on her juggernaut second album, 2004’s more rock-oriented classic Breakaway, and calcified her on-record scorned-by-resilient persona on its signature hit, the iconic kiss-off anthem “Since U Been Gone”. Louie and Bradley then cover Kelly’s legendary and very public battle with label-boss Clive Davis over her third record, 2007’s largely self-penned My December, her mea-culpa for that defiance, 2009’s All I Ever Wanted, how Kelly eventually reached a detente with the powers that be in the 2010s and unlocked a very successful second decade of her pop career, and how all the qualities that made us fall in love with her twenty years ago as a cocktail waitress with a big voice and a dream on Idol lead to a third wave of her career as a beloved daytime talk show host, as well as to her viral covers series, “Kellyoke”. Finally, Louie and Bradley rank Kelly Clarkson in the official Pop Pantheon. Check out Louie's Kelly Clarkson Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Bradley Stern on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bloghouse has come up a number of times in episodes of Pop Pantheon, from Robyn to Kesha to Scissor Sisters. So for this Week’s B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Lina Abascal, author of the book Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and the Dancefloor, to discuss the late aughts micro-movement and how it influenced mainstream pop. Louie and Lina dig into what exactly bloghouse was, how the internet, innovations in music software and dance music trends came together to bring it into being, the major artists and songs of the era, how it evolved for its five year run, and how it influenced a generation of pop stars like Lady GaGa, Robyn, Kesha, Marina and The Diamonds, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Calvin Harris, Britney Spears, Rina Sawayama, Dua Lipa, and more. Finally, Louie and Lina share some of their favorite classics of the era. Check out Louie's Bloghouse Essentials Playlist on SpotifyCheck out Lina's book, Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United the Internet and the DancefloorLA Niche Legends! Grab tix for DJ Louie's Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous: Pride Edition, Friday, June 10 at Resident in DTLA!Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Lina Abascal on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Pride! To celebrate Pride Month, Fluxblog's Matthew Perpetua joins DJ Louie to talk one of the most iconic gay pop acts of the century, Scissor Sisters. Louie and Matthew talk the history of queer men in mainstream pop, Scissor Sisters' formation in the downtown NYC electroclash scene of the late '90s and early '00s, their fluke first hit, a BeeGees-esque cover of "Comfortably Numb", how their 2004 self-titled debut album played like a expertly made, fun-loving tour through gay music history, why they exploded as pop stars in the UK but remained a cult phenomenon here in America, and how they presaged artists like Robyn and Charli XCX by carving out a space for alternative pop stars stateside. They then talk about their second album, 2006's Ta-Dah, it's myriad of slightly obscure pop historical references, the smash hit and their signature song, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'", their turn towards more sex-forward music on their 2010 Stuart Price-produced masterpiece, Night Work, and Louie shares a bit about what the record meant to him in his personal journey with his sexuality. Next, Louie and Matthew discuss their final album, 2012's Magic Hour, how they mainstreamed the word "kiki" on their gay club hit "Let's Have a Kiki" and the impact they've had on future queer pop stars like Mika, Sam Smith and Lil Nas X, as well as on campier American pop icons who followed in their footsteps like Lady GaGa and Katy Perry. Finally, Louie and Matthew rank Scissor Sisters in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Matthew's review of Night Work in Pitchfork Check out Louie's Scissor Sisters Essentials Playlist on SpotifyLA Niche Legends! Grab tix for DJ Louie's Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous: Pride Edition, Friday, June 10 at Resident in DTLA! Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Matthew Perpetua on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re halfway through 2022 so for this week’s Pop Pantheon B-Side, DJ Louie is joined by Who? Weekly's Lindsey Weber to talk all their favorite pop songs and albums of the year so far, any trends they're spotting (short songs, short albums, and where are the main girlies??!!) and finally, Louie and Lindsey go through 15 buzzy new bottom tier Whos and decide whether they have a shot at top tier Themdom.LA Niche Legends! Grab tix for DJ Louie's Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous: Pride Edition, Friday, June 10 at Resident in DTLA! Check out a playlist of Louie and Lindsey's 2022 FavsListen to Louie and Lindsey's previous Pop Pantheon Episode on Carly Rae JepsenJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Lindsey Weber on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Executive Editor of Dwell, Kate Dries, joins DJ Louie to talk the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain. First, Kate lays out some of the scant historical examples of country icons who have managed to crossover into mainstream pop stardom like Dolly Parton and explains a bit about why Nashville has been a hermetically-sealed ecosystem, resistant to change, outsiders and country artists who have ambitions beyond its traditional scope. Next, Louie and Kate discuss Shania's upbringing in Canada, surviving abject poverty, a household rife with domestic abuse, and the untimely death of both of her parents by writing, singing and performing in local bars beginning when she was just 8 years-old. They then move on to Shania's discovery performing at a resort in Canada which lead to her record deal Mercury Nashville, her flop first album, 1993's Shania Twain, her chance meeting with rock super-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange who quickly became her partner in both music and life through her massive run of success from the mid '90s-early '00s, and the genre-busting sound the pair developed on her blockbuster sophomore release, 1995's The Woman in Me. Louie and Kate also dive into Shania's third record, 1997's legendary Come On Over, which stands to this day as one of the biggest selling albums in history and provided the platform for Shania to make the leap from country legend to mainstream pop icon, parse apart how smashes like "You're Still the One", "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" displayed Shania's unique combo of girl-next-door approachability, '90s middle-finger-up feminist attitudes and an infectious sense of carefree joy and fun, how her flair for presenting herself visually and sartorially in music videos was both integral to her crossover and forever seared her into pop cultural memory, her globe-trotting fourth album, 2002's Up!, the dissolution of her marriage to Mutt and her subsequent loss of her ability to sing, her comeback Vegas residency and her 5th album, 2017's Now, and her legacy and impact on the pop landscape to this day. Finally, Louie and Kate rank Shania Twain in the official Pop Pantheon. Check Out Louie's Shania Twain Essentials PlaylistCheck out Louie's TRL Essentials PlaylistJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Kate Dries on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-Side episode, host of the podcasts Dunzo and Beyond The Blinds, Troy McEady, joins DJ Louie to discuss Millennial pop cultural touchstone, MTV's Total Request Live. Inspired by a Zoomer in the Pop Pantheon Discord who, following last month's Christina Aguilera episode, revealed they didn't know what TRL was, Louie and Troy attempt to explain the show's history and format, how its' interactive vibe served as the turn-of-the-century pop fan's precursor to social media, lay out the major players from host Carson Daly to signature stars like Britney, Good Charlotte and Eminem and attempt to illustrate the power MTV had over their generation. They also wax poetic on some of their favorite forgotten songs, videos and artists from the "TRL Era", reflect on the show's top ten videos of all time and share a bit about why TRL meant so much to each of them as burgeoning pop fanatics. Listen to Louie and Troy talking about Rihanna's Anti on Dunzo a few months ago Check out Louie's TRL Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Dunzo on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and host of the new podcast Heidi World: The Heidi Fleiss Story, Molly Lambert, joins DJ Louie to break down the spectacular emergence of Gen Z's most paradigm-shifting star, Billie Eilish. First, Molly, who profiled Billie last year for the cover of Elle, shares insights into what it was like spending time with her, how she's relating to her newfound megastardom, as well as her fans on social media and out in the world, and why she doesn't consider herself a "pop star" at all. Louie and Molly then discuss how unlikely 2010s breakouts like Lorde, Halsey and Lana Del Rey softened the ground for idiosyncratic, insular-sounding bedroom artists to become mainstream pop stars. Next, they track Billie's career origins, along with her brother and collaborator Finneas, on Soundcloud, how their viral hit "Ocean Eyes" lead to a record deal with Interscope when Billie was just 15, and how her debut EP, 2017's Don't Smile At Me, presented a new kind of teen idol who leaned into, rather than glossed over, the alienation, depression and anxiety of being a young person in the internet era, thus endearing her to a new generation of pop fans who craved less-aspirational and more relatable pop figures. They also dive into she and Finneas' far-ranging aesthetic influences from horror movies to trip hop, Gorillaz, Lil Peep, Bjork, Garbage and even Frank Sinatra, before laying out her explosion into the mainstream with her debut album, 2019's Grammy-sweeping When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, how that record expanded the duo's musical palette but also perhaps garnered Billie an unwanted and unintentional level of fame, how she went about addressing all of that on her sophomore album, 2021's more low-key masterpiece Happier Than Ever, how she's uniquely positioned to bring large swaths of the pop-consuming public along with her singular, strange musical instincts, and where she might go next. Finally, Louie and Molly rank Billie Eilish in the official Pop Pantheon. Check Out Louie's Billie Eilish Essentials PlaylistJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Molly Lambert on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's B-Side episode, DJ Louie reflects on a year of Pop Pantheon, shares how the podcast got started and offers a refresher on all of the tiers, how they work and if they've changed or been refined as the show has progressed. He then goes through all of the 31 artists ranked so far, decides if he still agrees with his ranking or if any artist's standing in the Pop Pantheon has shifted since the episodes originally aired. Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABBA Scholar and author of 8 (!!!!) books on ABBA, Carl Magnus Palm, joins DJ Louie for an epic deep dive into the Swedish pop legends. First, Louie and Carl discuss the history of pop and "schlager" in Sweden and how the country's musical traditions helped form ABBA's music before tracing the pre-ABBA careers of the four members, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, through the 1960s and how the group came together in the early 1970s, both as bandmates and romantic couples. Louie and Carl then break down how the "ABBA Sound" developed from the group's early recordings and their obsession with Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" and The Beach Boys' vocal-layering, ABBA's unique international ambitions, how the glam-rock nodding, Eurovision-winning "Waterloo" changed their career, the ways they continued to refine and expand their singular aesthetic on subsequent hits like "Mamma Mia" and "SOS", the darker and more wistful lyrical themes that began to surface on mid-period hits like "Fernando", the majestic ebullience of "Dancing Queen", their canny techniques for incorporating numerous pop subgenres into their work without ever losing their essential ABBA-ness, the powerful interplay of light and dark in their work, how the dissolution of the group's two romantic couples informed their more emotionally-complex latter period hits like "The Name of the Game" and "The Winner Takes It All", how the band came apart in the early 1980s, and how their legacy has evolved and changed over the last 40 years thanks to their greatest hits album ABBA Gold and the jukebox musical and film, Mamma Mia!. Finally, Louie and Carl rank ABBA in the official Pop Pantheon. LA Pop Pantheon Girlies! Get Info for Louie's New Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 4/22 at Resident in DTLA!Check Out Louie's ABBA Essentials PlaylistJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Carl Magnus Palm on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freelance Music Journalist for the New York Times, Pitchfork, The Guardian and more, Owen Myers, joins DJ Louie to tackle Charli XCX's recently released 5th studio album, Crash, which Owen recently reviewed for Pitchfork. Louie and Owen discuss Charli's assertion of this album cycle as her "main pop girlie era" and whether that's really come to fruition, how Charli shrewdly draws on '80s titans like Janet Jackson, Cameo, New Order and Eurythmics as well as novelty '90s dance songs like September's "Cry For You" to create the sonic palette for the album, wonder where her true career ambitions lie between her avant-garde instincts and her desire to play in the mainstream, her prickly relationship to writing personal songs, break down The Crash Tour, and rank Crash in the Charli canon. Read Owen's Review of Crash in Pitchfork LA Pop Pantheon Girlies! Get Tix to Louie's New Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 4/22 at Resident in DTLA!Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Owen Myers on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and podcaster Evan Ross Katz joins DJ Louie for a wide-ranging discussion about TRL-icon-turned-pop-iconoclast, Christina Aguilera. First, Louie and Evan discuss the teen pop boom of the late '90s and early '00s, how it presented young stars as both wholesome and over-sexualized, and the factory-style, scientifically-perfect-if-personality-less music that defined the era. They then cover Christina's emergence on The Mickey Mouse Club as the "little girl with the big voice", her breakthrough singing the Mulan theme song "Reflection", how Britney Spears' explosion helped shape her first album, 1999's Christina Aguilera, how the massive success of that record both launched Christina to superstardom and put her in an uncomfortable box that obscured her unique talents, how she re-wrote the script with her iconic sophomore album, 2002's Stripped, her penitent for massive sonic and visual reinventions on subsequent albums like 2006's Back to Basics and 2010's Bionic, the latter of which helped usher the word "flop" into common parlance and also recast Christina as a underdog and gay icon, and how her singular career choices and trajectory has influenced recent pop stars and is deserving of a modern reassessment. Finally, Louie and Evan rank Christina Aguilera in the Pop Pantheon. LA Pop Pantheon Girlies! Get Tix to Louie's New Queer Pop Party, Gorgeous Gorgeous, on 4/22 at Resident in DTLA! Check Out Louie's Christina Aguilera Essentials PlaylistJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Evan Ross Katz on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

APRIL FOOLS!!!Keep It! host Ira Madison III returns to Pop Pantheon for a very special (and silly) episode on the glacially unfurling career of former Fifth Harmony member and aspiring pop starlet, Normani. Louie and Ira talk about why people fell in love with Normani as the clearest talent in 5H before debating the conditions that have allowed Normani to release only seven songs in the last five years before diving into her multiple attempts at getting her solo career off the ground. They begin with her two hit Spotify-core duets, 2018's "Love Lies" and 2019's "Dancing with a Stranger" with Khalid and Sam Smith respectively, before moving through her erstwhile Calvin Harris collabs, her apparent lift-off with 2019's banger Beyonce-referencing "Motivation" and its' break-the-internet music video showcasing her formidable dancing talents followed by her perplexing disappearance from music for two years, and finally her two recent underperforming "comeback" singles, the Aaliyah-sampling slinky R&B groover "Wild Side" and her latest non-event, "Fair". Finally, Louie and Ira place Normani in the official Pop Pantheon (SPOILER ALERT: she's Tier 5....). Join the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Ira Madison III on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Grammy Awards are this Sunday April 3 and to get you ready for the big show, Senior Writer for Rolling Stone Brittany Spanos is back with DJ Louie to talk all things Grammys! Louie and Brittany break down what the problems have been for the Grammys over the last few years before dissecting each of the four major categories, how the Grammys did this year, who's nominated and why, who they each think should and will win each award, who got snubbed and debate whether or not Olivia Rodrigo will just sweep the whole damn thing.Join the Pop Pantheon Discord! Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Brittany Spanos on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assistant Editor at Pitchfork Cat Zhang joins DJ Louie for a deep dive into the career and music of misunderstood, resilient 2010s trash pop queen, Kesha. First, Louie and Cat break down the hip-hop-dance-pop party music of the mid-late aughts- a hedonistic period fueled in part by a desire for escapism during The Great Recession- and discuss artists like Fergie, Gwen Stefani and others who set the stage for the uptempo rap/EDM hybrid that would become Kesha's calling card. Next, they lay out Kesha's biography, growing up poor with a single mom who wrote country songs for artists like Dolly Parton, her initial connection to superstar producer/songwriter Dr. Luke, what made Luke such a prolific hitmaker in the 2000s, and finally how a chance appearance on the hook of Flo-Rida's "Right Round" provided the launching pad for Kesha's breakthrough debut album, Animal. Louie and Cat go long on Animal, breaking down it's unique, gaudy sonic landscape and Kesha's singular perspective as an anti-materialistic, dumpster-diving party animal who proudly flew in the face of respectability on hits like "Tik Tok", "Blah Blah Blah" and "Take It Off", the way the album inverted pop gender politics and drew on far-ranging influences from Daft Punk to the Beastie Boys to Bloghaus, the fine lines Kesha's rapping walked in terms of cultural appropriation, and the borderline-experimental ways Kesha and Luke found true heart and personality in the maximalist machinery of modern pop. They then chronicle the contentious creation of Kesha's follow-up album, 2012's Warrior, and how she and Luke's diverging artistic visions presaged greater rifts in their relationship, how the album's sole hit "Die Young" was pulled from radio following the school shooting at Sandy Hook, the moment Kesha filed lawsuits against Luke for sexual assault, battery, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse, how those lawsuits derailed her career for five years, her comeback with her radically different third album, 2017's critical-darling Rainbow, and how we see Kesha's influence on modern pop. Finally, Louie and Cat rank Kesha in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Cat's retrospective review of Animal in Pitchfork Check Out Louie's Kesha Essentials PlaylistJoin the Pop Pantheon Discord!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Cat Zhang on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special mailbag episode, DJ Louie answers listener questions about the "Levitating" lawsuit, the greatest pop comebacks of all time, Kylie Minogue's placement in the Pop Pantheon, Charli XCX's new album, what Beyonce should do next, how artists are selected for the podcast, relatability vs. virtuosity in pop stardom, Christina Aguilera's signature song and more!Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie once again for the second part of our series on Diana Ross. This episode, Louie and Chris discuss Diana's initially rocky transition from lead singer for The Supremes into solo superstar and how she finally scored a solo #1 with an unexpected, avant-garde cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1970. They then discuss her spotty track record through the early-mid '70s, sometimes scoring massive hits with mostly adult-contemporary ballads like "Touch Me in the Morning" and "Do You Know Where You're Going To", but just as often releasing records that made little impact, all while pursuing a secondary career as a movie star most notably in her Oscar-nominated performance as Billie Holiday in 1972's Lady Sings the Blues. Louie and Chris then chronicle various pop movements that coincided with and affected Diana's career in this '70s- the racial segregation of radio, the birth of the female pop singer-songwriter like Carole King and Joni Mitchell, innovative R&B artists like Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan- Diana's third wind as a disco queen, beginning with 1976's smash "Love Hangover", 1979's "The Boss" and eventually, her blockbuster, career-defining collaboration with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, 1980's Diana and it's legendary singles, "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down". Finally, Louie and Chris debate what allowed Diana to beat the odds, defying pop's ageist bent with hits across three decades and what exactly makes Diana one of the ultimate Tier 1 Icons in the official Pop Pantheon. Send questions about this episode, the Pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to [email protected] the Pop Pantheon Discord Monday 3/14 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!Check Out Louie's Diana Ross Essentials PlaylistFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Chris Molanphy on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop critic, chart analyst, writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?", and host of the podcast Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy, joins DJ Louie for the first of a two-part series on American Icon, Diana Ross. First, Louis and Chris set the stage by discussing how the phrases "pop" and "pop star" came into form in the late 1950s, the establishment of the teenager as a target market group for music and the birth of the "teen idol". They then discuss Diana Ross' backstory growing up in the burgeoning Detroit music scene, how the formation of the predecessor to The Supremes, The Primettes, dovetailed with the creation of her future-label-boss-turned-husband Berry Gordy's Motown Records, why Motown and "the Motown Sound" were so transformational in the pop music landscape in the late '50s and early '60s, and how a popular wave of pre-Supremes girl groups like The Shangri-Las and The Marvelettes functioned as musicians and stars in this period. Next, Louie and Chris walk through The Supremes signing with Gordy, their flop first album and Diana being promoted to permanent front-woman, their historic collaboration with storied producers and songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland, their smash second album, Where Did Our Love Go? and subsequent astounding run of hits through the middle and end of the '60s, how their music evolved with the times, the inherent radicalism of a group of black women becoming the most popular pop act in the world, what makes Diana's star quality and voice to singular, and how Gordy positioned her for eventual solo stardom, often at the expense of the other girls in the group. Join us next week for Part 2, which will cover Diana's solo career!Send questions about this episode, the Pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to [email protected] the Pop Pantheon Discord Monday 3/7 at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!Check Out Louie's The Supremes Essentials PlaylistFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Chris Molanphy on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special bonus minisode, Jezebel's Rich Juzwiak joins DJ Louie to discuss Benjamin Hirsch's documentary Janet Jackson, which aired in January on A&E and Lifetime. With Janet's active participation, this doc was billed as the historically cagey superstar baring all about her formidable career and legacy, as well as various controversies which have swirled around her including the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" and the child sexual abuse allegations leveled at her brother Michael. Louie and Rich break down how while the documentary presented some riveting new behind-the-scenes footage of Janet at her peak, it failed to adequately re-establish her unfairly tarnished legacy and to provide real insight into some of the more opaque elements in her celebrity narrative. Read Rich's review of the Janet doc on Jezebel Rich Rich's assessment of the original Super Bowl incident and the fallout on GawkerSend any questions or comments to [email protected] DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rich Juzwiak on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keep It! Host Ira Madison III joins DJ Louie for a deep dive into the Queen of Rap, Nicki Minaj. Louie and Ira begin with a discussion of the first golden era of female rappers in late ‘90s and early ‘00s, how stars like Lil Kim and Missy Elliott blurred the lines between rapper and pop star, and speculate a bit about why many of the preeminent female MCs of this period disappeared from the charts in the mid-late aughts. They then break down what made Nicki such an exciting and dynamic force on her early mixtapes like Beam Me Up Scotty, her first run of head-spinning hit features, attempt to parse apart all of her different on-record personas, and discuss the formation of her formidable and foundational stan army, The Barbz. Next, Louie and Ira mull over the pressures Nicki faced in creating her smash debut album, Pink Friday, as the first commercially viable female rapper in years, her keen instincts to craft a sound that appealed to both rap fans and a broader pop audience and how that affected her artistry and cred for better and worse, the surprise success of “Super Bass”, her bonkers sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, why Nicki functions so well as perhaps the greatest, most versatile featured artist of all time, how she sometimes struggled to show true vulnerability on albums like 2015’s The Pinkprint, and lay out the impact she’s had on both pop and rap over the last nearly 15 years. Finally, Louie and Ira rank Nicki Minaj in the official Pop Pantheon. Send questions about this episode, the Pantheon, pop stars in general or whatever else is on your mind to [email protected] the Pop Pantheon Discord Tonight (2/17) at 8PM ET / 5PM PT!Check Out Louie's Nicki Minaj Essentials PlaylistFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Ira Madison III on InstagramJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just in time for this weekend's big performance from Dr. Dre & Friends, Jezebel's Rich Juzwiak returns to Pop Pantheon to talk about a crowning moment in any pop star's career: The Super Bowl Halftime Show. First, DJ Louie and Rich explain the ever-evolving nature of the halftime show and how it crystalized into its modern form, which types of stars gets chosen for this prestigious slot, and what makes these performances work when they're good or flop when they're... not. They then each share their top 5 favorite Halftime performances of all time as well as a few of their least favorites, before giving a brief comment on every single show from 1991 to the present day. Finally, Louie and Rich discuss which pop stars they'd like to see headline the show in the future.Send any questions or comments to [email protected] Follow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on TwitterFollow Rich Juzwiak on TwitterJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.