The Pop Pod

Lana Del Rey is one of the best, if not the best lyricist, in pop music. Over her career she has been able to pair delusions of grandeur with fragile admissions of vulnerability to paint a picture of a flawed but endearing subject. We went through all of her lyrics to pick out the ones we felt were best from the takedown of 'Norman F Rockwell' to the aching nostalgia of 'White Dress'.

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JADE’s year took an unexpected turn. She was working on the follow-up to her debut album 'That’s Showbiz Baby!' when her debut single, 'Angel Of My Dreams', soundtracked Kylie Jenner’s walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It catapulted the song to a new audience and, as of this morning, it has debuted on the Billboard Hot 100.Pegged by many as one of the best pop songs of the decade so far, 'Angel Of My Dreams' always deserved a second moment, but you can never quite prepare for one.

I caught up with JAD...

Voting has officially closed for the 2027 Grammy Awards, and now we await the nominations. Olivia Rodrigo and Olivia Dean are shaping up to be two of the biggest contenders, but who will make the final cut?On this episode of The Pop Pod, we're predicting the nominations across the Big Four general field categories and all the pop categories. From the obvious frontrunners to the potential surprises and shocking snubs, we're breaking down who we think will make the list.

Rebecca Black knows the Pop industry in and out. She’s not only been an active participant in it for well over a decade, she’s also a fan. It feels like, she’s always learning, honing her craft and showing more and more people what she’s capable of.

Her latest album Age Of The Exhibitionist is one of the strongest pop projects of the year so far and I had to have her on the pod to discuss it. As expected. She explains her work with laser focus and an understanding of how it interacts with the...

Rachel Chinouriri joins the podcast off the back of the release of her second album 'I Think I Spoke Too Soon...' The album comes off the back of a huge period of change for Rachel, including sobriety and touring with pop titans like Sabrina Carpenter.Those experiences are reflected in the album which strikes a balance between vulnerability and confidence. It's a glossy pop record with an intimate storyteller at the centre. This interview goes behind the album but also gets into how she studied campaigns like 'Brat', consciously broke out of moulds she'd made for herself and...

MNEK has helped shape the sound of modern pop, writing and producing hits for Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Little Mix, FLO and Zara Larsson. Now, he's stepping back into the spotlight with his second solo album, Bulldozer.

Fresh off executive producing Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun, MNEK joins The Pop Pod to talk about making two very different records, finding his own voice as an artist and why there's no longer a rulebook for pop success.

We get into the creative process behind Midnight Sun, reuniting with Zara a decade after 'Never Forget You', his five years w...

We’re uplifting Tinashe today and always. Over the past near 15 years, I’ve watched Tinashe shape pop stardom in her own vision from huge chart hits to cult favourites. In this moment, it feels like both sides of her have synthesised. Her 8th studio album ‘Popstar’ features some of her most unexpected, mind-bending moments but it’s also landed her in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time in her career. Everything has led Tinashe towards this very deserved moment.We sat down a couple of weeks ago, before the album found itself as one of the best-r...

Lizzy McAlpine is on The Pop Pod! A huge period of change informed Lizzie’s fourth album ‘Angel’. The adventurous, warm and experimental folk-pop record doesn’t come long after her last album ‘Older’ but plenty happened in between. She starred in Broadway musical ‘Floyd Collins’, found new love after a breakup and found an appreciation for the music of Joni Mitchell. Speaking to her, it feels like she’s found a new sense of freedom and that’s been poured into the music.

We spoke not only about the album and this period of change but the pop music that h...

Tove Lo has had a very interesting career. Her first album 'Queen Of The Clouds' landed her in the mainstream quickly but ever since then she's taken left turns. Rather than attempting to repeat previous success, she's followed her artistic instinct which pulls through stronger than ever on 'Estrus'.

I sat down with Tove on the day the album was released to talk about how she got there after 'Dirt Femme'. This is a career-spanning conversation touching on everything from 'Talking Body' to how she found her freedom as an independent artist. Of course, we also had...

Carly Rae Jepsen loves pop music but on her own terms. She burst into the spotlight with one of the very early viral moment 'Call Me Maybe' but since then has operated in her own realm, driven by whatever feels good to her.

As a result, she's formed a dedicated fanbase that will follow her in whichever direction she chooses. The latest pivot is one of her most ambitious yet. 'Day And Night', a double album, sees her take her time traversing new territory as she revels in the euphoria of love. Since 'The Lonliest Time', she's...

Asha Banks is the latest guest on The Pop Pod. Banks is one of the most talented slashies around. She's known for her roles on the screen like 'My Fault' and 'Your Fault' but she's also amassing a following for her own music.She's gearing up to release a new EP 'Bottled Up' on 1 October.

We talk about what got her to this moment from writing music for her own movies to collaborating with Holly Humberstone. We also talk about her own favourites including Bon Iver, Ryan Beatty, The 1975 and so much more.

I asked for controversial pop opinions and you really did deliver. On this episode, we go through some of the best (and worst) ones that we received touching on everything from Ariana Grande being the last big-voiced pop star to Miley Cyrus’ reluctance to go full pop star mode. We also talked about companion albums, imperfect debut albums and the parasocial relationships fans have with artists.

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Shygirl has announced her second album, 'Swallow!'. It's a positive, uplifting and sometimes menacing record that balances desire and contentment. She's dug into UK dance references but also blended it with her love for indie music - a sound that I think will surprise and excite fans.I sat down with Shygirl to discuss the new album at large but also dig into some of the references from The Prodigy to U2. Of course, we also had to get into the pop side of things too and chat Madonna and Britney Spears, amongst others.

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Dua Lipa is back on the charts with ‘Training Season’ getting an unexpected second life which has us thinking about all things Dua. Jono & I decided it was the perfect time to talk about what we expect from her fourth album and revisit whether ‘Radical Optimism’ was a successful era for her.

We also ranked the top 10 Dua Lipa songs, discussing everything from her euphoric breakout ‘Be The One’ to an unexpected deep cut from ‘Radical Optimism’ that has stayed with us.

What are you expecting from this forthcoming Dua era?

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Hemlocke Springs is the latest guest on The Pop Pod. When I put together a list of artists that I wanted to speak to this week, Hemlocke was top of my mind. Her debut album 'the apple tree under the sea' is one of the projects that made me truly excited this year. It's an oddball pop record, that chews up so many different inspirations and spits it out in Hemlocke's technicolor vision.

We sat down to speak about the album and turning a viral moment into something long-lasting. We also discussed plenty of pop classics from...

A bonus throwback episode for you today. Jono and I went through all the US number one singles of 2010 and bop'd or flop'd them.

As it turns out, 2010 was a pretty groundbreaking year for pop. It was a the debut of Kesha, Katy Perry's golden era and a shapeshifting year for Rihanna. On top of that, it was a gloriously silly year for pop music, driven by songs like 'Like A G6'.

A maker of several pop classics joins The Pop Pod. Natasha Bedingfield is behind some of the biggest pop songs of this millennium including 'These Words' and 'Unwritten'. These songs continue to have comebacks and, acting as millennial anthems but they have also now seeped into the psyche of a Gen Z as well - now the generation that listen to her most.

On the pod, we discuss the undying success of her early classics, the 'Unwritten' follow-up that was banned by radio and her new chapter as an independent artist with 'Dot Dot Dot'.

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At the top of last year, I interviewed Ravyn Lenae briefly right as 'Love Me Not' was beginning to bubble. 1.3 billion streams later, it's a rare ubiquitous hit. Now, she joins me on The Pop Pod with another album in the bag.

'Blue Island' shows that she had no interest in trying to imitate the sound of 'Love Me Not'. It's a wild ride that showcases an artist following her creative impulses in a daring and captivating way.

She spoke to me about whether she felt the pressure on this record and what inspired it...

Flo are, in my opinion, the best girl group on the planet right now. I got to sit down with them in London ahead of the release of their second album 'Therapy At The Club' to talk about taking control, music videos, hangover and pop classics.

Their second album really sees them step into their own. It's ambitious, charismatic and loud. You'll hear all about it in this chat plus lots more.

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Ariana Grande's new album 'Petal' is good because Ariana is too good to make a bad album. There are, however, some frustrations about how polite it is at times.

Jono and I have gone through the album track-by-track to make sense of one of her most divisive albums yet.

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Rose Gray is the next princess of pop. Taking inspiration from the legends like Kylie and Madonna as well as underground dance music, she’s forged a new path off the back of her debut album Louder, Please. That album helped her pick up a whole new audience and now she’s headed towards album number two with ‘Club To Your Arms’ and its experimental sister ‘Bodies’.

She joined The Pop Pod to talk about working with pop mastermind Justin Tranter on new music, update us on the progress of the next album and chat Madonna, Lily Allen, Robyn...

It's been a while since Jono and I have checked in on the pod so we though we'd give you an episode on the best and worst of 2026 so far. We talked about what's worked this year and what hasn't as well as listed our top 3 songs and album of the year so far.

Sekou is my favourite new male popstar. He's got the tunes, he's got the look and he's got a superstar mindset. He's just released his debut mixtape 'In A World We Don't Belong' which features 'Catching Bodies' his breakout single. In the past year, he's also featured on Justin Bieber's 'Swag' finding a musical kingship with Biebs.

I had the best chat with him touching on the Bieber of it all but also generally what it takes to make it as a new artist in an increasingly frustrating industry.

Well, this is a dream. Charli XCX is the latest guest on The Pop Pod. We met up in London to discuss the new album Music Fashion Film and how she got to this point, once again making a creative pivot in the sort of way only Charli knows how.

It is my pleasure to welcome to the podcast Bebe Rexha - a pop music titan who is responsible for some of the biggest hits of the last decade. Freshly independent and with a new record 'Dirty Blonde' in the bag, we talked about her journey to this point and her most cohesive album to date.

As always, we also talked pop classics touching on everything from dancefloor bangers to Miley Cyrus.

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Olivia Rodrigo released her third album 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' to AOTY allegations last week. I had to get Jono on the line to discuss. We went track-by-track through the songs and reviewed it along the way.

Madeon has long been one of the most exciting producers in the game. He broke through as a teenager with a pop music mash-up and turned that into a consistently evolving career. He’s collaborated with Porter Robinson, Lady Gaga and more recently Slayyyter and so he feels like the perfect person to join us to chat Pop Classics.

This was such a pleasure for me personally. I’ve been a longtime fan of Madeon and always admired how he’s been able to show great admiration for the producers that came before him while also being a trai...

HorsegiirL is the first horse to ever appear on The Pop Pod but also one of the most fascinating. The German producer and DJ has transcended her meme-ish origins to become one of the most important figures in electronic music right now.

In this episode, we talked about pop classics from Kylie to Usher but also what makes pop so fascinating. The ability to make the complex universally snackable.

HorsegiirL's debut album 'Nature Is Healing' is out next week.

In July, Ariana Grande will release her eighth album ‘Petal’ so we thought it was the opportune time to roll out the definitive ranking of Ariana albums. From ‘Yours Truly’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine’, Ariana has one of the most interesting and personal discographies in pop music tracking personal triumphs and tragedies. 

We can update this ranking in July when ‘Petal’ finally arrives but for now, join PopSamCam for the current Ariana Grande albums ranking.

What’s your ranking?

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It's time for another rankinig episode and this time we're turning our attention to Charli XCX who just returned with 'Rock Music'. For the past decade plus Charli has been a pop visionary, always operating ahead of the game and churning out some of the most thought-provoking pop music along the way.

She's amassed an impressive discography that actually proved quite difficult to rank. That being said, there were 4 songs that really stood out.

On this episode of The Pop Pod, Sam & Jono rank the best Charli XCX songs.

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Swedish duo Icona Pop are behind one of the most monumental club-pop songs of the 2010s 'I Love It' but since then they have kept the dancefloor alive. Icona Pop are best friends on and off the dancefloor and have spent their career crafting high-energy songs for the club that also go for maximum emotional effect.

With a new album, 'Ritual' on the way, Icona Pop joined The Pop Pod to talk about Sweden's reputation for perfect pop as well as those who contribute from ABBA to Robyn. Plus we got into what makes a crying on...

This week on The Pop Pod, Sam & Jono dig into exactly that question. We start with Confessions on a Dance Floor, the Madonna masterpiece that turns 21 this year and still sounds like the future, and we talk about what it means that she and producer Stuart Price are finally returning with a sequel, Confessions II, out this summer. From there we get into the records that have carried that torch in the years since: Robyn's Body Talk, Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, Charli XCX's Brat, and so much more.

What separates a great dance album from an all-time...

Jessie Ware has spent the last six years quietly building one of the great runs in modern pop. From What's Your Pleasure? to That! Feels Good! and now her sixth album Superbloom, out this week, she's carved out a lane that's entirely her own: disco-inflected, deeply felt, and allergic to cheap shortcuts. Superbloom pushes deeper than its predecessors, trading pure escapism for something more grounded in real love, real relationships, and the fear of losing them, without sacrificing a single beat.

This week on The Pop Pod, I sit down with Jessie to talk through the new...

Danny L Harle is one of pop music's most quietly essential figures. A founding member of the PC Music collective, the British producer and composer has spent over a decade reshaping what pop can sound like — from the euphoric maximalism of his early solo work to becoming the trusted hand behind some of the most acclaimed records of the last few years. He's the executive producer of both of Caroline Polachek's landmark albums, Pang and Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, co-produced Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism (including "Houdini"), and has worked with Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, PinkPantheress, Cl...

Sam Duboff from Spotify joins The Pop Pod to break down this year's Loud & Clear report, Spotify's annual deep-dive into the economics of streaming. We get into what the numbers actually mean for artists in 2026 .

We talk about the rise of the niche pop star: more than 1,500 artists crossed $1 million in Spotify royalties in 2025, and many of them aren't household names — and may never trend globally. It turns out you don't need a massive hit to build a massive career. We dig into what that means for how pop is fragmenting, and why devoted fanbases are now th...

Robyn returned with Sexistential, her first album in eight years - nine hard-hitting tracks of pure melody and zero filler, picking up where Body Talk and Honey left off. No messing around. Just Robyn delivering straight-up emotion in the most direct way she knows how.

Then there's RAYE, who exercised no such restraint. This Music May Contain Hope stretches over 70 minutes across 17 songs - orchestrals, narrative, Hans Zimmer, Al Green - an epic that dares you to sit with it.

Sam is joined first by YouTuber HTHAZE to unpack This Music May Contain Hope. Then...

Sam and Jono go deep on one of music's most overlooked arts — the album opener. Does it need to be a banger? A ballad? The lead single? A two-minute intro that sounds like a church service colliding with a rave? Turns out, the answer is all of the above, and none of the above.

This week they break down Jono's four-type framework for what makes a great opener (dramatic, undeniable banger, sonic statement, or storytelling intro), why Sam thinks the first lyric does more heavy lifting than any production choice ever could, and what actually separates a gr...

Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus joins us to talk about stepping back into her solo career after the phenomenon that was Boygenius - what changes, what stays the same, and why going it alone hits differently the second time around. We dig into the classic pop albums that wired her musical brain, delibarate on the perfect pop song, and talk about new music that may be coming soon.

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Britney Spears has one of the greatest pop discographies of all time. This week on The Pop Pod, we're ranking her top 10 singles and making the case for where each one belongs.

We get into which singles genuinely hold up, which ones are more nostalgia than quality, and why Britney's run from 1998 through the mid-2000s was almost impossible to touch. We also dig into the underrated tracks that deserved way more credit than they got and, we see if we agree on the #1 spot.

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2026 has been a bit of a weird year for albums so far. Big artists like Harry Styles, Bruno Mars and Charli XCX have dropped records but they have all been divisive. Meanwhile, great albums by smaller artists have been few and far between. On this episode, we bop or flop the most recent album drops.

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