Pop Pantheon

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ debate the age old question: Is Madonna's original Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) or her recently released sequel Confessions II (2026) the stronger album? To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Po...

Author and critic Annie Zaleski returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss the career and legacy of a pair of queer icons: the Canadian sister act Tegan and Sara. Annie and Russ dig into the origin of the Quin sisters in Calgary, their folksy early albums, 2002’s If It Was You and the seminal indie pop classic So Jealous (2004). From there, they unpack Tegan and Sara’s brief flirtatious with the American...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode,  New York Magazine 's Rachel Handler joins DJ Louie to talk discuss Ariana Grande's 8th studio album, Petal , which arrives amidst a swirl of public discourse around the pop diva and her recent announcement that she will be pulling back from public life. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop...

Louie and Russ are taking the last two weeks of July off! In the meantime, in light of the commotion over Confessions II , we're revisiting our Madonna series from 2023. Parts 1 and 2 published last week, and here is Part 3. Pop Pantheon will return with new episodes on August 6th. In the meantime, you can always hear new weekly episodes by subscribing at Patreon.com/PopPantheon . Join Pop Pantheo...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode,  Paper 's Joan Summers joins DJ Louie to break down Charli XCX's anti- Brat follow-up to that blockbuster, her eighth studio album, Music, Fashion, Film . To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Acces...

Louie and Russ are taking the last two weeks of July off! In the meantime, in light of the commotion over Confessions II , we're revisiting our Madonna series from 2023. Part 1 published yesterday, Part 2 today, and Part 3 will come out next Thursday. Pop Pantheon will return with new episodes on August 6th. In the meantime, you can always hear new weekly episodes by subscribing at Patreon.com/Pop...

Louie and Russ are taking the last two weeks of July off! In the meantime, in light of the commotion over Confessions II , we're revisiting our Madonna series from 2023. Part 1 will publish today, Part 2 tomorrow, and Part 3 next Thursday. Pop Pantheon will return with new episodes on August 6th. In the meantime, you can always hear new weekly episodes by subscribing at Patreon.com/PopPantheon . J...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ discuss Madonna's FIFA Finals Halftime Performance, talk about the vibes around Charli XCX on the eve of her new studio album, Music Fashion Film, and break down Gracie Abrams' Daughter From Hell To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channe...

In this week's Step Up, Step Down, Louie and Russ debate whether recent moves from Olivia Rodrigo, Lizzo, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Kacey Musgraves constitute upward or downward trends for them in the official Pop Pantheon. Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous: Renaissance in NYC Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store F...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Russ tells Louie about his interview with Bebe Rexha for PAPER and they discuss her place in the pop firmament following her new album Dirty Blonde . Then a listener-demanded and long, long awaited discussion about Hilary Duff's return to pop, Luck... or Something ! To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus epi...

In anticipation of forthcoming 8th studio album, Petal , Louie is joined by Every Single Album 's Nora Princiotti, Rolling Stone 's Larisha Paul, and Billboard 's Kyle Denis to draft the greatest 20 best Ariana Grande singles of all time. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow DJ...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The Queen of Pop Madonna is back with her 15th studio album, Confessions II , her first since 2019's ghastly Madame X and the sequel to her beloved 2005 record Confessions on a Dance Floor . So did she pull off the comeback we almost didn't dare dream was possible? Louie and Russ discuss! To hear the rest of the this episode plus r...

StraightioLab's George Civeris and Sam Taggart join Louie to discuss Lizzo's Pass – a concept Sam created to describe the fork in the road in which a pop star must decide to make music for Target of for Pitchfork. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram Fo...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ are taking more listener questions about Beyoncé's Act III, the Geese psyop which Gen Z girlies have the biggest chance of reaching Tier 1 and more. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon:...

Molly Mary O'Brien returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the careers of two women who served as counter-programming to the mechanized teen pop that dominated the early 2000s: Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton. Molly and Louie discuss Michelle's 2001 slammer “Everywhere” and her glossy yet yearning album The Spirit Room and Vanessa’s instantly memorable “A Thousand Miles” and her 2002 album Be Not No...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, On the eve of her eighth studio album, Petal, due next month, Louie and Russ are going track-by-track on Ariana Grande's third record, Dangerous Woman, which turns ten years-old this year. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, su...

Actress and comedian Ivy Wolk returns to the podcast to power rank the new class of pop girlies with Louie and Russ. From Ella Langley to Holly Humberstone, Olivia Dean, Underscores, Audrey Hobert and more, they debate who's up, who's down, and who's got the best chance of sticking around for the rest of this year and beyond. Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Pride in LA on 6/19 and NY 6/26 Join Po...

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie is joined by cultural critic Lauren Michele Jackson to break down Olivia Rodrigo's third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love .  To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All A...

Louie and Russ answer listener questions about where The Life of a Showgirl ranks amongst Taylor Swift's recent albums, how likely it is that Rihanna will ever release R8, pairing flopping pop stars with new producers, their favorite indie songs of the century, Louie's book publishing process, and so much more. Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Pride in LA on 6/19 and NY 6/26 Join Pop Pantheon: All...

In a preview of this week's  Pop Pantheon: All Access  episode, Louie and Russ break down new singles from Taylor Swift, Tinashe, and Madonna, before tackling their way-too-early Grammy nomination predictions and playing a game of "Toy Sorry." To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more,...

PAPER senior editor Joan Summers returns to Pop Pantheon for a special Pride episode unpacking a complex but revolutionary figure who changed queer culture forever, Supermodel of the World RuPaul. Louie and Joan explore Ru’s roots, his rise in New York City and breakthrough with “Supermodel (You Better Work).” Then they discuss the music he made during his initial burst of fame and his second musi...

In a preview of this week's  Pop Pantheon: All Access  episode, Louie and Russ discuss the slightly confounding lead single from Ariana Grande's forthcoming eighth studio album Petal , plus Kim Petras' return to form on her 3rd debut record Detour. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much...

Russ is joined by Pitchfork's Walden Green to countdown their lists of the most underrated pop songs of the year so far. Check out a playlist of Russ and Walden's favs Buy tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Pride in LA on 6/19 and NY 6/26 Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram Follow DJ Louie...

In a preview of this week's  Pop Pantheon: All Access  episode, in anticipation of Madonna's 15th studio album, Confessions II , due out in July, Louie and Russ revisit the 2005's original Confessions on a Dance Floor , the Queen of Pop's last universally-adored effort. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discor...

NOTE: A previous version of this episode had an editing error that caused cross-talk in the interview. If this episode auto-downloaded, delete it from your library and refresh the feed for the updated version. Thank you! From Robyn to Charlie Puth, Olivia Rodrigo, Haute & Freddy, Underscores, and more, Louie is joined by NPR's Hazel Cills to countdown their favorite Pop Songs of 2026 so far. C...