Music Popcast

“Old Town Road” is the latest flash point in the two-decades-long dialogue between Nashville and hip-hop. Guest: Average Joes Entertainment's Shannon Houchins

Backstreet’s back, the New Kids put out a new single and groups in the K-pop ecosystem are thriving. Why are boy bands so central to pop music? Guests: Jezebel's Maria Sherman and Billboard's Andrew Unterberger

Blueface’s “Thotiana” is a nearly perfectly engineered hit of the social media age. Guests: The Fader's Ben Dandridge-Lemco and Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre.

The documentary “Leaving Neverland” details devastating allegations of sexual abuse. How do fans process them, and Jackson’s body of work? Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli, Aisha Harris and Ben Sisario

Musicians often make headlines; balancing coverage of their art with coverage of the accusations they face isn’t always easy. Guest: The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Brett Clarkson

The musician has been accused of dangling career opportunities while pursuing female artists for sex, then turning domineering and vengeful. He denies the claims. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli and Melena Ryzik.

After a terrible ceremony that minimized women and nonwhite artists, the Recording Academy tried something else: the opposite. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz and Jon Pareles.

Two singer-songwriters at different points in their careers are staking claim to new creative ground. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli; The Ringer's Lindsay Zoladz

Two documentaries examining Billy McFarland’s debacle aim to shed new light on the scammers and victims. Guests: The New York Times's Aisha Harris, Wesley Morris and Melena Ryzik.

From British punk-rap to 1970s-influenced country to morbid electronic pop, a guide to new artists to watch. Guest: The New York Times's Jon Pareles.

His was the defining voice of 2018. What’s next for this Puerto Rican new-pop superstar? Guests: Remezcla's Eduardo Cepeda and Isabelia Herrera; and Rolling Stone's Suzy Exposito.

What did the music, innovations and arguments of 2018 tell us about where the genre is headed next? Guests: John Murph and Giovanni Russonello

The Popcast wraps 2018 discussing Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, streaming and crying. Guest: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli

K-pop, Latin trap and melodic hip-hop — once regarded as subgenres — have become the center of the pop conversation. Guest: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli

The 1975’s millennial anthem, “Shallow” and a lot of Bad Bunny: Why did these tracks define the year in pop? Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles, Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz

Music's big awards show is trying to make big changes. So what do these nominations really tell us? Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles. Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz

Drake, Mitski, Ariana Grande — whose albums defined the year? (And will albums matter next year?) Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles, Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz

A conversation about the Brooklyn rapper’s arrest and musical prospects as he releases “Dummy Boy” while behind bars. Guest: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli.

With her 15th album, “Caution,” the singer has entered a new phase of her long career. Guests: Michael Arceneaux; Jezebel's Julianne Escobedo Shepherd; The New Yorker's Briana Younger.

The tug of war between how the genre advertises itself and how it’s actually evolving is growing more tense. Guests: Nick Murray; Natalie Weiner.

The trumpeter, who died at 49, was a singular figure dedicated to keeping jazz’s past in dialogue with its future. Guests: The New York Times's Giovanni Russonello; Jozen Cummings.

With “Honey,” the Swedish star returns to a landscape she’s quietly shaped for over 20 years. Guests: The New York Times's Caryn Ganz; the Guardian's Laura Snapes; Jezebel's Hazel Cills

Now that K-pop is successful on its own terms, the questions it faces are changing. Guest: Billboard's Jeff Benjamin.

Is rock music in 2018 a sound, a mood or a retail category? Where do Twenty One Pilots, the 1975 and Greta Van Fleet fit in? Guests: The New York Times's Caryn Ganz; Rolling Stone's Kory Grow; the Ringer's Lindsay Zoladz

What does Bradley Cooper’s remake starring Lady Gaga say about the pop music business — and the film industry — today? Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli, Manohla Dargis, Caryn Ganz, Wesley Morris and Jon Pareles