The New York Times

Popcast

Music EN ↓ 560 episodes

The Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in popular music criticism, trends and news. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Author

The New York Times

Category

Music

Podcast website

www.nytimes.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

Remembering Tony Allen and Florian Schneider, Two Pillars of Rhythm 11.05.2020

Thousands of miles apart, and with radically different tools, both musicians were innovating. Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles; and Joseph Patel. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, downloa...

The Triumphant Return of Fiona Apple, Pop Music Renegade 30.04.2020

A conversation about everything “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” and beyond. Guests: Jenn Pelly and Lindsay Zoladz. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. H...

Beyond ‘Trolls’ and ‘Frozen’: What Are Our Kids Listening To? 19.04.2020

Children’s films lean heavily on pop, but the elementary school set has access to a whole universe of music now. Guests: The New York Times's Gilbert Cruz, Jeremy Egner, Dave Itzkoff and Dave Renard. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . Fo...

Dua Lipa, Dance-Pop Crusader 11.04.2020

The English pop star has given fans an upbeat album at a very dark time. Guest: Caryn Ganz. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplec...

Sam Hunt and Kenny Rogers, Country Music Rule-Benders 05.04.2020

Both artists pulled Nashville in fresh directions, and gave the genre growing pains. Guests: Bill Friskics-Warren and Natalie Weiner. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times...

What Is the Role of Criticism in a Crisis? 27.03.2020

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the world, and the arts are reeling. Pop music critics are asking (and facing) hard questions. Guests: The Ringer's Rob Harvilla, New York's Craig Jenkins and Lindsay Zoladz. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=pod...

What Music Should I Listen to in a Crisis? 20.03.2020

Pop critics from around the country recommend pick-me-ups: Pharrell, the Pointer Sisters, Helado Negro and more. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/a...

How Will Pop Music Respond to the Coronavirus? 19.03.2020

The ways the pandemic has already reshaped the year, and what might happen in pop next. Guests: The New York Times's Ben Sisario and Jon Pareles. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The Ne...

The Unrelenting Space Jams of Tame Impala 08.03.2020

How has Kevin Parker built and sustained his successful psych-rock project — and where will he head next? Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles and Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and na...

The Death of Pop Smoke and the Future of Brooklyn Drill 28.02.2020

The 20-year-old rapper was poised to carry the scene’s sound to the world. Guest: Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app...

Answering Your Questions About Britney, Billie, Aaliyah and More 14.02.2020

The Popcast opens its mailbag in the second of two episodes devoted to our listeners. Guests: The New York Times’s Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz and Jon Pareles. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, do...

Answering Your Questions About Taylor, Mitski, Emo and More 07.02.2020

The Popcast opens its mailbag in the first of two episodes devoted to our listeners. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New...

The Grammys, Dissected: Out With the Old, in With the Billie, Lizzo and Tyler 28.01.2020

Did the deserving artists win? Was Aerosmith terrible? The debates rage on our post-awards show. Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz, Wesley Morris and Jon Pareles. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated article...

How TikTok Is Killing the Radio Songwriter 17.01.2020

Songs that work in 15-second bursts are different from tracks that succeed on the FM dial. Guests: The writer Aimee Cliff and GodMode's Nick Sylvester. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download...

In 2019, Jazz Reckoned With Old Boundaries, and Marched Past Them 11.01.2020

A conversation about the best jazz albums of the year, and what they tell us about the genre’s future. Guests: Martin Johnson and Giovanni Russonello. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download T...

Were These the Best Albums of the 2010s? 31.12.2019

A revealing (and hilarious) look back at our year-end lists from the past decade. Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles and Joe Coscarelli. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New Y...

Juice WRLD and the Crisis of SoundCloud Rap-Era Fame 13.12.2019

Success is coming faster than ever for a new generation of musicians. But at what price? Guests: David Turner; the directors Ramez Silyan and Sebastian Jones. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, do...

Would Prince Have Wanted His Rough Drafts Made Public? 08.12.2019

A memoir and a deluxe edition of “1999” offer a new perspective on the meticulous artist. Guests: Jon Pareles, Naima Cochrane, Keith Murphy and Jay Smooth. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, downl...

Dissecting the 2020 Grammy Nominations 22.11.2019

Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X lead the way. But has the Recording Academy’s relationship to pop changed? Guests: The full New York Times pop music team. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, dow...

Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Lana Del Rey: Pop Stars (and Their Fans) Clap Back 20.11.2019

Are artists responsible when their fan armies can be weaponized? Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Lindsay Zoladz. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. H...

Can Reality Television Produce a Plausible Rap Star? 11.11.2019

Netflix’s “Rhythm + Flow” is the most recent example of the reality-TV business trying to get into the hip-hop business. Guests: Complex's Frazier Tharpe and Stereogum's Tom Breihan. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts a...

Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Is King,’ From the Gospel Perspective 30.10.2019

Gospel music insiders on the rapper’s turn to religious music and how his album relates to contemporary holy hip-hop. Guests: Root's Hasan James and The Journal of Gospel Music's Robert Marovich. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For mo...

The Rise of DaBaby, From Memes to the Mosh Pit 19.10.2019

The year’s most consistent new hip-hop star combines intense rhymes with online savvy. Guest: Joe Coscarelli. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app....

The Highwomen, Miranda Lambert and the Women Invigorating Country Music 11.10.2019

Nashville has long marginalized female performers, songwriters and producers. But a wave of artists is fighting back. Guests: Jada Watson and Natalie Weiner. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, dow...

Is 100 gecs the End of Pop, or a New Beginning? 05.10.2019

One of the year’s most unlikely breakthroughs is a duo that makes disorienting, genre-jumbling music. Guests: Eli Enis and The Fader's Larry Fitzmaurice. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher . For more podcasts and narrated articles, downloa...

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