Flopstars

This week, it’s Little Mix’s turn. Their fourth album ‘Glory Days’ was far from a flop, actually. It was their biggest album in the UK and Australia spawning an array of hits. It was also aimed towards the US though where it failed to nab any considerable hits once again. On this episode, we look at how the album made Little Mix the biggest band in the world while also failing to get them the global attention they deserve.

This week, we’re looking at an icon. It’s hard to attach the word flop to anything Beyonce has done but her fourth album ‘4’ was an underwhelming performer commercially. While it failed to cling to the charts though, it launched her into a new phase of her career. She felt liberated both in a business-sense and artistically. What it gave way to was her most daring album yet and one that still shines bright today.

This week, we’re taking on a curveball with Robbie Williams’ ‘Rudebox’. The 2006 album is one of the most outrageous albums you’ll hear by a popstar at the peak of his powers. The inventive, electronic album was an outlandish, surreal and often absurd collection of songs that divided his core fan group. To this day, people still go into fight for Rudebox while others have erased its very existence.

This week, we’re going deep on Lorde’s 'Melodrama'. The Kiwi’s second album came after her huge breakout with ‘Pure Heroine’. After Grammys and hits, she returned with a pulsating, dizzying seconds album made entirely with Jack Antonoff. It was a rousing, poignant coming of age that earned her universal praise but its charts hits were few and far between. In this episode, we explore why it didn’t hit commercially and why it’s a landmark album for pop music.

This week, we’re talking about an icon. Kylie is in the fourth decade of her career and still making pristine pop music. It’s ‘Aphrodite’ and ‘Kiss Me Once’ that are on our radar though - two albums that loosened her stranglehold on the chart. Both albums contain fan favorites but the pair underperformed and shifted her career dramatically. On this episode,  we look at why.

This week, it’s P!NK’s fourth record ‘I’m Not Dead’ in the spotlight. The record sparked a career revival for P!NK as she grew into the artist we know today. It was slow to start though with the album growing in popularity over time. It was also disproportionately successful in Australia in comparison to the rest of the world. For this podcast, we’re exploring Australia’s love affair with P!NK and why I’m Not Dead wasn’t initially successful in the rest of the world.

This week, we’re casting our minds back to Harry Styles debut album. In 2017, he arrived finally as one of the last One Direction members to release solo music. ‘Sign Of The Times’ was the lead-in and it was a grand, lengthy one. The album debuted at number one all around the world but the singles struggled to stick around, as Styles aimed for a retro rock ‘n’ roll sound. On this episode, we’ll explore what the album did for his career and why ‘Fine Line’ went bigger.

This week, we’re throwing it back to Gwen Stefani’s second solo record 'The Sweet Escape;. Her debut 'Love.Angel.Music.Baby' was a breakthrough, casting her from No Doubt to mainstream solo success with ease. She never intended to do another one but the creative juices were flowing enough to make a second. 'The Sweet Escape' was an even odder record that couldn’t match the chart success of its predecessor but drew plenty of attention regardless.

This week, Nicki Minaj’s ‘Queen’ is at the center of our universe. Minaj’s fourth project came with antics, controversy and some classic moments but it tells a broader story of where rap was at that point. It was the first time her crown was perceivably challenged, not that it was ever up to be snatched. On this episode, we discuss the highs and lows of the ‘Queen’ era.

Last month, Taylor Swift surprised everyone by releasing her eighth album ‘Folklore’. It’s broken a plethora of records but today we’re looking back at an album that many would consider to be Swifts’s plateau - ‘Reputation’. As per usual, the record sold big in its first week but reviews were lukewarm and many of the singles failed to stick around. On this episode, we’re going to look into why public favour turned against Swift and how she was able to pull it back.