In this episode of Live From Mars, I sit down with John Stein, Head of Editorial at Spotify, to break down Spotify Wrapped 2025 and what the year in music actually sounded like.

We go behind the scenes of how Spotify Wrapped is made, how editorial teams balance streaming data with human curation, and how playlists like Discover Weekly and Fresh Finds help artists break and grow over time. John shares his 12-year journey at Spotify, how editorial has evolved, and how decisions made inside Spotify impact millions of listeners every day.

We also unpack the biggest music trends of 2025, including introspective pop, album-first listening habits, country rock crossovers, masked metal artists, and why songs released in previous years continued to dominate the charts. We talk about slow-burn artists, touring as a growth engine, and how older catalog songs keep finding new life on streaming.

Plus, we look ahead to 2026 music predictions, the rise of more organic sounding music in response to AI, and which albums and artists might still be talked about a decade from now.

If you’ve ever wondered how Spotify decides what you hear, why Wrapped became such a massive cultural moment, or how music discovery actually works in 2025, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

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This week on Live From Mars, I’m joined by my good friend (and resident guy-who-screams-songs-in-the-car) Nick Palmai to finally give Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful the deep dive it deserved. We’re talking about why this album became my favorite of 2025, why it got such a mixed reception, and how a messy rollout and delayed visual release may have kept people from fully getting what Miley built here.

What we cover in this episode

• Why Something Beautiful is one of the most underrated pop albums of 2025
• Our IRL story: meeting at the Something Beautiful premiere and watching the film before the album dropped
• The rollout choices that helped and hurt the album (and why “End of the World” deserved way more)
• Why the project feels so cinematic, loud, and experimental compared to Endless Summer Vacation
• Best Worst Fave: our picks for the best song, weakest track, and personal favorites (yes, “Golden Burning Sun” stans rise)

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you’re following the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and if you feel like being nice today, drop a 5-star review.

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We’re continuing my Top 3 Albums of 2025 series with the record that kicked off the year’s biggest pop era: Lady Gaga’s Mayhem. I’m joined by two of my first internet friends, Seth and Amanda, for a full deep dive into the rollout, the tracklist chaos, Best / Worst / Fave picks, and why this album stayed in our rotation all year.

If you’re looking for a Lady Gaga Mayhem review, an "Abracadabra" breakdown, Mayhem Ball reactions, or Grammys Album of the Year predictions, this episode covers all of it.

Topics covered

• Why Mayhem is a Grammy Album of the Year contender
• "Disease" vs "Abracadabra" and how the Grammys premiere reset the era
• Tracklist debate, production shifts, and whether "Die With a Smile" belongs on the album
• Best / Worst / Fave picks including "Perfect Celebrity", "Vanish Into You", and "How Bad Do U Want Me"
• Most underrated songs on Mayhem
• Tour thoughts, Mayhem Ball performances, and what Gaga should do next
• Grammys 2026 predictions, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Dance Pop Recording

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro and Top Albums of 2025 series setup

02:37 - Seth and Amanda join the conversation

05:11 - Rollout talk: "Disease" to "Abracadabra"

06:09 - "Abracadabra" Grammys premiere reaction

11:37 - Does "Die With a Smile" belong on Mayhem?

13:30 - Tracklist debate and the two-halves album conversation

16:12 - Best, Worst, and Fave picks

20:30 - Why "Vanish Into You" hits and why Amanda disagrees

27:30 - Most underrated songs on the album

29:15 - What’s next for Gaga after Mayhem

35:21 - Grammys 2026 predictions across major categories

37:57 - Plugs and wrap-up

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This special end-of-year episode of Live From Mars breaks down my official list of the Top Ten Pop Albums of 2025. With every major outlet releasing their Best Albums of 2025 and Year-End Music Lists, this episode adds the perspective you will not get anywhere else. If you are searching for the real standout albums across pop, R&B, experimental pop, and Latin music, this countdown brings you the records that truly shaped the year.

I walk through the projects that defined 2025, including Justin Bieber’s SWAG, PinkPantheress’ Fancy That, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, Lorde’s Virgin, Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful, Addison Rae’s Addison, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, Bad Bunny’s DTMF, and Rosalía’s Lux, my pick for the best album of 2025. These albums pushed pop forward with bold production, unforgettable songwriting, genre-blending experimentation, and some of the strongest artistic visions of the decade.

If you love year-end recaps, pop music deep dives, album reviews, or “albums of the year” content, this episode gives you everything you need in one place. These are the albums that stayed in my rotation long after release week, the ones that built full worlds and delivered the biggest musical statements of 2025.

And if you want even more insight into this year’s top albums, listen to my full deep dive into Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving with HTHAZE on the podcast. It is the perfect companion to this countdown.

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The Top Albums of the Year series is back. After last year's run highlighted releases from Taylor Swift to Sabrina Carpenter to Charli xcx and beyond, I’m returning with a three-episode run to highlight the three albums that defined my 2025 listening experience. We’re starting with Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, a project that continues to build her momentum and shape conversations around Album of the Year considerations.

I’m joined by special guest HTHAZE, one of the most recognizable music reaction creators online and the number one music creator on Patreon, to get into why The Art of Loving stands out in this moment. We talk about how listeners first connected with Olivia, the impact of her live performances, how she has become part of the current UK-to-US artist wave, and what we hope to hear next as she heads into a new chapter.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why The Art of Loving kicks off the Top Albums of 2025 series
• How we each first discovered Olivia Dean
• Why the live performances at Rough Trade, Brooklyn Paramount, and MSG matter
• Best song, worst song, and personal faves
• Pitchfork’s score and how we would rate the album
• Adele comparisons and Olivia’s place in this era of music
• What we hope to see from album three

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Watch my full unedited 2026 Grammy Awards nominations reaction exclusively on Substack when it goes live this Friday: https://vinylbymars.substack.com

We’re just two days away from the 2026 Grammy Awards nominations, and I’m putting my full predictions on the line. In this episode of Live From Mars, I break down who I think will get nominated across the Big Four categories — Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist — plus all the major pop fields.

We cover everything:

• Full predictions for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist
• Pop Solo Performance, Pop Duo/Group Performance, Pop Vocal Album, and Dance Pop Recording predictions
• Why Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar could lead the 2026 nominations
• Which K-pop acts could break through this year
• The biggest snubs, surprises, and dark horses to watch
• How Grammy eligibility actually works and what songs qualify this year

Follow Alex:

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Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has officially made history, selling over 4 million copies in the U.S. and 5.5 million worldwide. But did it actually live up to the hype?

In this week’s episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by fellow Swiftie and friend of the pod, Steven Sullivan (@stevensully1), to unpack your burning questions and hot takes about Taylor’s record-breaking twelfth studio album. Together, they revisit their original predictions, debate if the “showgirl” concept worked, and discuss where Taylor goes next.

We cover everything:

• First impressions and how opinions have evolved
• Whether Showgirl delivered on its concept
• The highs and lows of the tracklist
• The “Canceled” and “Eldest Daughter” discourse
• If “Wood” deserves a single and Sabrina Carpenter remix
• Grammy predictions and what’s next for Taylor

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

03:48 - Steven returns

04:18 - Did we actually like Showgirl?

10:20 - Album highs and lows

17:50 - The “Showgirl” concept debate

25:30 - Writing and production discussion

36:10 - Did it come too soon or too late?

47:20 - “Wood” and Sabrina Carpenter

50:20 - Grammy predictions

53:59 - Final thoughts

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Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is finally here, and it’s already breaking every record in sight. But does it actually live up to the hype?

In this week’s episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by a friend of the pod and resident Swiftie, Seth (@dramakingbooks), to unpack Taylor’s twelfth studio album in full. Together, they break down how Showgirl stacks up against past eras, if the reunion with Max Martin and Shellback delivers, and why fans are so divided over the album.

We cover everything:

• Track-by-track reactions and one-word reviews
• Whether the “Showgirl” concept was successful
• Taylor’s record-shattering first-week sales and beating Adele's decade-long record
• The most controversial lyrics and production choices
• Why “Eldest Daughter” might be her weakest Track 5 yet
• Best, Worst, and Fav songs from The Life of a Showgirl

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

04:00 - First impressions and expectations

09:30 - Marketing vs. album reality

17:00 - Track-by-track: “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Opalite,” “Father Figure,” “Eldest Daughter,” and more

55:00 - Final rankings and where Taylor goes next

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I’m now live on Substack! Every week, I’m sharing two pop music newsletters, exclusive album reactions and written reviews, early access to all YouTube reactions, and so much more. Check it out at https://vinylbymars.substack.com/.

Taylor Swift’s twelfth album The Life of a Showgirl is days away. In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by Swiftie creator Steven Sullivan to map out Taylor’s road to this era, what the Max Martin and Shellback reunion could mean, and why this release feels pivotal after The Tortured Poets Department.

We cover everything:

• Why Showgirl feels like a true reset after the Eras Tour and TTPD

• What to expect from the Max Martin and Shellback partnership

• Our hopes, fears, and bold predictions for the album

• Vinyl variants, rollout choices, and how fans are reacting

• First-week sales projections and awards outlook

• What success looks like for the lead single and the album overall

If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

Chapters:

00:00 — Intro + why this era feels pivotal

02:41 — Meet the guest: Steven Sullivan

05:40 — Post-Eras context and how TTPD shaped expectations

11:30 — Max Martin & Shellback: what the reunion signals

18:30 — Rollout talk: variants, promo, and strategy

34:20 — Fanbase sentiment and expectations

35:50 — Hopes, fears, bold predictions

43:50 — First-week sales projections

46:20 — Final thoughts + what comes next

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I'm now live on Substack! Every week, I'm sharing two pop music newsletters, exclusive album reactions and written reviews, early access to all YouTube reactions, and so much more. Check it out at https://vinylbymars.substack.com/.

Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh album Man’s Best Friend is here — just one year after Short n’ Sweet. In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex is joined by Sabrina superfan and resident expert Nick Palmai to break down the album track-by-track.

We cover everything:

• How Man’s Best Friend compares to Short n’ Sweet

• Our first reactions and favorite tracks (“Tears,” “House Tour,” “When Did You Get Hot?”)

• The hits, misses, and standout lyrics

• Whether this album came too soon after Sabrina’s breakout era

• Predictions for first-week numbers, surprise singles, and what comes next

If you’re a Sabrina Carpenter fan, you don’t want to miss this deep dive.

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