Popcast

By The New York Times

Music

What's Popcast about?

The Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in pop music criticism, trends and news.

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Where Is Country Music Maki...

05.09.2021

Nashville remains challenging for women artists. But some rising performers are breaking through on radio — and TikTok. Guests: Marissa Moss and Natalie Weiner of the Don’t Rock the Inbox newsletter.

Popcast episodes:

05.09.2021 Where Is Country Music Making Room for Women? Nashville remains challenging for women artists. But some rising performers are breaking through on radio — and TikTok. Guests: Marissa Moss and Natalie Weiner of the Don’t Rock the Inbox newsletter.
04.26.2021 The Sing-Rap Generation Branches Out How melody has continued to reshape hip-hop via the work of Polo G, Rod Wave, Lil Tjay and more rising artists. Guest: Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre.
04.16.2021 When a TikTok Influencer Dances, Who Gets Credit? Addison Rae’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s show sparked conversations about appropriation and how dance has been central to the platform. Guest: Taylor Lorenz.
04.11.2021 The Telling of DMX’s Life Story A conversation about the intense potency of the rapper’s music and religious fervor, and what it was like to interview him. Guest: Smokey Fontaine, the co-author of the 2002 book “E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.”
04.02.2021 Taylor, Billie, Demi, Blackpink: The Pop Star Documentary Boom A conversation about the influx of films made about (and by) current stars and its implications for the format. Guests: The Observer's Simran Hans; and Caryn Ganz.
03.16.2021 The Grammys, Improbably, Made It Work The show navigated a year of crisis, minted a new generation of stars and didn’t fixate on boomers. Guests: Jon Pareles, Joe Coscarelli, Ben Sisario, Lindsay Zoladz and Caryn Ganz.
03.13.2021 TikTok and the Pop Music Rough Draft The wildly popular platform has reshaped pop during the coronavirus pandemic, and changed how record labels grapple with unpredictable virality. Guest: Caryn Ganz.
03.02.2021 New Jazz That Agitates for Change A conversation about strong recent debuts, and how canon and community can be in tension. Guests: Giovanni Russonello and Marcus J. Moore.
02.15.2021 Remembering Sophie, Architect of Future Pop Exploring the legacy of a producer and performer who imagined an approach to music without borders. Guests: Sasha Geffen and Pitchfork's Philip Sherburne.
02.05.2021 The Music Lost to Coronavirus, Part 2 Remembering Fred the Godson, Adam Schlesinger and Cristina. Guests: Kurt B. Reighley; Complex's Shawn Setaro; and Ben Sisario.
01.31.2021 Olivia Rodrigo and ‘Drivers License’ Aren’t Going Anywhere A conversation about the year’s first genuine pop phenomenon, and the long arc of the Disney machine. Guests: Joe Coscarelli; Vulture's Justin Curto; and Larisha Paul.
01.19.2021 Inside the Bull Market for Songwriting Rights The emergence of Hipgnosis has helped turn the battle for catalogs into an arms race that shows no signs of slowing down. Guest: Ben Sisario.
01.07.2021 How Zev Love X Became MF Doom Conversations about the legacy of the beloved rap figure’s early career, which set the table for the artist he would become. Guests: Stretch Armstrong, Bobbito Garcia and Dante Ross.
12.23.2020 2020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and More Answering your questions about the year’s biggest stars, and also some of its curious flops. Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz.
12.15.2020 Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’: Let’s Discuss A second album written and recorded during pandemic lockdown carries the singer and songwriter further from conventional pop. Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz and Jon Pareles.
12.09.2020 The Best Albums of 2020? Let’s Discuss. Breaking down LPs from Sufjan Stevens, Sam Hunt, Lianne La Havas, Phoebe Bridgers, Charli XCX, Justin Bieber and many more.
11.29.2020 Saweetie, City Girls and the Female Rapper Renaissance More women in hip-hop are gaining traction than ever before.
11.18.2020 Who Will Control Britney Spears’s Future? An update on the pop star's conservatorship, and a conversation about the mid-2000s tabloid era that was the kiln for her public unraveling.
11.10.2020 Ariana Grande, a Pop Star for the Post-Pop Star Age Breaking down how the singer expands the range of what a contemporary pop star can be, her relationship to R&B and hip-hop, and more.
10.22.2020 The Many Mariah Careys Which Mariah Carey is your favorite? And did you enjoy Chick's "Someone's Ugly Daughter"?
10.04.2020 Luke Combs’s Country Stardom and the Remaking of the Bro Luke Combs is the most promising new country star of the last five years, a feat he's achieved by changing up the music's recent formulas.
09.28.2020 Will Pop Music of the Future Rely on Actual Musicians, or Avatars? Avatars are working harder than ever, and perhaps making a blueprint for how the pop stars of the future will handle the work of fame.
09.17.2020 Is TikTok a Music Industry Friend or Troll? A conversation about how TikTok’s relationship to music has evolved over the last 12 months.
09.09.2020 Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, Preserving Pop’s Old Guard Lady Gaga and Katy Perry both arrived in 2008 and recently released albums hailed as returns to form. What does that mean in 2020 in their own trajectories and the wider pop landscape?
09.01.2020 Remembering Riley Gale of Power Trip, a Thrash Titan A conversation about the life and work of Riley Gale, the frontman for the genre-blending metal band Power Trip, who died last week at 34.
08.22.2020 How Merchandise Bundles Undid the Album Chart What's the value of music in 2020? Are charts measuring album sales the best metric for popularity?
08.18.2020 The Music Lost to Coronavirus, Part 1 The Covid-19 pandemic is claiming the lives of musicians and others integral to the music industry. The Popcast celebrates their lives and work.
08.10.2020 The Welcome Return of the Chicks Examining the legacy of the Chicks and their new album, "Gaslighter."
08.04.2020 Answering Your Questions About Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ The "Folklore" conversation continues, with prompts from our readers and listeners.
07.28.2020 Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’: Let’s Discuss A conversation about what “Folklore” portends for Taylor Swift’s musical evolution.
07.20.2020 Remembering Ennio Morricone, the Film Score Maestro A conversation about how Ennio Morricone’s music shaped the films he worked on.
07.09.2020 The Timely Agitation of Run the Jewels How Run the Jewels went from an idiosyncratic late-career lark to the most politically timely hip-hop act of the day.
06.30.2020 Pop Superfans Are Getting Politically Active. What Happens Next? A conversation about the activism feedback loop between stans and the stars they obsess over.
06.21.2020 Lil Baby Is Warming Up to the Spotlight Lil Baby began his rap career reluctantly, but in just three years has grown into an evocative and consistent hitmaker.
06.15.2020 The Long, Complicated History of ‘Urban’ Music The notion of an “urban contemporary” approach to music dates back to the 1970s and the pioneering radio D.J. Frankie Crocker. But two decades later, "urban" became an umbrella term in the industry.
06.07.2020 How Did The Source Cover the 1992 Los Angeles Uprisings? A conversation about the moral and journalistic responsibilities of entertainment-focused media to address the political issues brought up by the art it covers.
06.01.2020 After Missteps, Pop Stars Apologize … and Sometimes Push Back In the last two weeks, Lana Del Rey and Doja Cat both found themselves in hot water on the internet, and didn't embrace the usual cycle of the celebrity apology.
05.18.2020 The Many Lives of Doja Cat A conversation about Doja Cat, who is signed to the imprint of the producer Dr. Luke.
05.11.2020 Remembering Tony Allen and Florian Schneider, Two Pillars of Rhythm Tony Allen and Florian Schneider were working on evolutions in rhythm in the same time frame but in vastly different fashions.
04.30.2020 The Triumphant Return of Fiona Apple, Pop Music Renegade Fiona Apple's singular vision has remained firm, and she’s become a role model for generations of artists. Let's discuss.
04.19.2020 Beyond ‘Trolls’ and ‘Frozen’: What Are Our Kids Listening To? Are you at home with a child playing a particular song on repeat?
04.11.2020 Dua Lipa, Dance-Pop Crusader After years of planning, the pop star released her highly anticipated second LP during a global crisis. It wasn't easy.
04.05.2020 Sam Hunt and Kenny Rogers, Country Music Rule-Benders A conversation about the borders Nashville polices, and the excellence that can emerge when they are tested.
03.27.2020 What Is the Role of Criticism in a Crisis? Pop music critics are asking (and facing) hard questions about how they listen and write during the coronavirus pandemic.
03.20.2020 What Music Should I Listen to in a Crisis? 10 music writers share the song that brightens up dark times.
03.19.2020 How Will Pop Music Respond to the Coronavirus? The concert industry has been devastated by the pandemic. What's music's next move?
03.08.2020 The Unrelenting Space Jams of Tame Impala Kevin Parker has had a sui generis kind of success in the last decade reviving a strain of rock not much heralded in decades.
02.28.2020 The Death of Pop Smoke and the Future of Brooklyn Drill A conversation about Pop Smoke's career and the scene he was poised to bring to the world.
02.21.2020 Justin Bieber Is Back With Confessions, Personal and Musical Justin Bieber has returned on his own terms, and with some unexpected musical allies.
02.14.2020 Answering Your Questions About Britney, Billie, Aaliyah and More You have questions (about MCR, Gary Clark Jr., Billie Eilish; we have answers.

Older episodes

Popcast

What's Popcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Popcast episodes:

Where Is Country Music Making Room for Women?

The Sing-Rap Generation Branches Out

When a TikTok Influencer Dances, Who Gets Credit?

The Telling of DMX’s Life Story

Taylor, Billie, Demi, Blackpink: The Pop Star Documentary Boom

The Grammys, Improbably, Made It Work

TikTok and the Pop Music Rough Draft

New Jazz That Agitates for Change

Remembering Sophie, Architect of Future Pop

The Music Lost to Coronavirus, Part 2

Olivia Rodrigo and ‘Drivers License’ Aren’t Going Anywhere

Inside the Bull Market for Songwriting Rights

How Zev Love X Became MF Doom

2020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and More

Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’: Let’s Discuss

The Best Albums of 2020? Let’s Discuss.

Saweetie, City Girls and the Female Rapper Renaissance

Who Will Control Britney Spears’s Future?

Ariana Grande, a Pop Star for the Post-Pop Star Age

The Many Mariah Careys

Luke Combs’s Country Stardom and the Remaking of the Bro

Will Pop Music of the Future Rely on Actual Musicians, or Avatars?

Is TikTok a Music Industry Friend or Troll?

Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, Preserving Pop’s Old Guard

Remembering Riley Gale of Power Trip, a Thrash Titan

How Merchandise Bundles Undid the Album Chart

The Music Lost to Coronavirus, Part 1

The Welcome Return of the Chicks

Answering Your Questions About Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’

Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’: Let’s Discuss

Remembering Ennio Morricone, the Film Score Maestro

The Timely Agitation of Run the Jewels

Pop Superfans Are Getting Politically Active. What Happens Next?

Lil Baby Is Warming Up to the Spotlight

The Long, Complicated History of ‘Urban’ Music

How Did The Source Cover the 1992 Los Angeles Uprisings?

After Missteps, Pop Stars Apologize … and Sometimes Push Back

The Many Lives of Doja Cat

Remembering Tony Allen and Florian Schneider, Two Pillars of Rhythm

The Triumphant Return of Fiona Apple, Pop Music Renegade

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

Dua Lipa, Dance-Pop Crusader

Sam Hunt and Kenny Rogers, Country Music Rule-Benders

What Is the Role of Criticism in a Crisis?

What Music Should I Listen to in a Crisis?

How Will Pop Music Respond to the Coronavirus?

The Unrelenting Space Jams of Tame Impala

The Death of Pop Smoke and the Future of Brooklyn Drill

Justin Bieber Is Back With Confessions, Personal and Musical

Answering Your Questions About Britney, Billie, Aaliyah and More

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