Spencer Kornhaber, Shirley Li, and Hannah Giorgis assess the state of pop music following the Grammys. While the much-derided awards have improved at celebrating the diversity of modern music, they still tend to reward safer throwback sounds. And modern music as a whole seems to be going through a nostalgic phase—just look at Silk Sonic’s retro soul, or Lady ... Show More
May 2022
Top Gun
Top Gun: Maverick is out soon! But can any movie with fast planes, Tom Cruise, and beach volleyball truly compare to the classic fighter pilot movie about, as writer Shirley Li puts it, "cute boys calling each other cute names"? Find out with Shirley, Megan Garber, and David Sims ... Show More
41m 35s
May 2022
Knocked Up
In a possibly-soon-to-be-post-Roe v Wade world, our hosts Sophie Gilbert, Megan Garber, and Hannah Giorgis thought it'd be worth re-examining the Judd Apatow/Seth Rogan comedy "Knocked Up," to discuss the way the movie treats women's bodily autonomy, angry reactions from men, and ... Show More
42m 38s
Jan 2021
D.O.C. (Death of the Chorus) with Emily Warren
Listen to Top 40 pop over the last decade and you’ll notice something weird is happening. The chorus—the emotional apotheosis of a pop song, its dizzying high, its cathartic sing-along center—is disappearing. In its place, artists from Bad Bunny to Taylor Swift are toying with ne ... Show More
41m 9s
Mar 2021
What the 63rd Grammys say about the state of pop
The 63rd Grammys was as unprecedented and unusual as last year. Backdropped by the pandemic, the show was delayed and had to be taped in multiple locations in front of a bare bones audience. Echoing the public cries against injustice, standout performances by Mickey Guyton, DaBab ... Show More
42m 45s
Dec 2015
Elle King Interview About Her Grammy Noms, Plus Coldplay's Big Super Bowl Gig & More
On the latest episode, we are joined by first-time Grammy Award nominee Elle King, who picked up two nods on Dec. 7 -- best rock performance and best rock song -- for the cheeky chart hit "Ex's & Oh's." We caught up with the rock rookie just hours after she heard the nomination n ... Show More
46m 49s
Feb 2022
Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez & More: A History of Female Pop Stars Overlooked by Oscars
On the latest Pop Shop Podcast, we're taking a closer look at the pop divas who have been passed over by the Oscars throughout the years. Also on the show, we’ve got chart news about how the music of 'Encanto' continues to hold firm atop both the Billboard 200 albums chart and on ... Show More
36m 46s
Oct 2021
The Healing Power of Pop with Esperanza Spalding
It. Has. Been. A. Year. We’ve felt it; you’ve felt it. Sometimes, it’s comforting to consider how universal that overwhelming sense of blah is. Other days, woof, it can be tough to see the light. That’s the subject of today’s episode, brought to you by our producer Megan Lubin. W ... Show More
35m 27s
Feb 2024
Adult Contemporary, but make it cool (with CHROMEO)
The Canadian Electro-Funk duo CHROMEO have made consistently funky, highly danceable music for twenty years. They’ve released five studios albums, done the Coachella festival circuit and have been nominated for a Grammy for their sound that’s been compared to Prince, Zapp and Hal ... Show More
29m 54s