A musical "freak," to us here at Switched On Pop, is an artist who is unique, non-conforming, and always manages to surprise. We're living in some freaky times right now, so there's no better way to honor that than to listen to pop's freakiest artists. The past few weeks have seen new releases from Lady Gaga, Tyler, the Creator, and The Cure – the latter rel ... Show More
Aug 4
IV. Take It to the Bridge (ft. Tayla Parx)
Bridges open up the world of a song: they're a breath of fresh air and a point of contrast, typically delivered right before the final chorus. But sometimes they accomplish even more, changing the whole meaning of a song by introducing a note of doubt, or even defiance. This is w ... Show More
42m 16s
Jul 21
II. Justice for the verse (ft. Audrey Hobert)
Everybody sings the chorus, but superfans quote the verse. On this episode of Switched on Pop, Charlie and Nate trace the verse from Shakespeare through opera to TikTok, and songwriter Audrey Hobert shares her philosophy of specific verses and anthemic choruses: you can't have th ... Show More
33m 44s
Feb 2023
The Wildest Left-Turn Albums Ever, From Lil Yachty to Queen to Taylor Swift
Lil Yachty's psychedelic-rock experiment 'Let's Start Here' isn't the first album to stun fans – we look back at the history of artists taking wild left turns, from Queen getting funky with 'Hot Space' to Taylor Swift shape-shifting on '1989' and much, much more Learn more about ... Show More
58m 56s
Aug 2022
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’: The Speed Round
The conversation continues about one of the year’s most ideologically provocative pop albums, its queer inspirations and its credits. Guests: Naima Cochrane, Vulture's Jason P. Frank, Resident Advisor's Kiana Mickles and Patrik Sandberg. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or ... Show More
1h 15m