Greatest Pop Stars Podcast
This Valentine’s Day, Drake released his first new album since before his 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar changed everything about his career outlook and overall narrative — the PartyNextDoor full-length team-up $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. While the final verdict on the album and what it might (or might not) do for Drake’s overall trajectory […]
After taking over Genesis frontman duties for the gone-solo Peter Gabriel in the mid-’70s, drummer-singer Phil Collins had gradually built up his popularity, his industry renown and his pop songwriting prowess over the course of a decade. He’d become a solo star after breaking off from his group in the early-’80s, but continued to gather momentum with the band as well, and also emerged as a go-to collaborator for much of the era’s pop and rock aristocracy. By 1985, it would all come together in one year that saw Collins absolutely flood the zone with hit singles, big collaborations, bigger performances, headline-capturing pop culture moments and even an acting turn on TV’s hottest primetime drama.
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On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we look back at Collins’ singular 1985, and examine how an unassuming, plain-looking drummer became one of the most ubiquitous pop stars of the MTV generation. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Chris Molanphy of Slate and the Hit Parade podcast to talk all things Phil Collins, as Molanphy shares his memories of becoming a devout (if occasionally slightly abashed) Phil fan as a teen, and Unterberger explains how an unofficial New York-celebrated holiday — one coming up very soon on the calendar — expanded his own love for Phil as a young adult.
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We then dive all the way into the deep end on Collins’ 1985, which started with hits, peaked with hits and ended with even more hits — but in between, also included a gig on Miami Vice as Phil the Shill, appearances on both coasts’ Live Aid festivities (including with a quasi-reunited Led Zeppelin), and an Oscars snub so galling it still rankles the nice-guy pop star to this day. And of course, we do get into those hits, including the agony and the ecstasy of “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” the possibly purloined groove and confusing (in more ways than one) title of “Sussudio,” and the underappreciated knife-in-the-gut divorce rock of “Separate Lives.” We end with the unlikely question: Was Phil Collins actually the Greatest Pop Star of 1985?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most memorable moments of Phil’s 1985, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
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It’s been a near-year-long road to the Big Game for Kendrick Lamar, whose 2024 crescendoed from March onward, to the point where the rapper — who had long seemed conflicted about the idea of crossover success — ended the year as our editorial staff’s pick for the year’s Greatest Pop Star. He’s picked up right […]
We’re now over a month in 2025, and it’s been an absolutely packed beginning to the year in pop stardom. We’ve already gotten plenty big album drops, tour announcements, breakout hits and viral moments — and then of course, in the last week alone, we’ve gotten two major star-studded events in the FireAid benefit concert […]
On February 8, 2015, nearly everyone in attendance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles expected the top prize at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards to go to Beyoncé. The pop and R&B superstar had changed the game 14 months earlier with the surprise drop of her self-titled album, topping the Billboard 200, drawing unanimous raves and dominating the culture for the entire year to follow. But when it came time for Prince to announce the winner for album of the year that night, a different solo “B” name was called – confusing many in the crowd and watching at home, infuriating one easily excited fellow superstar, and setting into motion many of the narratives that continue to define the Grammys a decade later.
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This week, on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we debut our Great Moments in Pop History series, looking at some of the pivotal moments throughout the decades that have come to define our perception of pop music, pop culture and pop stardom. On the precipice of the upcoming Grammys – airing this Sunday (Feb. 2), with one of the most loaded nominee classes in recent memory – we flash back to 10 years earlier, when one of 2025’s preeminent nominees (and the biggest overall winner in Grammy history) lost an album of the year race she was the heavy favorite to win, with Beck’s acclaimed-but-less-impactful Morning Phase instead taking home top honors. It’s a snub the Recording Academy still has not yet made good on, with Beyoncé being nominated and losing in the category twice in the years since.
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Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard executive digital director (and Pop Shop Podcast co-host) Katie Atkinson – who was in the building that memorable night – to recall everything there is to recall about the 2015 Grammys. We start with everything else of note that happened during those Grammys – like Sam Smith’s early-career-peak night of dominance, the cavalcade of pop megastars performing (but somehow playing zero of their signature hits) and an A-plus-list trio of legends united for one time only. We also run through some of our favorite less-starry performances of the night, including Hozier with a towering Annie Lennox, and Sia with both a wig and Kristen Wiig.
And then, we dig into the nitty gritty of Beck beating Beyoncé – and Kanye nearly crashing the stage in protest – and the impact it all ended up having on the Grammys’ next decade. We remember the double-shock of Beck’s longshot victory combined with Kanye’s oh-no-not-again fakeout, and give context for how bizarre it was (and remains) that Beck, of all people, became the face of Grammy-approved establishment rock. Then, of course, we set our sights on the 2025 awards – where Beyoncé is once again an album of the year nominee, for 2024’s Cowboy Carter – and ask: Is it finally time for the Queen to take home the crown? (And if she finally does this year, will it actually be… kinda weird?)
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most memorable moments from the 2015 awards — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
Welcome to a brand new year of pop star greatness! Our Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century and Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 lists are now over and done with, but the race for 2025 has just begun. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On this […]
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we are finally up to the top two of our Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 list — and even though it’s been an insane year for pop stars, and we’ve discussed some absolutely incredible ones on this podcast already, these are the two who ended up best personifying […]
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we have begun unveiling the top 10 of our Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 list — and even though we’re still a few days away from the unveiling of our top two (coming up this Monday, Dec. 3), we’re already well in the thick of artists who were given strong consideration for the top spot.
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On our latest episode, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Pride editor Stephen Daw and staff writer Hannah Dailey to talk about our Nos. 6 through 3 artists, which we unveiled Wednesday and Thursday (Dec. 18-19) this week. We start at No. 6 with Ariana Grande, an all-century pop star whose 2024 got off to a great start, was in danger of being overshadowed by an impossibly packed summer, and now is ending even stronger than it began. We discuss our feelings about Eternal Sunshine and Wicked and debate how long the wait is likely to actually be until we next get new music from her.
Then, at No. 5 (we remember the Year of Charli XCX (25:30), a pop star whose brilliance seemed destined to be underappreciated in her own time, but which everyone seemed to finally realize at once in 2024. We share our memories of the impossible highs of Brat Summer, and what it was about this era of Charli’s — and how it kept expanding and evolving over those months — that made her truly unignorable in the larger pop culture. We also offer takes on what the true greatest artistic achievement of her year was, and play a fun guessing game related to the Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat remix album.
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After that, at No. 4, it’s Chappell Roan (1:05:30), an absolute supernova of a 2024 pop star, who emerged from cult hero-dom to scorch her way through the mainstream this year. We talk about what it means for pop stardom in general in 2024 that someone once believed to be primarily be a niche artist like Roan could unquestionably become one of the biggest stars in the world, and we marvel at how she was able to dominate the year while only releasing one new song. We also look at what the next year or two could look like for Roan as she acclimates to her insane new life circumstances and (hopefully) prepares for a globe-conquering second album.
Finally, at No. 3 (1:42:30), it’s Taylor Swift, already one of the greatest pop stars of all time. We discuss the cases for whether she’s too high on this list, too low or just right. We also look back at the legacies of her charts-conquering The Tortured Poets Department and her globe-conquering Eras Tour, and wonder what the hell she could possibly do next to try to follow all of it up. (Don’t worry, we have ideas.)
Check it all out above, and be sure to come back on Monday (Dec. 23) as we reveal our brutally difficult decision for the top two Greatest Pop Stars of 2024.
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we have begun unveiling the top 10 of our Greatest Pop Stars of 2024 list — and already, we have some absolutely iconic artists with truly unforgettable 2024 runs to talk about, even in the lower stretches of this list. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard […]
We’re done recapping the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century — find all of our past episodes for that series here — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of Greatest Pop Stars Podcast discussion to be had, as we begin to dive into our annual top 10 Greatest Pop Stars of the […]
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