Pop Pantheon

DJ Louie is joined by writer and co-host of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Aminatou Sow, to discuss the Queen of the North, Celine Dion! Louie and Amina discuss Celine’s origins in the Francophone recording industry and Amina's early connection to her French music, the different perceptions of schmaltz in French-speaking vs. American popular culture, Celine’s relationship with her husband and manager Rene Angelil, her crossover as one of the biggest divas of the ‘90s, debunk annoying critiques that have dogged her career and denigrated her work, break down what constitutes art in pop music, and so much more. Finally, Louie and Amina debate which tier to place Celine in in the official Pop Pantheon and how to classify bilingual artists who mean different things in different parts of the world.Check out Louie's Playlist of Celine Essentials on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jp9JOwAUu1JBbsAP2ONXW?si=982a51bae903424dFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Aminatou Sow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aminatou/?hl=enJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ Louie is joined by former Gawker and Spin writer Jordan Sargent for a reassessment of a pop star who really demands one: Justin Timberlake. Louie and Jordan break down the ways Justin’s legacy has been altered by cultural reckonings on white male privilege, cultural appropriation, and his roles both implicit and explicit in harming the careers of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears. They then break down Justin’s gold-standard transition from boy bander to credible adult star and the successful-if-unsavory ways he put a white face on contemporary R&B music with his massively successful debut album, Justified. They also discuss how luck and privilege played into his cultural dominance in the mid aughts, the genuine, daring musical innovation on his smash second album FutureSex/LoveSounds, and how he and his collaborators lost the thread in the latter period of his career. Louie and Jordan then debate if you could tell an abridged history of pop without mentioning Justin and how his fall from grace in the eyes of the general public has affected his standing in the official Pop Pantheon.Check out Louie's Playlist of Timberlake Essentials on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7eualDkxF3g4KbzVzbFEgQ?si=4be24c541900467aFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Jordan Sargent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordansargeJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Returning guest, writer and editor for Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety, Vulture and more, Steven J. Horowitz, joins DJ Louie to chop it up about pop revolutionary Missy Elliott. Louie and Steven discuss Missy’s entree into the music biz along with partner-in-crime Timbaland as a songwriter and producer for artists like Jodeci, Ginuwine, and Aaliyah. They then break down what makes Missy's music sound as mind-bending today as it did in the late ’90s, why her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, caused such a stir when it was released, her one-of-a-kind video aesthetic and physical presentation, perpetual innovation as she crossed over from hip hop star to pop icon at the turn of the century and why all the great female rappers of Missy’s era stopped creating new music in the mid aughts. Finally, Louie and Steven rank Missy in the official Pop Pantheon.Read Steven's ranking of every Missy song ever in Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/best-missy-elliott-songs-ranked.htmlCheck out Steven's appearance on our previous episode on Ariana Grande: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ariana-grande/id1556457357?i=1000512516103Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Steven J. Horowitz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/speriodJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ Louie is joined by New York Times Contributor Lindsay Zoladz to discuss Mother Monster herself, Lady GaGa! First, Lindsay drops some EXPLOSIVE ArtPop Hot Goss. Then, Louie and Lindsay dig into GaGa’s meteoric rise to mega-stardom, her bold queering of the pop cultural landscape, debunk some of the annoying critical narratives that plagued initial rise, chart the Pop-altering establishment of the Little Monsters, her musical, presentational, and social media innovations, whether or not ArtPop deserves Justice, and how, in the latter part of her career, she’s morphed from a hit-to-hit pop star into a much grander type of Icon. Finally, Louie and Lindsay debate the BIG question: is GaGa a Tier 2 Megastar or…. *gasp*... has she ascended to the top of the Pantheon as a Tier 1 Icon?!Check out Lindsay's retrospective on the "Telephone" video in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/arts/music/lady-gaga-beyonce-telephone.htmlFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Lindsay Zoladz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsayzoladzJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ Louie is joined by The New Yorker's Jia Tolentino to talk Niche Pop Icon, Robyn. Louie and Jia explore Robyn's early breakthrough during the teen pop boom of the late '90s with her Max Martin-produced hit, "Show Me Love", before going deep on her re-emergence nearly a decade later as pop's most beloved iconoclast. They break down the contours of her reinvention on her self-titled album in 2005, dig into tracks like "Be Mine!" and "With Every Heartbeat' to pinpoint what exactly constitutes a Robyn song, the crowning achievement of 2010's venerated Body Talk series, the ways "Dancing on my Own" and "Call Your Girlfriend" both define and subvert pop in its' purest form, and how Robyn has reimagined embodying sexuality as a female pop star. Finally, Louie and Jia assess what tier Robyn belongs in in the Pop Pantheon and explore the notion of creating a new tier for artists like her, whose success and influence is somehow greater than traditional pop metrics can measure. Read Jia's piece on Robyn and "Honey" in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/honey-reviewed-robyn-has-returned-and-she-has-what-you-wantFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Jia Tolentino on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jiatolentinoJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ Louie is joined by Wall Street Journal Magazine Digital Editor Myles Tanzer for a supersized episode about the Certified Lover Boy himself, Drake. Louie and Myles track the collapsing boundaries between pop and hip hop, Drake’s groundbreaking emergence in the late '00s as a new kind of hip-hop-star-turned-pop-icon, the innovative emotional language of his work along with his singular sonic universe, how his influence has trickled down through pop, and so so SO much more. Finally, Louie and Myles grapple with a HUGE first for the podcast: After over 200 Billboard Hot 100 hits and more than a decade of uninterrupted pop cultural dominance, are they ready to elevate Drake as our first Tier 2 Megastar-to-Tier 1 Icon?!Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Myles Tanzer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mylestanzerJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, DJ Louie is joined by Jezebel Senior Writer and Pot Psychology Host Rich Juzwiak to discuss the Queen of Pop, Madonna. Their conversation focuses mainly on Madonna's latter period career, from 2008's Hard Candy through 2019's Madame X, and the ways Madonna's vice-grip on both her artistic muse and Pop writ-large have slipped after 25 years of dominance. Louie and Rich discuss Madonna's strange choice to make Hard Candy with a post-prime Timbaland and Pharrell, debate her legacy as an innovator and clout-chaser, her often cringey Instagram presence, her self-destructive feud with Lady GaGa, how notions Pop and diva-dom have shifted over her nearly four decade (!!) career, and the ideas- or lack thereof- behind her recent albums. Finally- and despite these recent missteps- Louie and Rich discuss Madonna's well-earned position atop the Pop Pantheon, what she could do now to right the ship, and whether she is in fact the greatest pop star of all time.Read Rich's review of Madame X on Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madonna-madame-x/Read Louie's review of Madame X on Buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/djlouiexiv/madonna-madame-x-pop-music-age-womenFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Rich Juzwiak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichJuzJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 3 of Pop Pantheon, DJ Louie is joined by Who? Weekly Co-Host Lindsey Weber to discuss Queen of Everything, Carly Rae Jepsen. Louie and Lindsey discuss Lindsey's pedigree as a JepFriend, including her travels across national borders to see Carly perform with a symphony in faraway Canada and her secret "Call Me Maybe" lip-sync video from 2012. They then get into why "Call Me Maybe" was Carly's only hit, if having your first song be an out-of-nowhere smash is a gift or a curse, the magic of Carly's perfect second album E•MO•TION, and the unique and prescient niche community Carly established around her as perhaps THE emblematic underrated Flop Star. Finally, Louie and Lindsey debate which tier Carly belongs in in the official Pop Pantheon. Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlouiexivFollow Lindsey Weber on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindseyweberJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 2 of Pop Pantheon, host DJ Louie XIV addresses the veritable uproar from the KatyCats following last week's episode. He then briefly reviews the concept of the Pop Pantheon tiers before being joined by author and professor Chris Stedman to discuss the Princess of Crunk&B, Ciara. Louie and Chris dissect the idea of "flops" in the context of Chris' Pitchfork piece, "The Enduring Appeal of Pop Stars Who Flop", the trajectory of Ciara's career from centrist pop star to flop to critical darling and gay icon, the unjust tension projected onto women of color in pop who move between genres, and Ciara's resilience and longevity in the fickle and ever-shifting pop landscape over the last twenty years. Finally, they debate which tier Ciara belongs in in the official Pop Pantheon. Read Chris' piece, "The Enduring Appeal of Pop Stars Who Flop", on Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-enduring-appeal-of-pop-stars-who-flop/ Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/ Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/ Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJLouieXIV Follow Chris Stedman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisDStedmanJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the debut episode of Pop Pantheon, host DJ Louie XIV briefly introduces the concept and tiers of the Pop Pantheon. He is then joined by music journalist extraordinaire Steven Horowitz- writer and editor for publications like Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety and Vulture- to discuss all things Ariana Grande: her arrival on the scene as an antidote to the EDM-pop of GaGa and Katy Perry, the benefits and pratfalls of her relationship with hip hop and R&B, where the concept of the "diva" stands in 2021, and the possibility of Ari as the last monoculture pop superstar. Finally, Louie and Steven debate which Tier to rank Ariana in the official Pop Pantheon. Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPodFollow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJLouieXIVFollow Steven Horowitz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/speriodCheck out all Steven's writing on: http://www.stevenjhorowitz.com/Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow Russ on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.