Vintage Pop Stardom: 1995 Madonna (with Keith Caulfield)
By 1995, Madonna was no longer the center-of-everything top 40 force she was a decade earlier, but she still a massive star about to enter one of the most fascinating phases of her career. On this Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Keith Caulfield of the Billboard charts department (and the Pop Shop Podcast) to discuss the Queen of Pop's 1995. We cover her 'Bedtime Stories' and 'Something to Remember' eras and how it all led up to 'Evita,' as she scored huge pop hits and pivoted to a more adult cross-platform stardom, but maintained the envelope-pushing edge that made her so enduringly vital.
1995 Madonna YouTube Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMZcTkwyaUHB8zRjUxqCc3QK&si=-XpD-FfzHrZis7Zr
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1:43:03
Rollout Report Card: Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem'
We're spending the first Greatest Pop Stars episode since the long-awaited Friday (March 7) release of Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem' talking about the entire album era, with a new series we're calling the Pop Star Rollout Report Card. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Eric Frankenberg to evaluate everything that has gone into this Gaga era so far -- the old songs and the new songs of course, but also all her many interviews and performances, and what it all adds up to for each of us at the end of this extended rollout.
Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem' Rollout YouTube Playlist
If you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center.
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider subscribing to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed and
giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
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1:12:45
Which Pop Stars Won February 2025?
On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Meghan Mahar and Mike Sapoanra to discuss the pop stars who dominated an impressively packed February 2025 in pop stardom. We each choose our top fives for the month that was, then we talk some disappointing recent performances, and look ahead to who we're most anticipating hearing more from as winter turns to spring.
If you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center.
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
And subscribe to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed.
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1:00:48
Great Moments in Pop History: Jay-Z, Beyoncé & Solange See Grizzly Bear in Brooklyn (2009)
As unremarkable as it would probably seem in 2025, when Solange brought her sister Beyoncé and Bey's husband Jay-Z to go check out a Brooklyn show by the indie band Grizzly Bear back in 2009, it ended up being major headline news -- and shaping and reflecting the careers of all four artists. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Stereogum writer Chris DeVille -- whose book Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion covers the complete context behind this moment -- to unpack this iconic point on the pop-meets-indie timeline, what made it so notable at the time, and what it would might look like if something equivalent happened today.
Listen here, pre-order Such Great Heights here, and if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center.
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
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1:26:29
A Pop Star Performance Improvement Plan for Drake; Plus Kendrick, Sabrina, SNL 50 & More From a Busy Pop Weekend
Following the Grammys and the Super Bowl, it was yet another packed February weekend for pop stardom. Host Andrew Unterberger and regular GPS guest Kyle Denis hop around the cultural landscape to talk about big pop star moments from NBA All-Star Weekend and the 'SNL' 50th anniversary celebration, as well as big moments for Sabrina Carpenter, Selena Gomez and Kendrick Lamar. And of course, we cap it all with an extended look at Drake's comeback, and a strictly defined Pop Star Performance Improvement Plan that we're putting him on to help get him back on track for the rest of the decade.
Listen here, and if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center:
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
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