Greatest Pop Stars

The MTV Video Music Awards of 2016 represented the culmination of an era of pop music and culture, with career-apex-type performances from Beyoncé and Rihanna and huge moments for Drake and Kanye West, among plenty of other on-stage appearances from some of the biggest names of the period. On this Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Katie Atkinson to look at one of the most memorable Video Music Awards in the show's history, with moments that continue to delight, fascinate and confuse 10 years on.

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On this Who Won the Month episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Danielle Pascual and Eric Frankenberg to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who were heard from loudest in July 2026 — who closed out the summer season in pop stardom in style. 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 by the end of the summer of 2026.

If you enjoy the pod, check out out our Who Won the Month recaps for the first two months of 2026 and all 2025 here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/who-won-the-month/

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The Daisy Chain Fields festival debuted at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. on Saturday (Aug. 29), with an 11-hour lineup of all female artists and female-led groups, capped by a headlining set from the festival's founder and curator: Olivia Rodrigo. On this Pop Star Performance Review episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard deputy editor Lyndsey Havens — who was in attendance for the full-day festival — to discuss the history being made by Daisy Chain Fields, and what it means for one of our current greatest pop stars to be able to present it to the world.

Read Lyndsey's recap of the festival here: https://www.billboard.com/lists/olivia-rodrigo-daisy-chain-fields-music-festival-recap/

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Nobody was waiting for the big Nelly Furtado comeback in 2006, but with some help from superproducer Timbaland, Furtado pivoted to a big new pop sound that very briefly made her one of the biggest — and 20 years later, most fondly remembered — pop hitmakers of her era. This episode of Vintage Pop Stardom sees host Andrew Unterberger joined by Song vs. Song podcast co-host and YouTube star Todd in the Shadows as we discuss how Nelly Furtado absolutely took over with her 'Loose' album and big hits "Promiscuous," "Maneater" and "Say It Right," and then disappeared from the mainstream almost immediately afterwards.

Check out a YouTube playlist of the biggest Nelly Furtado moments of 2006, all of which are discussed in the episode, here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMepuBX1TTM&si=CMfcMBN491BNfl4X

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https://www.youtube.com/@ToddintheShadows

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Human Rights Campaign - In Your Area

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The Greatest Pop Stars podcast was choosin' Texas last weekend, as two of the biggest artists in country were playing back-to-back sold-out shows in the northern parts of the Lone Star State: Megan Moroney headlining the American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Friday night (Aug. 14), and Ella Langley topping the bill at Dickies Arena in Texas on Saturday (Aug. 15). Host Andrew Unterberger was there with this week's guest, Billboard contributor and Don't Rock the Inbox co-founder Natalie Weiner — and on this Pop Star Performance Review episode, they talk about the things these two breakout stars have in common (or not), and what their joint success says about country and pop music in 2026.

Read Natalie's article about the two concerts:

https://www.billboard.com/music/country/megan-moroney-ella-langley-texas-concerts-pop-crossover-1236318803/

Subscribe to Don't Rock the Inbox here:

https://www.dontrocktheinbox.com/

And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

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Trans Lifeline

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Destination Tomorrow

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Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

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Human Rights Campaign - In Your Area

https://www.hrc.org/in-your-area

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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