It's been 14 months since we first heard "The Subway," as debuted by Chappell Roan as part of her set at New York's Governors Ball festival — and last week, we finally got the studio version and official music video. We mark the occasion with a Pop Star Rollout Report Card for the song and video release, as host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Hannah Dailey to evaluate everything that has gone into this Chappell mini-era so far -- from the timing of the release to the finer points of the music video to whether the "Subway" studio version ultimately proved worth the wait.
And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Trans Lifeline
https://translifeline.org/
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising
Destination Tomorrow
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc
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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2025-8-07
55:38
2025-8-07
55:38
Which Pop Stars Won July 2025? Justin Bieber, KPop Demon Hunters & More
On this week's episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Michael Saponara and Kyle Denis to discuss the big pop stars, rising prospects and veteran greats who dominated July 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 in the months to come.
If you enjoy the pod, check out out the rest of our 2025 Who Won the Month recaps here:
https://www.billboard.com/t/who-won-the-month/
And please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Trans Lifeline
https://translifeline.org/
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
https://5calls.org/
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2025-7-31
1:03:33
2025-7-31
1:03:33
Justin Bieber's 'Journals': Great Moments in Pop Star History
Upon its 2013 release, Justin Bieber's 'Journals' project couldn't have flopped much harder — but 12 years later, it's grown to not only be an enduring fan favorite, but maybe the most important release of Bieber's career. On this week's Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kyle Denis to recall what went wrong with 'Journals' a decade ago, and why it's ultimately proven to have been well ahead of its time.
'Journals'-era Justin Bieber YouTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMYngPN2CrvqKQrpftTuZReQ&si=oV7F6_NWZ_fGVcwh
And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Trans Lifeline
https://translifeline.org/
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-7-24
1:15:33
2025-7-24
1:15:33
Oasis' 1996: Vintage Pop Stardom (with Lisa Ebe)
While Oasis never stopped being pop stars in the U.K. — even during the band's 15-year hiatus before its current reunion stadium tour — in the U.S., the lads only got one year on top: 1996. On this supersized Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by his real-life partner, longtime Oasis superfan Lisa Ebe, to talk about the year of "Wonderwall," "Champagne Supernova," Knebworth and MTV Unplugged, where Oasis broke out into stateside superstardom, before falling apart just as quickly and spectacularly.
And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Trans Lifeline
https://translifeline.org/
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-7-17
2:16:51
2025-7-17
2:16:51
KPop Demon Hunters: HUNTR/X & Saja Boys Fictional Pop Star Review
If you've been paying any attention to the Billboard charts the past couple weeks, you've seen the chart onslaught of two brand-new groups: HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, inventions of the hit animated Netflix musical 'KPop Demon Hunters'. On this first-ever Fictional Pop Star Review on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Assistant Social Editor and K-pop superfan Abby Webster to talk about all things HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, the entire 'KPop Demon Hunters' phenomenon and how these fake groups have now managed bigger hits than most real-life K-pop superstars.
Abby's Intro to K-pop playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NkFWmlj6CtlRfHTHnUmKM?si=096bef8c50d94f26
Abby's KPop Demon Hunters-to-K-Pop Pipeline playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tFSU0IdRDNfdjI5Z4G78t?si=25d62fb5c593496a
And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes:
Transgender Law Center
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Trans Lifeline
https://translifeline.org/
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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