Best Steven Cruz Podcasts (2024)

1
What Exactly is a "Flop"? (with Brittany Spanos & Chris Stedman) 1:02:04

23m ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Katy Perry's latest album 143 lit the internet ablaze for all the wrong reasons when it dropped earlier this year, mostly because of how wrong it got nearly everything and how hard it underperformed as a result. 143 was a capital-F flop in the classic sense of the term. But what exactly does the moniker "flop" mean when it comes to pop music? What …

1
Our 2024 Grammy Nomination Predictions: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan & More (Patreon Preview) 10:43

38m ago10:43

10:43

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, America is making it's most critical decision this week: who will be nominated for Grammys! Louie and Russ each share their predictions for which of your favs (and less favs) will get nominated in the Big Four categories ahead of the official announcement this Friday Nov. 8. To hear the …

1
KELIS (with Variety's Steven J. Horowitz) 1:59:11

4d ago1:59:11

1:59:11

Variety’s Steven J. Horowitz returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the maddeningly underrated Kelis, who spent most of her career ahead of the curve and helped to carve out a new lane for alt-pop stardom in the 2000s. Louie and Steven dig into Kelis' origin story, from meeting The Neptunes as a teenager to her debut, 1999’s futuristic pop fantasia Kale…

1
NYC LIVE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT! + Lady Gaga Returns plus New Music from Addison Rae and Halsey (Patreon Preview) 14:30

4d ago14:30

14:30

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ are here to fight about Lady Gaga's new single, "Disease", the first offering from her forthcoming album, "LG7". They then dive into Addison Rae's new single "Aquamarine" and ponder Halsey's latest record, The Great Impersonator, which dropped last Friday. To hear the rest…

1
Reacting to Your Unpopular Pop Opinions About Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears & More (with Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul) 1:19:57

11d ago1:19:57

1:19:57

We put out a call for our audience's most unpopular pop opinions: hot takes you have that no one else seems to agree with but you know in your heart to be true. And boy, did we get some! Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul joins Louie and Russ to field unpopular pop opinions about I Am... Sasha Fierce, Charli XCX, Glee Cast Versions, Speak Now, Britney's …

1
CHARLI XCX: PT. 3 (with Shaad D'Souza) 1:47:07

18d ago1:47:07

1:47:07

Shaad D’Souza returns to Pop Pantheon for the conclusion of our three-part series on Charli XCX. Shaad and Louie unpack Charli’s 2020 lockdown album, the DIY How I'm Feeling Now, and 2022’s Crash, which ditched the outré experimentation of her PC Music era in favor of open gestures at the pop charts. From there, they discuss Charli’s return to the …

1
pop pantheon and it's about charli xcx's brat remix album featuring reanna cruz (patreon preview) 12:14

16d ago12:14

12:14

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Brat Summer becomes Brat Autumn as Charli XCX drops a completely reimagined version of her blockbuster album from earlier this year, Brat and it's Completely Different but Also Still Brat. Reanna Cruz joins Louie and Russ to break down Charli's latest addition to the Bratoverse and how i…

1
CHARLI XCX: PT. 2 (with Pitchfork's Anna Gaca) 1:50:42

25d ago1:50:42

1:50:42

Senior Editor at Pitchfork Anna Gaca returns to Pop Pantheon for the second in our three-part series on Charli XCX. Anna and Louie look back on Charli’s early link-ups with "hyperpop" innovator Sophie, starting with 2016’s Vroom Vroom EP, which began Charli's pivot from an also-ran on the pop charts into the genre’s savviest alternative auteur. Fro…

1
Folie à Deux is Bad. What's Next for Lady Gaga's Acting Career? (with Variety's Daniel D'addario) (Patreon Preview) 9:22

21d ago9:22

9:22

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Lady Gaga turned heads with her debut film role, her Oscar-nominated turn in 2018's A Star is Born, and many thought she might defy history and become the rare pop diva who successfully pivots to Hollywood. But since then, her track record has been spotty at best. Despite her performance…

1
CHARLI XCX: PT. 1 (with i-D's Owen Myers) 1:50:51

1M ago1:50:51

1:50:51

For the first in our new three-part series on Charli XCX, i-D’s Owen Myers returns to Pop Pantheon to chart the start of Charli’s iconoclastic and unlikely trail through pop. Owen and Louie trace Charli’s roots in England, starting when she was a teenage songwriter posting demos to MySpace and performing at raves in London. Then they discuss her ch…

1
Live! Katy Perry's 143, Lady Gaga's Harlequin & The Millennial Diva Conundrum (with Molly Lambert, Molly Mary O'Brien, Jaelani Turner-Williams & Mikael Wood) (Patreon Preview) 13:43

1M ago13:43

13:43

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, last night live in Los Angeles, DJ Louie gathered with HeidiWorld's Molly Lambert, And Introducing's Molly Mary O'Brien, The Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood & writer Jaelani Tuner-Williams to break down Katy Perry's new record 143, Lady Gaga's new record Harlequin and just how these two s…

1
The 10 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century (with Sam Murphy & Rich Juzwiak) 1:34:40

1M ago1:34:40

1:34:40

Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents Main Pop Girls Dance Party on 10/4 at Parkside Lounge in NYC Billboard is currently rolling out their list of the 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century and we couldn't resist particip…

1
The Visceral and Meta Pleasures of Charli XCX and Troye Sivan's Sweat Tour (Patreon Preview) 11:22

1M ago11:22

11:22

Don't forget to grab tickets to our live show, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and The Millennial Diva Conundrum this Monday 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA! We'll be talking 143, Harlequin, and so much more! In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ each had the true pleasure of seeing Charli XCX and Troye Sivan's Sweat T…

1
BACKSTREET BOYS VS. *NSYNC (with NPR's Aisha Harris) 2:31:21

2M ago2:31:21

2:31:21

Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA (DISCOUNT BEGINS AT 12AM on 9/20!) Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents Main Pop Girls Dance Party on 10/4 at Parkside Lounge in NYC In a SUPERSIZED episode of Pop Pantheon, critic, writer and NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour po…

1
VMAs Recap: Chappell, Sabrina, Katy, Taylor & More! (Patreon Preview) 10:25

2M ago10:25

10:25

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The 40th Annual MTV Video Music Awards were held last night and featured marquee performances from It Girls like Sabrina Carpenter, GloRilla, Lisa & Chappell Roan while presenting their prestigious Video Vanguard award to Katy Perry. But with MTV flailing, music videos in their flop era …

1
What is the Pop Pantheon? 1:14:36

2M ago1:14:36

1:14:36

Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents Main Pop Girls Dance Party on 10/4 at Parkside Lounge in NYC Sure, we're all listening to a podcast called "Pop Pantheon". But what exactly is the Pop Pantheon? This is a question Louie h…

1
MEGHAN TRAINOR (with Who? Weekly's Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber) 2:05:16

2M ago2:05:16

2:05:16

Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Presents Main Pop Girls Dance Party on 10/4 at Parkside Lounge in NYC Who Weekly’s Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger return to Pop Pantheon to discuss one of pop’s most perplexing but enduring workho…

1
Sabrina Carpenter Hits the Short 'n Sweet Spot (Patreon Preview) 11:41

2M ago11:41

11:41

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Disney-star-turned-"Drivers License"-third-wheel-turned-ascendent-pop-girlie Sabrina Carpenter has been on quite a roll lately. Her most recent two singles have been smashes and her sixth studio album, Short 'n Sweet, arrived last Friday among a swirl of expectations even she probably co…

1
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is a Genre Explosion (with Danielle Amir Jackson) (Originally Published on Patreon on 4/1/2024) 59:38

2M ago59:38

59:38

Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typewriter in LA Happy Labor Day Weekend! Louie is still off on vacation so as a treat, we're republishing our Patreon review of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter from back in April. If you like this episode and want to hear more like it, you can subs…

1
Listener Mailbag: Brat, Rihanna, Divas Live, Louie's Weird Vocabulary & More! 1:00:20

3M ago1:00:20

1:00:20

Louie and Russ gather to answer YOUR questions! We're talking all our fantasy Brat remixes and a VH1 Divas Live revival, playing out thought experiments about Beyoncé and Rihanna and Louie gets personal about his career and vocab tics. Buy Tickets to Pop Pantheon Live! Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and the Millennial Diva Conundrum on 9/30 at Dynasty Typew…

1
Tinashe Meditates on Love and Sex on Quantum Baby with Kyann-Siann Williams (Patreon Preview) 8:53

2M ago8:53

8:53

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, NME's Kyann-Sian Williams joins Russ to discuss Tinashe's brand new seventh studio album Quantum Baby – the second in a trilogy of albums she's rolling out. Can she capitalize on the virality of "Nasty"? Or is that even on her mind? And is Tinashe expanding her artistry or letting us in …

1
TINASHE (with The Cut's Cat Zhang) 1:48:53

3M ago1:48:53

1:48:53

Ahead of the release of Tinashe’s seventh studio album, Quantum Baby, The Cut’s Cat Zhang joins Pop Pantheon to discuss Tinashe’s rollercoaster career. Cat and DJ Louie dig into Tinashe’s upbringing in Lexington, Kentucky, her work as a child actor on Two and a Half Men and the girl group she was briefly in with fellow pop star Hayley Kiyoko, The S…

1
Paris Hilton Saw the Future on Paris (with Troy McEady) (Patreon Preview) 10:49

3M ago10:49

10:49

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, When Paris Hilton released her debut album, 2006's Paris, the world largely saw it as a joke. Despite it's lead single "Stars Are Blind" becoming a top 20 hit, the album tanked, was savaged by critics and Paris never released another one. Now, on the eve her long-awaited sophomore effort…

1
New Pop Girl Power Ranking ft. Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan & More (with Mikael Wood & Jason P. Frank) 1:39:24

3M ago1:39:24

1:39:24

We thought 2024 was going to be dominated by a waterfall of new releases from Old Guard Superstars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. But while they've each had success, the main story of the last 12 months has been the auspicious establishment of a new generation of pop divas led by Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, but als…

1
LA LIVE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT! Talking Katy & Gaga at Dynasty Typewriter on 9/30 1:31

3M ago1:31

1:31

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE The rollout for Katy Perry’s seventh studio album, 143, has been a disaster. Sixteen years into her pop career, Katy’s facing a textbook struggle for a pop star more than a decade into her career: irrelevance. By contrast, Katy’s pop peer Lady Gaga has charted a very different second act, swerving into acting and rebranding he…

1
MICHAEL JACKSON PT. 4: LEGACY (with Dr. Fredara Hadley) 2:26:36

3M ago2:26:36

2:26:36

Professor of Ethnomusicology at Julliard Dr. Fredara Hadley joins Pop Pantheon for the culmination of our four-part series on the King of Pop. In the final installment, DJ Louie and Dr. Hadley tackle Michael Jackson’s music post-Thriller, starting with the signature ‘80s blockbuster Bad (1987) and 1991’s successful pivot toward New Jack Swing, Dang…

1
Ice Spice's Y2K Is Surprisingly 2024 Coded (with Nadirah Simmons) (Patreon Preview) 10:03

3M ago10:03

10:03

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Ice Spice just dropped her debut record Y2K, an under 25 minute tour through drill beats, Jersey club and Ice's signature puerile humor and nonchalant flow. How does it work as her first official album statement? Who is this music playing to? And does it sound like 2000 at all? Writer Na…

1
MICHAEL JACKSON PT. 3: THRILLER (with Stereogum's Tom Breihan) 2:13:31

3M ago2:13:31

2:13:31

There are albums. And then there’s Thriller. For the third installment of our four-part series on the King of Pop, Stereogum’s Tom Breihan returns for Pop Pantheon’s first ever A-Side devoted to a single album: Michael Jackson’s definitive 1982 pop blockbuster, Thriller. DJ Louie and Tom dig into every aspect of the best-selling album of all time, …

1
Revisiting Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (with Olivia Horn) (Patreon Preview) 11:10

3M ago11:10

11:10

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Olivia Horn reviewed Chappell Roan's debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, in Pitchfork when it dropped last September. Back then, she was a fringy pop upstart with some nice critical notices and a small cult audience. Now, she's one of the biggest new pop superstars of t…

1
MICHAEL JACKSON PT. 2: THE KING OF POP RISES (with Joseph Vogel) 1:53:54

4M ago1:53:54

1:53:54

Joe Vogel, author of Man in the Music: The Creative Life of Michael Jackson, joins Pop Pantheon for the second in our four-part series on the King of Pop. DJ Louie and Joe dig into MJ’s early solo work, from his 1972 debut Got to Be There to his first solo number one, “Ben,” his changing voice as grew older and his final Motown album, 1975’s Foreve…

1
Katy Perry's Not So Grand Return + Kesha, Lana Del Rey & More (Patreon Preview) 11:31

4M ago11:31

11:31

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Katy Perry's much anticipated new single, the Dr. Luke-produced "Woman's World", finally dropped on Friday along with it's music video and the response has been.... not so great. Louie and Russ talk all things Katy before pivoting to new songs from Kesha, Lana and Tinashe and a Taylor Sw…

1
MICHAEL JACKSON PT. 1: THE JACKSON 5 (with Emily Lordi) 2:02:17

4M ago2:02:17

2:02:17

For the first of our four-part series on the King of Pop, writer, professor and critic Emily Lordi joins Pop Pantheon to help us begin to untangle one of the most knotty legacies in pop history: the story of Michael Jackson. Emily and DJ Louie discuss Michael’s extremely strict upbringing, sadistic abuse at the hands of his father Joe, and the crea…

1
Megan Thee Stallion Reps for the South— and Herself— on Megan (with Taylor Crumpton) (Patreon Preview) 10:48

4M ago10:48

10:48

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Megan Thee Stallion's third studio album, Megan, her first as an independent artist and since her infamous beef with Nicki Minaj, dropped last week. Taylor Crumpton is here to help Louie and Russ break down the record's inherent regionality, Megan's new and old poses and themes and what …

1
The Winners and Losers of the Touring Boom (with Matthew Perpetua, Zach Schonfeld & Emily Stewart) 59:47

4M ago59:47

59:47

After the pandemic, fans wanted to see their favs (and even their less favs) so much that the concert touring industry boomed, breaking records and culminating in astronomically expensive blockbuster stadium treks from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. But more recently, the live show gambit has gone bust for superstars like Jennifer Lopez, The Black Keys,…

1
The Chaos and Calculations of Camila Cabello's C,XOXO (with Omri Rolan) (Patreon Preview) 9:37

4M ago9:37

9:37

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Is Camila Cabello's fourth studio album, C, XOXO, a cold-hearted Single White Female-ing of other, cooler pop stars? Or is it an earnest— if chaotic— attempt by the former girl group star to find her authentic voice as a grown up pop diva? Louie, Russ and Friend of the Pod Omri Rolan are…

1
KATE BUSH (with Mic the Snare) 2:03:29

5M ago2:03:29

2:03:29

Mic The Snare joins Pop Pantheon to unpack the wild, unbridled genius of pop’s ultimate enigma, Kate Bush. Louie & Mic The Snare dig into Kate’s teenage record deal and her debut single, 1978’s “Wuthering Heights.” From there they discuss her debut album The Kick Inside, her legendary first – and only – full live tour and her early, pre-MTV adoptio…

1
Ranking the Main Pop Girl Albums of 2024 (So Far) (with Ira Madison III) 1:15:58

5M ago1:15:58

1:15:58

It seems like every single Main Pop Girl has dropped an album this year: Ariana, Kacey, Beyoncé, Taylor, Dua, Billie and Charli. And we're only six months in! It's been a whole lot of new music to process but now that we've had a minute to sit with these records, Keep It's Ira Madison III joins DJ Louie to reflect on all of these records, what they…

1
Normani's Album is Good. Now What? (with Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul) (Patreon Preview) 11:01

5M ago11:01

11:01

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Normani's debut solo album has been over five years in the making. Now that Dopamine is finally here, was it worth the wait? And with the heat having died down on her career, does it matter? Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul joins the show to help break it all down. To hear the rest of the th…

1
FRANK OCEAN (with Tre Johnson) 2:06:41

5M ago2:06:41

2:06:41

Tre Johnson returns to Pop Pantheon for a special Pride episode about one of pop's greatest disruptors, Frank Ocean. Louie and Tre discuss Frank’s first foray into the industry, writing for artists like Brandy and Justin Bieber and his rapturous breakthrough mixtape, 2011’s Nostalgia Ultra, which instantly turned Frank into a critical darling and r…

1
Charli XCX Breaks New Ground on Brat (Patreon Preview) 8:51

5M ago8:51

8:51

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Charli XCX's sixth studio album Brat, which dropped Friday, was posited as a dance album. What we actually got was something quite a bit more complicated. On this week's episode, Louie and Russ break the whole thing down. To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus epi…

1
Queer Women are Taking Over Pop (with Trish Bendix & Mel Woods) 57:18

5M ago57:18

57:18

To kick off Pride Month, Freelance Music Writer Trish Bendix and Senior Editor at Xtra Magazine Mel Woods join Louie to track the conspicuous rise of sapphic-ness in mainstream pop. From BoyGenius to Chappell Roan to Billie Eilish, girls who like girls and make that a huge feature in the music are crossing over onto the top of the Billboard charts.…

1
PINK (with Molly Mary O'Brien) 1:52:45

5M ago1:52:45

1:52:45

Molly Mary O’Brien returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack the unlikely longevity of Pink. Louie and Molly chart Pink’s emergence in Philadelphia clubs as a teenager through to her brief girl group career and her pop debut as a blue-eyed R&B product at the turn of the millennium with 2000’s Can’t Take Me Home. From there they discuss “Lady Marmalade,” Pi…

1
Why are Music Biopics so Bad? (with Keith Phipps) 53:43

6M ago53:43

53:43

The most recent in a long lineage of music biopics, Back to Black, which purports to chronicle the life of the late great Amy Winehouse came out in the US last week. The film received mostly negative reviews and underperformed at the box office. So why are these movies, generally speaking, so unsuccessful and why do we keep making then? Movie Criti…

1
Love Hits Hard, Soft & Everything in Between on Billie Eilish's New Album (with the LA Times' Mikael Wood) (Patreon Preview) 9:43

6M ago9:43

9:43

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Billie Eilish released her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, last Friday. The LA Times' Mikael Wood joins DJ Louie to chronicle the latest evolution in Billie and Finneas' ongoing collaboration and how it fits into the broader glut of Main Pop Girl releases in 2024. To hear the rest of …

1
TINA TURNER (with Yale University's Dr. Daphne Brooks) 1:43:46

6M ago1:43:46

1:43:46

Yale University’s Dr. Daphne Brooks returns to Pop Pantheon to unpack one of the foundational blueprints for pop stardom as we know it, Tina Turner. Dr. Brooks and Louie trace Tina’s roots in Tennessee, her debut as a nightclub act in St. Louis and her early work with Ike Turner, from their hit single “A Fool in Love” to their string of R&B hits, f…

1
Anitta's Global Pop Takeover (with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd) (Patreon Preview) 11:14

6M ago11:14

11:14

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Brazilian pop sensation Anitta's most recent recored, Funk Generation, dropped a few weeks ago. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd joins Louie and Russ to break down her rise to global stardom, this record's celebration of Brazilian Baile Funk and put us all on to a couple more rising Brazilian …

1
Mariah, Nirvana & The Story of MTV Unplugged (with Rob Tannenbaum & Craig Marks) 56:34

6M ago56:34

56:34

After recent episodes on Mariah and Nirvana, two artists who had massive career-defining moments on MTV's iconic live showcase Unplugged, Louie invited authors of the book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum to chronicle the history of the series: how it started, why it was important, an…

1
Dua Lipa Disappears on Radical Optimism (with Owen Myers) (Patreon Preview) 13:16

6M ago13:16

13:16

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Dua Lipa returned with her much anticipated third album Radical Optimism on Friday. Music writer Owen Myers joins Louie and Russ to parse out the messy rollout and framing, underperforming singles and, after so much hype, how this music actually sounds and who exactly Dua Lipa is on it. …

1
HILARY DUFF (with Legends Only's T. Kyle) 1:41:07

6M ago1:41:07

1:41:07

Legends Only co-host T. Kyle makes his Pop Pantheon debut to discuss Hilary Duff’s brief ascension from Disney starlet to massive pop diva. Louie and T. Kyle discuss Hilary’s origins via the Disney assembly line with the early 2000s juggernaut The Lizzie McGuire Show and how it helped launch her pop career, from her debut album of holiday songs to …

1
Is the Music Video Dead? (with Michael Cragg) 57:20

7M ago57:20

57:20

In the past few years, we've seen a serious decline in the centrality of and views for music videos across the board, even for the biggest pop stars. Journalist Michael Cragg recently chronicled this phenomenon in his piece for The Guardian, "'This is an Art Form— and We're Losing it': Is the Music Video Dying?" and today, he joins DJ Louie to disc…

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