The Pop Pod

Lizzy McAlpine is on The Pop Pod! A huge period of change informed Lizzie’s fourth album ‘Angel’. The adventurous, warm and experimental folk-pop record doesn’t come long after her last album ‘Older’ but plenty happened in between. She starred in Broadway musical ‘Floyd Collins’, found new love after a breakup and found an appreciation for the music of Joni Mitchell. Speaking to her, it feels like she’s found a new sense of freedom and that’s been poured into the music.

We spoke not only about the album and this period of change but the pop music that has shaped her along the way from Ariana Grande to Joni Mitchell to Britney Spears.

Tove Lo has had a very interesting career. Her first album 'Queen Of The Clouds' landed her in the mainstream quickly but ever since then she's taken left turns. Rather than attempting to repeat previous success, she's followed her artistic instinct which pulls through stronger than ever on 'Estrus'.

I sat down with Tove on the day the album was released to talk about how she got there after 'Dirt Femme'. This is a career-spanning conversation touching on everything from 'Talking Body' to how she found her freedom as an independent artist. Of course, we also had to talk about fellow Swedish pop icon Robyn.

Carly Rae Jepsen loves pop music but on her own terms. She burst into the spotlight with one of the very early viral moment 'Call Me Maybe' but since then has operated in her own realm, driven by whatever feels good to her.

As a result, she's formed a dedicated fanbase that will follow her in whichever direction she chooses. The latest pivot is one of her most ambitious yet. 'Day And Night', a double album, sees her take her time traversing new territory as she revels in the euphoria of love. Since 'The Lonliest Time', she's been married and had a baby. It's given her a new perspective by which to approach this new album.

We go into it in depth here and, of course, discuss the classics too.

I asked for controversial pop opinions and you really did deliver. On this episode, we go through some of the best (and worst) ones that we received touching on everything from Ariana Grande being the last big-voiced pop star to Miley Cyrus’ reluctance to go full pop star mode. We also talked about companion albums, imperfect debut albums and the parasocial relationships fans have with artists.

Shygirl has announced her second album, 'Swallow!'. It's a positive, uplifting and sometimes menacing record that balances desire and contentment. She's dug into UK dance references but also blended it with her love for indie music - a sound that I think will surprise and excite fans.I sat down with Shygirl to discuss the new album at large but also dig into some of the references from The Prodigy to U2. Of course, we also had to get into the pop side of things too and chat Madonna and Britney Spears, amongst others.

Dua Lipa is back on the charts with ‘Training Season’ getting an unexpected second life which has us thinking about all things Dua. Jono & I decided it was the perfect time to talk about what we expect from her fourth album and revisit whether ‘Radical Optimism’ was a successful era for her.

We also ranked the top 10 Dua Lipa songs, discussing everything from her euphoric breakout ‘Be The One’ to an unexpected deep cut from ‘Radical Optimism’ that has stayed with us.

What are you expecting from this forthcoming Dua era?

Hemlocke Springs is the latest guest on The Pop Pod. When I put together a list of artists that I wanted to speak to this week, Hemlocke was top of my mind. Her debut album 'the apple tree under the sea' is one of the projects that made me truly excited this year. It's an oddball pop record, that chews up so many different inspirations and spits it out in Hemlocke's technicolor vision.

We sat down to speak about the album and turning a viral moment into something long-lasting. We also discussed plenty of pop classics from Prince, to Katseye's 'Gnarly' to Beyonce & Rihanna.

A maker of several pop classics joins The Pop Pod. Natasha Bedingfield is behind some of the biggest pop songs of this millennium including 'These Words' and 'Unwritten'. These songs continue to have comebacks and, acting as millennial anthems but they have also now seeped into the psyche of a Gen Z as well - now the generation that listen to her most.

On the pod, we discuss the undying success of her early classics, the 'Unwritten' follow-up that was banned by radio and her new chapter as an independent artist with 'Dot Dot Dot'.

At the top of last year, I interviewed Ravyn Lenae briefly right as 'Love Me Not' was beginning to bubble. 1.3 billion streams later, it's a rare ubiquitous hit. Now, she joins me on The Pop Pod with another album in the bag.

'Blue Island' shows that she had no interest in trying to imitate the sound of 'Love Me Not'. It's a wild ride that showcases an artist following her creative impulses in a daring and captivating way.

She spoke to me about whether she felt the pressure on this record and what inspired it from Nelly Furtado to Gwen Stefani.

Flo are, in my opinion, the best girl group on the planet right now. I got to sit down with them in London ahead of the release of their second album 'Therapy At The Club' to talk about taking control, music videos, hangover and pop classics.

Their second album really sees them step into their own. It's ambitious, charismatic and loud. You'll hear all about it in this chat plus lots more.

Ariana Grande's new album 'Petal' is good because Ariana is too good to make a bad album. There are, however, some frustrations about how polite it is at times.

Jono and I have gone through the album track-by-track to make sense of one of her most divisive albums yet.

Rose Gray is the next princess of pop. Taking inspiration from the legends like Kylie and Madonna as well as underground dance music, she’s forged a new path off the back of her debut album Louder, Please. That album helped her pick up a whole new audience and now she’s headed towards album number two with ‘Club To Your Arms’ and its experimental sister ‘Bodies’.

She joined The Pop Pod to talk about working with pop mastermind Justin Tranter on new music, update us on the progress of the next album and chat Madonna, Lily Allen, Robyn and more.

It is my pleasure to welcome to the podcast Bebe Rexha - a pop music titan who is responsible for some of the biggest hits of the last decade. Freshly independent and with a new record 'Dirty Blonde' in the bag, we talked about her journey to this point and her most cohesive album to date.

As always, we also talked pop classics touching on everything from dancefloor bangers to Miley Cyrus.

Madeon has long been one of the most exciting producers in the game. He broke through as a teenager with a pop music mash-up and turned that into a consistently evolving career. He’s collaborated with Porter Robinson, Lady Gaga and more recently Slayyyter and so he feels like the perfect person to join us to chat Pop Classics.

This was such a pleasure for me personally. I’ve been a longtime fan of Madeon and always admired how he’s been able to show great admiration for the producers that came before him while also being a trailblazer. We had a great conversation talking about his work with Lady Gaga and Slayyyter and also his forthcoming album ‘Victory’.

In July, Ariana Grande will release her eighth album ‘Petal’ so we thought it was the opportune time to roll out the definitive ranking of Ariana albums. From ‘Yours Truly’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine’, Ariana has one of the most interesting and personal discographies in pop music tracking personal triumphs and tragedies. 

We can update this ranking in July when ‘Petal’ finally arrives but for now, join PopSamCam for the current Ariana Grande albums ranking.

What’s your ranking?

Swedish duo Icona Pop are behind one of the most monumental club-pop songs of the 2010s 'I Love It' but since then they have kept the dancefloor alive. Icona Pop are best friends on and off the dancefloor and have spent their career crafting high-energy songs for the club that also go for maximum emotional effect.

With a new album, 'Ritual' on the way, Icona Pop joined The Pop Pod to talk about Sweden's reputation for perfect pop as well as those who contribute from ABBA to Robyn. Plus we got into what makes a crying on the dancefloor song so good.

This week on The Pop Pod, Sam & Jono dig into exactly that question. We start with Confessions on a Dance Floor, the Madonna masterpiece that turns 21 this year and still sounds like the future, and we talk about what it means that she and producer Stuart Price are finally returning with a sequel, Confessions II, out this summer. From there we get into the records that have carried that torch in the years since: Robyn's Body Talk, Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, Charli XCX's Brat, and so much more.

What separates a great dance album from an all-time one? Is it the sequencing, the production, the emotional honesty underneath all that euphoria? We get into all of it, with plenty of detours along the way.

Rihanna might be the greatest singles artist of the 21st century...at least that's the hypothesis I went into this episode with. I work chronologically through her singles to make sense of one of the most varied careers in pop music.

What is your fave Rihanna single?

Harry Styles is gearing up for the release of a new album 'Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally' so we thought it was time to go through his past singles. Sam and Jono duke it out to come up with the best and worst Harry singles with a few major points of difference.

I have been a fan of Holly Humberstone for years. I had her debut album ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ on repeat and am fired up for the release fo her second album ‘Cruel World’ in April. She sat down with me on The Pop Pod to talk about her own music as well as the pop classics that have influenced her from Madonna and Prince to Lorde and Lana Del Rey. Let me know who you want on the podcast next!

It is the morning after the Grammys and we are collecting our thoughts in the midst of the Grammys hangover. Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean took home the main awards but who were the real winners?

The Pop Pod is back! And we're counting down the albums that we are most looking forward to in 2026 from the ones that have actual release dates like Harry Styles' 'Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally' to the ones that are simply rumors like Lana Del Rey's 'Stove'. Rumours or not, we got into why 2026 could be a great year for music.

This week, we're diving into the 2025 albums that critics are putting at the top of their lists. We break down the “Best of 2025” lists from NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and more, and look at which artists are dominating across publications — including Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Oklou, and Addison Rae, who are all emerging as the year’s most critically adored releases.

Jono and I also reveal our Spotify Wrapped and talk about the deluxe edition of JADE's 'That's Showbiz Baby'.

The Grammy nominations are finally here — and we have thoughts. This year’s field is led by Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, and Lady Gaga, and we’re diving straight into the biggest surprises, the snubs, and the categories that are going to be tough to call.

We also get into Rosalía’s brand-new album, her first since MOTOMAMI. We talk through the sound, the visuals, the influence she's pulling from, and why this era feels like a full reset for pop music.

The Grammys are almost here — so it's time for my final nomination predictions. In this episode, I break down who I think will land the biggest nods across the General Field and Pop categories, from Album of the Year to Best Pop Vocal Album.

I dive into the artists shaping this year’s race — including Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, and more — and talk surprises, snubs, and the momentum behind each contender. Who’s a lock, who’s fighting for a spot, and who might shock us when nominations drop?

A lot to catch up on this week. Lily Allen shocked fans by surprise-dropping West End Girl and the provocative single “Pussy Palace,” marking her boldest return yet. Demi Lovato is back with a full new album It’s Not That Deep — but is it actually deep? Plus, ROSALÍA has officially kicked off her LUX era with the hypnotic “Berghain,” alongside Björk and Yves Tumor — and the internet’s divided.

We also weigh in on new releases from Kacey Musgraves, Tyla, Selena Gomez, MARINA, Hayley Williams, Tame Impala, Kim Petras, Charlie Puth, and 5 Seconds of Summer.

Plus! An interview with pop newcomer Chloe Qisha.

Apologies for a dip in sound quality this week! We had a couple tech issues.

This week on Bop or Flop, we’re diving into new music from PinkPantheress, HAIM, Not For Radio and Demi Lovato.

Are they bops or are they flops? Let’s find out.

Songs discussed:

• PinkPantheress & Sugababes – Nice to Know You

• PinkPantheress & Kylie Minogue – Stateside

• Oklou feat. FKA twigs – viscus

• HAIM & Bon Iver – Tie You Down

• Amber Mark with Anderson .Paak – Don’t Remind Me

• Natanya – Meeting You Once (The End)

• Madison Beer – bittersweet

• Not for Radio – Swan

• Alemeda & Doechii – Beat A B!tch Up

• Demi Lovato – Kiss

• Say Now – Supermarket

• Rose Gray – Lotus

• Celeste – Time Will Tell