Queer men are the backbone of modern pop fandom. And yet so few, even in 2025, get to the top of the mainstream pop star heap. Why is that? And how have queer male artists existed in the pop music firmament over the last hundred years? Dean of USC's Thornton School of Music Jason King is here to help unpack all these questions and more.

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 4/18

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The Ringer’s Nora Princiotti joins Russ to talk about Lady Gaga’s extraordinary Coachella performance. They also play a New Music Speed Round with new songs from Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran & more.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Pre-order Nora’s new book, Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyoncé, and the Women Who Built Pop's Shiniest Decade HERE, listen to Every Single Album HERE & sign up for updates about Louie’s upcoming book HERE.

In a game of "Step Up, Step Down," Louie and Russ discuss recent career developments from Lady Gaga, Drake, Selena Gomez, Tate McRae, & Bruno Mars and whether they are currently trending up or down in the official Pop Pantheon.

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 4/11

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 4/18

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ are answering your burning questions regarding Mayhem, the tour, and so much more on Lady Gaga. They're also talking about seeing Kylie Minogue's North American arena tour and Louie's recently announced book!

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

As a sequel to a recent episode recapping The Best Albums of the 2020s So Far, critic Shaad D'Souza, The Ringer's Rob Harvilla, and writer and editor Puja Patel are here to count down each of our top five pop songs of the 2020s so far.

Check out a playlist of our top pop songs of the 2020s so far on Spotify

Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials Playlist

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 4/11

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 4/18

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, this past Friday, just over a year after the release of her 7th studio album, Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande released a deluxe version, Brighter Days Ahead. Louie and Russ reflect on how their feelings about the original record have evolved since it first dropped and how the new songs— and the short film she put out alongside them— add to the Eternal Sunshine Universe and era.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

We've finally arrived! After four episodes and nearly ten hours of discussion and dissection, Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Mega Series concludes with the big question: Is Britney Spears in Tier 1 of the Pantheon?

To parse that out, Louie and Russ are joined by friend of the pod Molly Mary O'Brien to pull at this debate from every possible angle. Throughout the nearly two-hour (!!!) debate, they also hear from Dean of USC's Thornton School of Music's Jason King regarding his thoughts on Britney, her legacy, her ranking, and the Pantheon in general, along with ranking opinions from every past guest of the series including The New Yorker's Doreen St. Félix, NPR's Ann Powers, The New York Times' Caryn Ganz and Beyond the Blinds' Troy McEady.

Finally, Louie ranks Britney Spears in the official Pop Pantheon.

Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials Playlist

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 4/11

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 4/18

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

For the fourth episode in our five-part series on Britney Spears, Beyond The Blinds’ Troy McEady returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss late period Britney, an unnerving decade+ period where Britney's pop stardom often felt forced upon her and yet produced some of her most beloved and successful music. Troy and Louie start with her EDM reimagining on 2011’s chart-topping Femme Fatale, her first and only album to produce three top ten singles. From there, they unpack Britney’s brief, odd The X Factor tenure, 2013’s derided nadir Britney Jean, her massively lucrative but sometimes bizarre Vegas residency, Piece of Me, and Britney’s final album to date, 2016’s fan-favorite Glory. Finally, they discuss the #FreeBritney movement, the end of conservatorship, Britney’s life beyond the music business, whether this story has any semblance of a happy ending, and her enduring impact on pop.

Join us next week for Part 5, in which we’ll rank Britney Spears in the Official Pop Pantheon.

Check out Pop Pantheon's Britney Spears Essentials Playlist

Come to Main Pop Girls: BRITNEY VS. GAGA on 3/21!

Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 4/11

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram