MusicMusic CommentaryMusic Interviews

Popcast

The New York Times

The New York Times’s weekly pop culture chat show, with interviews and analysis from the critic Jon Caramanica and the reporter Joe Coscarelli.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Play

Open in

25 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 9 min
English

Episodes 25

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

#589
Friday · 1 hr 4 min
Dominic Fike on ‘Babydoll,’ Public Breakups, Fatherhood & Sobriety
Dominic Fike sat down with Joe and Jon to chat about his new album, “How To Quit Smoking,” as well as the recent success of his 2018 song “Babydoll,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — his biggest song to date. He also spoke about (sometimes happily) wrestling with fame’s temptations, letting go of some of his youthful impulses, and his urge to return to a form of music-making that reminded him of how he started out.
#588
October 30 · 1 hr 17 min
Lil Baby on Mental Health Struggles, Young Thug, Lil Durk & ‘Dead Fresh’
Ahead of his new album “Fresh,” out Nov. 6, the Atlanta rap superstar Lil Baby sat down with Joe and Jon to chat about the project — including his recent Pharrell-produced single “Dead Fresh” — and how it marks a new chapter for him as he expands from his regular circle of local producers and dips into the broader pop universe. He also spoke about relationships with Lil Durk, Drake and Gunna; how fame and success can shrink your world; the plights of his generational peers; and learning to work
#587
October 23 · 1 hr 40 min
Billy Corgan Is Tired of Your ‘Mocking, Bullying, Laughing’
Billy Corgan, the frontman and creative engine of the 90s alt-rockers the Smashing Pumpkins, sat down with Joe and Jon for a frisky conversation about his personal and professional rebirth — including his passion for the emotional intensity of guitar rock; the passion with which his critics dismiss him; and his passion for rubbing his recent re-ascendance in their faces.
#586
October 16 · 1 hr 7 min
Why Zara Larsson Refuses to Censor Herself – or Dim Her Joy
The Swedish pop star Zara Larsson sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss her stratospheric year of taking control of her career and stepping into a new era of bonafide pop superstardom. She spoke about her surge in cultural relevance — from the TikTok resurrection of her 2015 hit “Lush Life” to her remix version of “Stateside” by PinkPantheress being skated to by gold medalist Alysa Liu at the 2026 Winter Olympics — as well as taking joyful music seriously, learning to embrace self-promotion and
#585
October 9 · 1 hr 2 min
Karol G on Bringing Latin Culture to the World’s Biggest Stages
The Colombian pop star Karol G sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss her recent stadium run of touring her albums – 2025’s “Tropicoqueta” and 2026’s “No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto” – as well as headlining Coachella 2026. She also discusses representing Latin culture on global stages, turning heartbreak into hits like “BbY WOW,” collaborating with Bruno Mars, teaching Drake Spanish and more.
#584
October 2 · 1 hr 11 min
Miranda Lambert on Mentoring Ella Langley, Reconciling with Kacey Musgraves & Country’s New Era
Miranda Lambert rose as one of country’s true female superstars throughout the 2000s and 2010s — an era when women with her level of success in Nashville were few and far between. Lambert sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss country music’s long-running cold war with female performers having a front-row seat to a new version of success as the co-writer of Ella Langley’s record-setting “Choosin’ Texas.” She also talks about her new country disco album “Crisco” — out Oct. 2. — reconciling with Kac
#583
September 24 · 1 hr 19 min
Jeff Probst Tells All About ‘Survivor’: ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’
Jeff Probst – host, showrunner and executive producer of ‘Survivor’ – sat down with Joe and Jon ahead of the show’s Sep. 23 Season 51 premiere to discuss the new “Open Era”: A cast of rookies are subject to gameplay elements that can be resurrected from past seasons, or abandoned. He also spoke about evolving from host to showrunner; how the show lives alongside, and sometimes in conversation with, its imitators; and finding the hero’s journey within both the show’s competitors and himself.
#582
September 18 · 1 hr 6 min
Audrey Hobert on ‘Sue Me’ Success, Gracie Abrams, Malcolm Todd & Her Next Album
Audrey Hobert has been one of the defining new pop stars of 2026, rising to fame — gradually — with her 2025 album “Who’s the Clown?” after co-writing some of her longtime friend Gracie Abrams’s biggest hits. She sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss the secrets to her songwriting success, navigating her career alongside Gracie Abrams and brother Malcom Todd, using screenwriting and comedy to inform her music and writing her next album.
#581
September 11 · 1 hr 12 min
Kai Cenat on Quitting Streaming at His Peak to Start a Fashion Brand
In his first interview since stepping away from his streaming empire for most of the last year to create the fashion label Vivet, Kai Cenat sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss the challenges of starting a new venture from scratch, hanging out with celebrities like Lebron James and Nicki Minaj, his fear of being boxed in creatively by fame at such a young age and the liberty afforded by that same success. Kai's first Vivet collection will have its runway debut on Sep. 12.
#580
August 21 · 54 min
How Busta Rhymes Turned 300 Unreleased J Dilla Beats Into His New Album
Busta Rhymes sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss his new album, “Dillagence 2,” out Aug. 25 – a project curated from hundreds of unreleased J Dilla beats and featuring D’Angelo, Lil Wayne and Common. He spoke about the emotional weight of creating music with the work of friends who have passed away; his enduring influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar and Doechii; touring across genres ranging from Missy Elliott to David Bowie; and why artists should never stop advocating for themselves, no ma
#579
August 14 · 1 hr 20 min
Stavros Halkias Was Forced to Get Political: ‘I Hate It!’
Comedian Stavros Halkias sat down with Joe and Jon to talk about the state of modern comedy, including how wealth and fame are impacting A-list comedians and why the rightward creep of his peers’ podcasts have “forced” him to get political. The interview also covers how Halkias’ weight has influenced his comedy, as well as his role in the Anthony Bourdain biopic “Tony” and his Netflix stand-up special “Uncle Stav.”
#578
August 7 · 1 hr 2 min
The Mindful Punk: Travis Barker on Music, Family & Trauma
Travis Barker, whose new Hulu documentary “Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear” is out August 13, sat down with Joe and Jon to reflect on his music career with Blink-182 and beyond, overcoming the trauma of his 2008 plane crash and family life with Kourtney Kardashian.
#577
July 31 · 51 min
The 8 Biggest Songs of This Summer Face Off
Ella Langley? Drake? A.I.?! Jon and Joe battle through an eight-song bracket of the summer’s biggest hits to determine the Song of the Summer for 2026. Songs featured in bracket: • Tame Impala & JENNIE – “Dracula (JENNIE Remix)” • Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas” • Drake – “Janice STFU” • Stella Lefty – “Boston” • Yung Miami – “Spend Dat” • Fenix Flexin and Purps On The Beat – “Rubberz” • Don Toliver – “E85” • Zara Larsson – “Midnight Sun”
#576
July 24 · 1 hr 12 min
How Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst Came Back From The Brink
In a career-spanning interview following some recent anniversary concerts, Conor Oberst sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss the highs and lows of his 30-year music career, including navigating early indie stardom, overcoming personal struggles, writing political music and more.
#575
July 17 · 1 hr 7 min
The Internet – Steve Lacy! Syd! Matt Martians! – Reunites
The Internet’s Syd, Steve Lacy and Matt Martians sat down with Joe and Jon for their first interview together since "Hive Mind," their 2018 album. The group discussed their new solo projects — Syd’s album “Beard” and Lacy’s “Oh yeah?” are both out July 17 — as well as their Odd Future roots, writing for Beyoncé, TikTok fame and what’s next for the band.
#574
July 10 · 59 min
Which Jay-Z Album Is Better? ‘Reasonable Doubt’ vs. ‘The Blueprint’
Ahead of Jay-Z’s three-night residency at Yankee Stadium celebrating the anniversaries of his classic albums “Reasonable Doubt” (1996) and “The Blueprint” (2001), Jon and Joe sat down to debate which project stands as Jay-Z’s most definitive body of work – breaking down the best bars, skippable tracks, MVP collaborators and more.
#573
July 2 · 30 min
Popcast LIVE! Lizzo Addresses the Backlash
During a special live edition of “Popcast," Lizzo discussed her new album and the public fallout from a series of lawsuits. Then she performed a stripped-down set, which you can watch in full at youtube.com/popcast.
#572
June 26 · 1 hr 16 min
Gracie Abrams on ‘Daughter From Hell,’ Internet Cruelty, Writing With Paul Mescal, & Audrey Hobert
Gracie Abrams sat down with Joe and Jon for an in-depth conversation ahead of her third album, "Daughter From Hell," out July 17. She discusses the inspiration behind the album, her new single "Look At My Life," collaborating with boyfriend Paul Mescal and longtime friend Audrey Hobert, opening for Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, navigating the internet as a young star, and more.
#571
June 18 · 1 hr 15 min
Answering Your Pop Music Questions: Taylor Swift, Geese, The Beatles & More
Summer is upon us, and it’s time for the semiannual Popcast mailbag, in which the most burning questions of viewers and listeners are answered, definitively. This round, the inquiries were sizzling, and on a wide range of topics: whether Geese is the Joe Biden of rock, Maroon 5 as a pop-rap gateway drug, what band had the most transformative decade-long run of albums, Adele’s (purported) laziness, the growing use of artificial intelligence in popular music, and whether a Swiftie and a Twizzy can
#570
June 12 · 1 hr
How Slayyyter Became 2026’s Breakout Pop Star
Slayyyter, who became one of the year's breakout stars with the release of her third studio album “Worst Girl in America” and a viral Coachella set, sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss her slow-simmer career arc, why preexisting pop-star formats didn’t hang well on her shoulders, and how mainstream pop classics and forgotten pop detritus can be equally influential.

Showing 1–20 of 25 episodes