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The Pop Pod

PopSamCam

Your ultimate guide to the world of pop.

Hosted by music journalist and pop obsessive Sam Murphy (aka @PopSamCam), this podcast keeps you caught up on everything happening across the pop universe. From headline-making news and deep-dive album reviews to hot takes, artist interviews, and bold Grammy predictions, it’s all here.

New episodes on Thursdays.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Updated Wednesday

Episodes20

Newest first
  • Wednesday · 50 min

    The Rose Gray Interview: Madonna, Robyn & Making Pop Classics Of Her Own

    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. Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠.

  • July 22 · 49 min

    The Sekou Interview: Justin Bieber, Olivia Dean & Making It As A New Artist

    Sekou is my favourite new male popstar. He's got the tunes, he's got the look and he's got a superstar mindset. He's just released his debut mixtape 'In A World We Don't Belong' which features 'Catching Bodies' his breakout single. In the past year, he's also featured on Justin Bieber's 'Swag' finding a musical kingship with Biebs. I had the best chat with him touching on the Bieber of it all but also generally what it takes to make it as a new artist in an increasingly frustrating industry.

  • June 18 · 41 min

    Talking Pop Classics With Bebe Rexha

    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. Follow The Pop Pod on Instagram for more.

  • June 3 · 47 min

    Talking Pop Classics With Madeon: Lady Gaga, Slayyyter, Porter Robinson and More

    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’. Follow The Pop Pod on Instagram.

  • May 27 · 46 min

    Pop Classics With HorsegiirL: Kylie, Pop Maximalism and 'Nature Is Healing'

    HorsegiirL is the first horse to ever appear on The Pop Pod but also one of the most fascinating. The German producer and DJ has transcended her meme-ish origins to become one of the most important figures in electronic music right now. In this episode, we talked about pop classics from Kylie to Usher but also what makes pop so fascinating. The ability to make the complex universally snackable. HorsegiirL's debut album 'Nature Is Healing' is out next week.

  • May 20 · 42 min

    Ranking Ariana Grande Albums From 'Yours Truly' To 'Eternal Sunshine'

    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? Follow us on Instagram.

  • May 13 · 1 hr

    Ranking The 10 Best Charli XCX Songs

    It's time for another rankinig episode and this time we're turning our attention to Charli XCX who just returned with 'Rock Music'. For the past decade plus Charli has been a pop visionary, always operating ahead of the game and churning out some of the most thought-provoking pop music along the way. She's amassed an impressive discography that actually proved quite difficult to rank. That being said, there were 4 songs that really stood out. On this episode of The Pop Pod, Sam & Jono rank the best Charli XCX songs. Follow The Pop Pod on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.poppod/

  • May 6 · 45 min

    Pop Classics With Icona Pop: Swedish Pop, Crying In The Club & Britney Spears

    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. Follow The Pop Pod on Instagram for more.

  • April 29 · 1 hr 2 min

    What Makes The Perfect Dance/Pop Album? Madonna, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX + More

    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. Follow us on Instagram.

  • April 16 · 38 min

    Pop Classics With Jessie Ware: 'Superbloom', Chappell Roan, Girls Aloud and More

    Jessie Ware has spent the last six years quietly building one of the great runs in modern pop. From What's Your Pleasure? to That! Feels Good! and now her sixth album Superbloom, out this week, she's carved out a lane that's entirely her own: disco-inflected, deeply felt, and allergic to cheap shortcuts. Superbloom pushes deeper than its predecessors, trading pure escapism for something more grounded in real love, real relationships, and the fear of losing them, without sacrificing a single beat. This week on The Pop Pod, I sit down with Jessie to talk through the new album, the creative instincts that have guided her since What's Your Pleasure? changed everything, and the pop songs that have meant the most to her. We get into Chappell Roan, Robyn, Rihanna, and more: the records that defined what a perfect pop moment can be, and what Jessie thinks separates a good song from an unforgettable one.

  • April 9 · 53 min

    Talking Pop Classics With Danny L Harle: Dua Lipa, Caroline Polachek, Eiffel 65 & More

    Danny L Harle is one of pop music's most quietly essential figures. A founding member of the PC Music collective, the British producer and composer has spent over a decade reshaping what pop can sound like — from the euphoric maximalism of his early solo work to becoming the trusted hand behind some of the most acclaimed records of the last few years. He's the executive producer of both of Caroline Polachek's landmark albums, Pang and Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, co-produced Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism (including "Houdini"), and has worked with Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, PinkPantheress, Clairo, and Shygirl - among many others. His own debut album Harlecore arrived in 2021, and his follow-up Cerulean dropped earlier this year. This week on The Pop Pod, I sit down with Danny to talk through his collaborations, his new album and what he considers to be a pop classic.

  • April 4 · 48 min

    The Rise of the Niche Pop Star, The Resurrection Of The Album & More Pop Trends w/ Spotify’s Sam Duboff

    Sam Duboff from Spotify joins The Pop Pod to break down this year's Loud & Clear report, Spotify's annual deep-dive into the economics of streaming. We get into what the numbers actually mean for artists in 2026 . We talk about the rise of the niche pop star: more than 1,500 artists crossed $1 million in Spotify royalties in 2025, and many of them aren't household names — and may never trend globally. It turns out you don't need a massive hit to build a massive career. We dig into what that means for how pop is fragmenting, and why devoted fanbases are now the most valuable currency in music. Success is being built through deep catalogue engagement, not viral moments - and that has real implications for how pop artists should be thinking about releases.

  • April 2 · 1 hr 5 min

    Two Very Different Records Reviewed: Raye's 'This Music May Contain Hope' & Robyn 'Sexistential' w/ HTHAZE

    Robyn returned with Sexistential, her first album in eight years - nine hard-hitting tracks of pure melody and zero filler, picking up where Body Talk and Honey left off. No messing around. Just Robyn delivering straight-up emotion in the most direct way she knows how. Then there's RAYE, who exercised no such restraint. This Music May Contain Hope stretches over 70 minutes across 17 songs - orchestrals, narrative, Hans Zimmer, Al Green - an epic that dares you to sit with it. Sam is joined first by YouTuber HTHAZE to unpack This Music May Contain Hope. Then producer Jono, who caught Robyn live on release night, joins to dig into Sexistential. Don't forget to subscribe to The Pop Pod if you're enjoying the podcast.

  • March 25 · 1 hr 4 min

    What Are The Best Album Openers In Pop Music?

    Sam and Jono go deep on one of music's most overlooked arts — the album opener. Does it need to be a banger? A ballad? The lead single? A two-minute intro that sounds like a church service colliding with a rave? Turns out, the answer is all of the above, and none of the above. This week they break down Jono's four-type framework for what makes a great opener (dramatic, undeniable banger, sonic statement, or storytelling intro), why Sam thinks the first lyric does more heavy lifting than any production choice ever could, and what actually separates a great opener from a great closer. The Best Album Openers Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nRg6D5VUmw8sqnxJxAJJE?si=10ce4ea359114775&pt=0e6ef5cacdc49c23c4dfbd9ec87cc361 If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you want to support the show, leaving a review goes a long way. We read every single one.

  • March 21 · 19 min

    Lucy Dacus Joins The Pod To Talk Pop Classics and New Music

    Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus joins us to talk about stepping back into her solo career after the phenomenon that was Boygenius - what changes, what stays the same, and why going it alone hits differently the second time around. We dig into the classic pop albums that wired her musical brain, delibarate on the perfect pop song, and talk about new music that may be coming soon. If you love The Pop Pod, hit subscribe. New episodes in your feeds on Thursdays and Saturdays.

  • March 19 · 1 hr 4 min

    Ranking Our Top 10 Britney Spears Singles

    Britney Spears has one of the greatest pop discographies of all time. This week on The Pop Pod, we're ranking her top 10 singles and making the case for where each one belongs. We get into which singles genuinely hold up, which ones are more nostalgia than quality, and why Britney's run from 1998 through the mid-2000s was almost impossible to touch. We also dig into the underrated tracks that deserved way more credit than they got and, we see if we agree on the #1 spot. Subscribe to The Pop Pod for weekly pop music deep dives, rankings, and takes worth arguing about.

  • March 11 · 1 hr 9 min

    Our Verdict On Recent Albums By Harry Styles, Bruno Mars, Charli XCX and More

    2026 has been a bit of a weird year for albums so far. Big artists like Harry Styles, Bruno Mars and Charli XCX have dropped records but they have all been divisive. Meanwhile, great albums by smaller artists have been few and far between. On this episode, we bop or flop the most recent album drops. Discord https://discord.gg/QEw9se7yAm Send voicenotes or questions thepoppod@popsamcam.com PopSamCam's New Music Friday Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FDLtpOHeFvrzesTKQ5Qhb?si=78c15e3dfa05462a