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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 rewrote the aesthetic and commercial rules of pop. Then they tackle his major label debut, 2012’s Channel Orange, which was accompanied by his version of a coming out, his sparse and meandering 2016 visual album, Endless, and his first independent release, the esoteric, beautiful Blonde. Finally, they discuss his output since 2016 and rank Frank Ocean in the official Pop Pantheon.
Listen to Pop Pantheon's Frank Ocean Essentials Playlist
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Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/15 at Los Globos in Los Angeles
Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/28 at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn
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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.
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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 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. How did we get here? When did this story begin to happen?  And what does it say about our culture that this is finally allowed to happen?
Read Trish's Piece "Long cast aside, queer women are starting to get their due from the music industry" in NBC News
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Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/15 at Los Globos in Los Angeles
Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/28 at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn
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Louie and Russ kiki about Lady Gaga's Chromatica Ball film on Max, Russ' experience seeing Chappell Roan perform live in Buffalo, what the potential Song of the Summer will be and play a game where Russ tests just how well Louie knows ascendent Queen of Pop, Sabrina Carpenter.

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,” Pink’s rocker image overhaul with 2001’s Linda Perry-assisted juggernaut Missundaztood, 2006’s hit-filled I’m Not Dead and 2008’s Funhouse, which brought her reincarnation as pop’s greatest circus performer. Then they unpack her mid-career hits, from “Raise Your Glass” to 2012’s The Truth About Love and her long-lasting career as a stadium-filling live act. Finally, they rank Pink in the Official Pop Pantheon.  
Listen to Pop Pantheon's Pink Essentials
Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More
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Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/15 at Los Globos in Los Angeles
Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous: PRIDE! on 6/28 at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn
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