Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network
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Switched on Pop Podcast

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

  1. How Megan Thee Stallion brought Japanese hip hop to the Hot 100

    1 DAY AGO

    How Megan Thee Stallion brought Japanese hip hop to the Hot 100

    "Mamushi," the fourth single from Megan the Stallion’s album Megan was not supposed to be a huge hit. But thanks to a viral dance, the song has become the first song on the Billboard Hot 100 to feature Japanese lyrics since 1963. With. a feature from rapper Yuki Chiba and a beat from producer Koshy, "Mamushi" creates the kind of cross-cultural musical collaboration that helps correct a long record of U,S, pop stars appropriating Japanese culture. Songs Discussed Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Yuki Chiba) - Mamushi Megan Thee Stallion - Hiss, Boa, Cobra, Savage, Megan's Piano, Otaku Hot Girl Kyu Sakomoto - Sukiyaki A Taste of Honey - Sukiyaki Selena - Sukiyaki Pikotaro - PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) Hikaru Utada, Skrillex - Face My Fears Gwen Stefani - Harujuku Girls Avril Lavigne - Hello Kitty More Hannah Lee of the Japan Society NPR on the story of "Sukiyaki" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    43 min
  2. Learning to love: Oasis

    SEP 10

    Learning to love: Oasis

    Oasis, the Manchester band led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, conquered the charts in the 1990s with rock anthems like "Wonderwall." This month, they did something no one saw coming: Announced a reunion. In 2025, the band will play 19 dates in five cities across the UK and Ireland, their first shows with both brothers in the lineup since breaking up in 2009 due to long-simmering tensions between them. Formed in 1991 with Noel as chief songwriter and guitarist and Liam as lead vocalist, the band helped define the sound of Britpop alongside peers like Blur, Suede, and Pulp. Noel’s and Liam’s feuding made it seem like the band would never reunite, so this upcoming tour has generated a minor frenzy, resulting in insane ticket prices, the band’s songs surging in popularity on streaming services, and countless diehard fans zipping up their parkas in anticipation.  As two casual listeners to the band, we want to understand the hype behind this long-awaited reunion, so we went through the band’s catalog to uncover what makes this working-class Mancunian outfit so beloved, and see whether we can learn to love Oasis. Songs Discussed Oasis - Wonderwall, Supersonic, Shakermaker, Don't Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova, All Around The World, Go Let It Out, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Little By Little, The Turning The New Seekers - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) John Lennon - Gimme Some Truth, #9 Dream Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min
  3. Newcomers: Porter Robinson

    SEP 6

    Newcomers: Porter Robinson

    Porter Robinson has a unique relationship with being famous. With his new record SMILE! :D, the 32 year old producer and DJ steps front and center into the spotlight for the first time in his career, working through his thoughts on fame in the process — something he says he’s “addicted” to. The first track on the record, “Knock Yourself Out XD,” is a hook-laden radio pop hit destined to sit on a neon green iPod shuffle, filled with chiptuned synth textures and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about what it means to contend with nuclear levels of celebrity. Robinson’s voice is also front and center, unencumbered by the vocal manipulation and heavy production defining his two previous albums. “”Knock Yourself Out XD” was me indulging that fantasy of like, This is so not a Porter Robinson song. Everyone's gonna hate this,” he said. “But this is what seems really fun to me right now.” The rest of SMILE! :D juggles two truths about Robinson: his innate desire for a positive relationship with the culture that surrounds him, and his dark, introspective nature, highlighted on tracks with stark names like “Is There Really No Happiness?”. But “Knock Yourself Out XD” is deeply silly – filled with cheeky lyrics like the line “Bitch, I’m Taylor Swift.” It’s new territory for him, but Robinson’s inclinations are, always, to “burn everything down and start fresh.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    35 min
  4. Sabrina Carpenter is more than Short n' Sweet

    SEP 3

    Sabrina Carpenter is more than Short n' Sweet

    On her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter moves seemlessly between pop, country, folk and R&B. For Carpenter, genre is merely a musical tool to help construct a song. Listen to how she bends genre to her will. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
  5. Newcomers: Jhayco

    AUG 30

    Newcomers: Jhayco

    Jhayco, the artist formerly known as Jhay Cortez, feels different from the rest of the Latin music machine. He considers himself a “melody freak,” has a wide variety of influences – “Alternative music, indie music, deep house, rap, trap, salsa, bachata, scores for music” – and is intimately involved in every step of the creative process, writing, producing, and performing his brand of glossy, melancholic reggaeton. Since his breakout hit “No Me Conoce” in 2019, the Puerto Rican multihyphenate has become one of the most listened to artists in the world, thanks to collaborations with superstars including Bad Bunny and J Balvin — which have amassed several billion streams on Spotify —, along with writing credits on smash hits like Cardi B’s “I Like It” and Natti Natasha’s “Criminal.” Jhayco's newest record, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X) is out September 6th, and is a three-part, 29-track behemoth highlighting Jhayco's globalist production style, his keen eye for melody, and his unique tastemaker status in the industry. “There's only a few people I know who do this,” he says, “and thank God I'm one of those people.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    23 min
  6. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars bring back the duet

    AUG 27

    Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars bring back the duet

    It seemingly a terrible time to launch an over-the-top sentimental duet. This style of production peaked in the 80s and has had few chart topping success since. But as a sort of counter programming, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' duet "Die With A Smile" is an unexpected smash. This oddity from two beloved legacy artists may be more than a stand alone hit hit to promote Mars' Vegas residency and Gaga's upcoming film role in Joker: Folie à Deux. "Die With A Smile" more than hints at being interwoven to that film's universe, while also adhering to a forgotten musical traditional: the devotional duet in the style of Sonny & Cher. In the movie, Joker and Gaga's character Harley Quinn, have shared musical delusions about performing in a murderous Sonny & Cher like TV duo. But does this single come credit sequence song stand up to the best duets from the past? Listen to find out. Songs Discussed Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - "Die With A Smile" Sonny & Cher - "I Got You Babe" Bread - "Make It On Your Own" Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - "The Closer I Get To You" Lionel Richie & Diana Ross - "Endless Love" Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - "Islands in the Stream" Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald - "On My Own" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min
  7. Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

    AUG 23

    Newcomers: Magdalena Bay

    Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay. The Los Angeles-based duo of singer Mica Tenenbaum and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Lewin, have been steadily releasing music since 2016, eventually breaking out with their viral hit “Killshot,” four years later. In the last four years, their work has dabbled in everything from 70’s disco-pop to Y2K pastiche. Their music, often narrative-based and paired with equally stunning visuals, excels in balancing tension; there’s gossamer-sounding production juxtaposed with dark, conceptual lyrics, or chaotic cacophony placed alongside ironic euphoria. Their sophomore album Imaginal Disk is out today, and is no exception. The record is a concept album of sorts, as it follows the story of a character named True, after receiving a “consciousness upgrade” in the form of the titular “imaginal disk.” Over the course of fifteen songs, Tenenbaum and Lewin tell a story about identity, technology, and what it means to be a human.  It’s a lofty record, so Switched On Pop’s Reanna Cruz sat down with Magdalena Bay to talk about how this album manages to sound so gorgeous — and took some cues from ABBA in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    23 min
  8. Tinashe’s “Nasty” takes on Janet and Beyoncé + Are songs getting simpler?

    AUG 20

    Tinashe’s “Nasty” takes on Janet and Beyoncé + Are songs getting simpler?

    If you've spent any time on the internet this summer, you may have encountered a certain refrain accompanying particularly fierce dance videos—"I've been a nasty girl. Nasty, nasty, nasty." This track, "Nasty" by the R&B singer and songwriter Tinashe, is a jam in its own right. Far from just a piece of viral content, "Nasty" is one of the songs of the summer, a chance for an burgeoning artist to reach a new level of success, and the latest in a long line pop songs from Janet Jackson to Beyoncé and Destiny's Child, taking the term "nasty" and spinning its on its head.  "Nasty" is also a song that, in some ways, is ridiculously simple. And the simplicity of pop music has been in the news after a new scientific study argued that pop hits have become less complex over time. We dig into the study's methodology to see if we agree with its conclusion, or to put it another way, whether its conclusions match our freak. Songs Discussed Tinashe - Nasty, Save Room For Us, 2 On Charli XCX - I might say something stupid Janet Jackson - Nasty Destiny's Child - Nasty Girl Ariana Grande - Nasty Paul Simon - Still Crazy After all These Years More Read more from the New York Times about the study exploring pop's melodic complexity through history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min
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A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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