Sam here! Dropping in to introduce my new daily podcast The Pop Pod, which covers all things pop music from artist interviews to album deep dives. Here is a quick preview.

Fear not! This is not a Flopstars replacement. Flopstars is returning. Nic and I have been plotting the return and will hopefully have news for you within the month.

Follow or Subscribe to The Pop Pod here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/popsamcampoppod

It's the Pop In and our agenda this week is:

• The Grammys
• Justin Timberlake vs. Britney Spears
• Megan Thee Stallion vs. Nicki Minaj
• The new Ice Spice song 'Fart'
• TikTok vs. Universal Music

What’s been happening this week? / Coming Up

• Our wrapped

• Best albums/songs of the year Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard

• Taylor Swift Time Person of the Year

• Charli XCX has finished her new album

WELCOME BACK TO THE POP IN!

What’s been happening this week? / Coming Up

• The rise and rise of Tate McRae - could she clinch a Billboard #1?

• Spotify Wrapped is out - unpacking the global Top 5 songs and artists

• Dua Lipa's Houdini - our 4 week late review

  Nicki Minaj album next week same week as Tate McRae and SZA deluxe what a time

  Quick unpack of what the rest of the year looks like on the pod

What’s been happening this week? / Coming Up

• Dua Lipa wipes Instagram for new era - what do we know, who’s involved, and all that jazz

• Charli's BACK BABY

• Troye album's coming this week & Nic interviewed him - hear the full thing here

• Sam saw RAYE live in New York and it was one of the most lucid shows he's ever seen

• Tems is selling out huge venues & releases a triumphant single

• Omar Apollo's new single

• The Pop In now gets a game: YEAR OF THE SONG!

Billie Eilish's second album 'Happier Than Ever' was a big turning point for her. Her first album was a streaming giant but this album marked a pointed move to establish herself as an artist without worrying about the hits. The result was a cohesive, mature and startingly honest album that's both wildly experimental while also being classic.

In this episode, we talk about how important this album was for positioning her as an artist and also why it perhaps didn't garner the same success as her debut.

This week on The Pop In:

• Beyoncé is bringing the Renaissance World Tour to cinemas
• *NSYNC are back with a song for the Trollz soundtrack
• Ed Sheeran's new album is lacklustre
• Doja Cat is struggling to pull the numbers she deserves
• Jorja Smith's new album is bliss
• PinkPantheress nails the vibes on her new song

Ariana Grande makes her Flopstars debut with her divisive fourth album which came after a traumatic time and signalled the start of a creatively fluid period for her. It's an important album in her discography, one that sees her stepping into her own and learning to react to very personal situations in real-time. It wasn't for everyone but it was for us and we explore that on this week's pod.