Pop Shop Podcast

While there’s no question Dolly Parton was popular, she had no intention of “going pop” throughout her 60-plus-year career.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are chatting about the relationship Parton — who died on Aug. 25 at age 80 — had with pop music, from her crossover hits to collaborating with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. In a 1977 interview with Country Music magazine — the same year she released one of her poppiest hits, “Here You Come Again” — Parton addressed the genre question head-on. “I never considered the fact that I was going pop,” she said at the time. “I will go pop, as far as crossing over, sooner or later. But I will go there as me. I will go there with my own music, not by trying to be something different than I am.

“If my music has to have a label, I will call it country, mainly because I am country,” she added. “You cannot leave what you are. But I really prefer to call it Dolly Parton music.”
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From performing onstage at the very first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 to being the leading nominee at the 2026 show, Madonna's history with the VMAs runs deep.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about how the M in MTV should probably stand for Madonna at this point -- including Keith's one-and-only time inside the Video Music Awards. The year was 1998, and it was the last time Madonna was the show's leading nominee, and she took home the video of the year trophy for "Ray of Light."
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Over the weekend, tens of thousands of fans got this experience at events across the globe, with Chappell Roan popping out with Noah Kahan at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for her song "California"; Cynthia Erivo reuniting with her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande at the O2 Arena in London; and Kristen Bell regaling the Savannah Bananas crowd with a Disney-powered medley at Denver's Coors Field. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we're talking about the trio of delightful surprise guests crossing genres and continents.
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On Friday, it was announced that Sophia would be taking a step back from KATSEYE to prioritize her “mental health and wellness,” following a similar announcement from her groupmate Manon back in February. Now the six-person global girl group is down to a quartet — and it’s unclear when either member might return to the fold, especially after a six-month absence for Manon.

The news comes at a particularly busy time for KATSEYE, with their Wild album arriving on Friday and their Wildworld Tour — the group’s first global trek — kicking off in October. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are discussing the announcement and what it means for the group’s future. Will both women return, or might they remain a quartet?
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Without even mentioning it by name, BTS sparked a major debate about the new best Asian pop music performance category at the 2027 Grammys with their bombshell decision last week not to submit music from their latest album, ARIRANG, at next year's awards show. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith take a closer look at that decision and at the category, and what it will look like without BTS in it.

We also discuss Madonna's new "Love Sensation" remix with Kylie Minogue, which the pair previewed with a WorldPride Amsterdam 2026 performance over the weekend before the song's arrival later this week. Plus: Ariana Grande's rep announced over the weekend that the pop star/actress plans to step back following the end of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, after Friday's release of her latest album, Petal.
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