Pop Shop Podcast

Starting with her very first episode of Hannah Montana back in 2006, Miley Cyrus became an almost-instant household name. In the two decades since, she's had a chameleonic career that slithers between genres and wins over new audiences along the way -- especially with her biggest hit yet, 2023's "Flowers," which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the star her first-ever Grammy.

Over this past weekend, Cyrus made her return to live performing after years away with shows Friday and Sunday night at the Hollywood Bowl. But what should have been a celebration of her latest Billboard 200-topping album, September's Bass Persuades, ended up turning defensive when Cyrus had to spend a portion of Sunday's show responding to critics of Friday's concert.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about the feedback Cyrus responded to and what can often be the blessing and curse of playing for an audience that has known you for so long and so well that they often measure you against your own unmatchable past performances.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Taylor Swift and The Beatles are meeting up on the Billboard charts in more ways than one.

First, both appear in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart, with Swift's The Life of a Showgirl spending its 14th week at No. 1 and The Beatles' deluxe edition of Rubber Soul arriving at No. 4 following its own stint up top in 1966. In addition, Swift's latest week at No. 1 on the chart means she and The Beatles are the only acts to ever spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200 top spot (The Beatles have 132 weeks to Swift's now-100).

On this week's Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about some of the things these two superstar acts have in common across their respective eras and when Swift might reach (or surpass) some big Beatles landmarks, like their record 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a painstaking pursuit of what he calls “perfect pop” on his euphoric 2023 album Something to Give Each Other, Troye Sivan could have easily stuck around the dancefloor for his next project. After all, Something was somewhat of a breakthrough for Sivan, 31, bringing him his first three Grammy nominations, two new Billboard Hot 100 hits (“Rush” and “One of Your Girls”), and a pair of high-profile tours: his own solo trek and the blockbuster Sweat Tour with Charli xcx.

Instead, Sivan leaned into the swinging pendulum of life on She’s the Best, his fourth album, out Friday on Interscope. “I wanted there to be this kind of push-and-pull between going from the stage and feeling like this hyper-empowered, hyper-sexualized, connected version of myself to then the reality of going back to the hotel and at times, honestly, feeling the most isolated that I felt in my life,” Sivan says. “That tension made me want to make something that felt really layered.”

In a sit-down interview with the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Sivan was joined by his collaborators Leland (“We would be friends even if neither of us were musicians,” the songwriter says of Troye) and his brother Tyde Levi (“I’ve known Troye since the day I was born!” the rookie producer laughs of his big bro) to talk about how the album came together and why much of its magic was found outside the studio.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madonna's relationship with the MTV Video Music Awards started on its very first telecast, back in 1984, when she writhed around on the stage in a fluffy white wedding dress while performing "Like a Virgin." On Sunday night, the Queen of Pop returned to her rightful stage to open the 2026 VMAs with songs from her Confessions II album and to collect a total seven awards -- and Billboard was in the building.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Keith tells Katie all about his night inside the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles for the 2026 VMAs, where (beyond Madonna, of course) there was a stacked tribute to another MTV legend, George Michael, and the christening of new music video stars too, thanks to the fluid choreography from GENER8TION featuring Yung Lean.

Listen to the full episode to hear Keith's inside commentary.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Ella Langley is now the proud owner of the all-time Billboard Hot 100 record, thanks to “Choosin’ Texas” hitting 23 weeks atop the flagship songs chart this week, her biggest competition is waiting in the wings to potentially reclaim the crown later this year.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith take a closer look at what it would take for Mariah Carey — who previously held the record with her evergreen hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — to take the record right back this holiday season. Listen to the podcast below for the full breakdown of the timeline, from how much longer Langley will be at No. 1 to how many potential weeks Carey could have back up top.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices