Flopstars

Britney Spears' 'Glory' was a difficult return to form for the pop artist who was still within the confines of her conservatorship. The album provided a rare oasis for her to explore an experimental electronic-pop sound with the likes of Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. In this episode, we discuss the legacy of 'Glory' and veer off into subjects like how many Guinness World Records Britney holds.

The Pop In is our weekly new music and news wrap. This week we unpack Sam Smith & Kim Petras' viral hit 'Unholy', talk about Rihanna's Super Bowl news and more.

Katy Perry is back for a second time on Flopstars with her 2020 record 'Smile'. 'Smile' was rolled out over the space of a year and coincided with the birth of Perry's first child. It's upbeat and positive, rebounding from the comedown that was 'Witness'. While it certainly brings back the pop bops, it's hard to call it a return to form.

The biggest pop music moments of the week all wrapped up!

It seems like we might finally be approaching the follow-up to Sky Ferreira's iconic debut album 'Night Time, My Time'. 'Masochism', the working name for the sophomore record, has been forming for about 8 years and in that time 'Night Time, My Time' has aged like fine wine. Here, we unpack the classic pop record by looking into what was going on for Ferreira at the time and how it differed from everything else out.

Welcome to THE POP IN! A Flopstars sidebar to keep the album deep dives ~pure~ where we'll unpack the week in music, entertainment and pop culture simultaneously, just before jumping into an album we care about right now. This week on The Pop In: 1989 (Taylor's Version) is imminent - will it be the best yet? New Rina Sawayama's being teased in an unusual manner for 2022. Jack Harlow's rap's latest pop crossover but does his album deserve the criticism it's getting? New bops (or are they flops?) from Carly Rae Jepsen's Solar Power Era, 2x Toves (Styrke & Lo), Jessica Mauboy, Doja Cat's song for the Elvis soundtrack (??) and MAISIE PETERS. Then previewing the biggest new releases of the week from Kendrick Lamar, Mallrat & Florence.

We've discussed Lady Gaga on this podcast plenty but it was only a matter of time until we gave 'Chromatica' a spotlight of its own. Gaga's return to dance/pop was largely foiled by the pandemic but it became the sound of lockdown for many. 'Rain On Me' became a massive hit but the rest of the record was let down by a lack of promotion due to global circumstances. It's a firm fan favourite though and one of the most memorable pop records in recent times.

Welcome to THE POP IN! A Flopstars sidebar to keep the album deep dives ~pure~ where we'll unpack the week in music, entertainment and pop culture simultaneously, just before jumping into an album we care about right now. This week on The Pop In: Understanding The Assignment, Met Gala hits and misses, Harry Styles etc, Coachella's finest and least fine moments and we Bop Or Flop new music from Khalid, Ava 'Sullet' Max & this week's Flopstar, Lady Gaga. Subscribe for weekly updates & follow our new Insta: @flopstarspod!

It's 10 years since Florence + The Machine dropped 'Ceremonials' so we're going back. Florence and co's sophomore album was a grandiose affair with links to Baz Luhrman and maximalist cinema. It was tailor-made for festivals and huge concerts but also an emotional sucker punch on tape too. Nic Kelly and Sam Murphy talk about how the record holds up now as well as new releases by Charli XCX, The Weeknd, Silk Sonic and more.

It's Charli baby! You know we love Charli XCX on this podcast and after previously looking at her mixtapes, we're shining a light on 'Charli'. Her long-awaited third album is one that bridges together her flair for the experimental with her natural pop instincts. It's both commercial and wildly left-centre with a host of guests from Haim to Lizzo. Sam Murphy and Nic Kelly get deep on 'Charli' while also talking about new releases from Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Conan Gray and more.

For our season five premiere, we're taking on a titan. Adele is no flop. In fact, she's probably the least flop-worthy artist on the plant. But, we wanted to talk about her and so we're digging into her least successful album '19'. Her debut is her most lucid and alternative album but it also set the foundations for the mega-success that was to come. Join Sam Murphy and Nic Kelly as they talk '19' plus the latest releases from Adele, The Weeknd, Tove Styrke, Remi Wolf and more.

Episode 4 is dedicated to Lady Gaga. 2021 has been a busy year for the superstar so far with the 10 year anniversary of 'Born This Way', the 'Chromatica' remix album and another collaborative album with Tony Bennett 'Love For Sale'. None of it signals a new era for Gaga though, so on this episode, we look at what her official pop follow-up to 'Chromatica' could look like. 'Chromatica' was excellent but the era was stopped short due to COVID-19 and now we're left to speculate what could've been if it was fully realised. Join us as we dream of the future of Lady Gaga.

This week we go into Britney Spears. Britney has been battling a conservatorship ship for more than a decade, making it difficult for her to act with the freedom of a regular popstar. She's still managed hits but with frustration for her situation mounting, she pulled the pin on her pop career. If it ends though, what's next for Britney? Can she return to being a main pop girl and will freedom give her music a sense of liberation that it's been lacking?

This episode is all about Charli XCX's next era. She's announced that her most “pop” album yet is on the way citing Janet Jackson as a major influence. If she's returning to pop it may mean she's ready to play the mainstream game again after a period of experimentation. Here, we'll talk about how Charli can get hits again. We also discuss new songs from Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, and Omar Apollo.

This season, we're going to deep dive on an artist who has flopped in the past and envision how they can avoid a flop in the future. We're talking dream collaborators, perfect album titles, the sound they should go for. This episode is all about Lorde's next era. We already have an album on the way but we're talking the ways in which she could score another big hit. Who should she work with? What promotional tactics should she use? Does she even want another big hit?

We're diverting once again from our regular programming to give you our wrap of the second quarter of 2021. Things are starting to heat up and April through June gave us plenty to talk about from Olivia Rodrigo's debut 'SOUR' to Lorde's return with 'Solar Power'. Flops, bops, and us of our chops, as per, in this latest episode.

This week, we're taking on Sigrid's debut album 'Sucker Punch'. She's just returned with her excellent new single 'Mirror' but we're going back to where it all began and talking the hype, Scandipop and why she wasn't able to cut through outside of Europe.

Marina FKA. Marina & The Diamonds is in the spotlight this week as we take a look at her sophomore record 'Electra Heart'. It was a buoyant, blistering pop record that saw her collide with some of the biggest producers in the world while also maintaining her quirky songwriting flair. Critics were less than kind but fans have maintained it's a classic and on this episode, we decide how it holds up today.

Lady Gaga has been featured on the podcast once before with 'ARTPOP' but we are returning to Mother Monster to look at her YeeHaw moment 'Joanne'. It was a creative left-turn for Gaga, ditching the avant-garde pop for something stripped back and raw. Not everyone loved it but it was an important moment in her career development.

We're diverting from regular programming for one week to bring you a special episode. As we see out the final week of March, we take a look at the year that has been so far. It's been a quiet one by pop standards but we've still had the Grammys and the Superbowl plus major releases from Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Lana Del Rey and heaps more.

This week, we're taking a deep dive into Lily Allen's third album 'Sheezus'. It was a comeback album for Allen but it failed to match her previous success and also led to some personal turmoil. All these years later though, Allen's songwriting still stands up.

Paris Hilton's venture into pop music is on our radar this week as we take a look into 'Paris'. Her divisive debut was neither as good or as bad as it needed to be. It remains a study on whether you can manufacture a pop career from scratch. Believe it or not, it actually delivered some hits that stand up today.

Years & Years' debut 'Communion' was a smash in the UK, bolstered by the triumphant 'King'. In this episode of 'Flopstars', however, we discuss why it didn't hit quite as hard in other areas of the globe and what the future holds for Years & Years.

On this episode, we're going deep on Kelly Clarkson's controversial third album 'My December'. The commercial detour came as a shock to fans and the record label alike, introducing us to a darker Clarko sound. It failed to makes waves on the charts and agitated the label in the process but fans still stick by it to this day. Let's dig into 'My December'.

Rita Ora is one of the most versatile pop artists in the game. Her second album 'Phoenix' came 6 years after her first and in that time she faced plenty of challenges as people began to question, 'What does Rita do?' 'Phoenix', however, proves that she can make bangers and bops by the dozen. It does raise plenty of questions about what music she actually wants to make though and on this episode we dissect it all.

In this special episode, we pay tribute to boundary-pushing, limitless producer SOPHIE who has shaped pop in ways we may not even fully understand yet. Nic and Sam share memories from their formative experiences listening to SOPHIE and talk about her undeniable legacy.

This week, we're focussing on a relatively new record. Rina Sawayama's debut SAWAYAMA isn't even a year old but it's already caused a stir. The full-length debut from the ambitious pop artist landed her on critics' radar all around the world and found her a cult fanbase of devoted fans. The chart love hasn't happened just yet though and on this episode, we discuss why.

This week, we're turning our attention to ZAYN's debut ‘Mind Of Mine'. As the first member to leave One Direction, all eyes were on ZAYN and this project. While 'Pillowtalk' prospered the rest of the album failed to nab attention as ZAYN wrestled with his place as a mainstream popstar. He's just dropped a new album ‘Nodbody Is Listening' so we're going to dig deep into the career of ZAYN.

First up in season 3 is Zara Larsson's 2017 debut album ‘So Good'. It was a long road leading up to the album filled with many hits but the album failed to give her anything as big as ‘Lush Life' to add to her arsenal. With a second album on the horizon, it's the perfect time to chat all things Zara.

In the second part of our holiday special, we're going back on the second half of last year, picking apart some of the key releases. On part one, we're focussing on the first half of the year, talking about records by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and more. We also go through our Spotify wrapped. Just a note: We found out after the episode that Mike Pence's Twitter cover photo was in fact not Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Whoops.

In this holiday special, we're going back on the year that was, picking apart some of the key releases. On part one, we're focussing on the first half of the year, talking about records by Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware, Lady Gaga and more. We also pit some of the biggest #1 records of the year against each other.

This week, it's Little Mix's turn. Their fourth album ‘Glory Days' was far from a flop, actually. It was their biggest album in the UK and Australia spawning an array of hits. It was also aimed towards the US though where it failed to nab any considerable hits once again. On this episode, we look at how the album made Little Mix the biggest band in the world while also failing to get them the global attention they deserve.

This week, we're looking at an icon. It's hard to attach the word flop to anything Beyonce has done but her fourth album ‘4' was an underwhelming performer commercially. While it failed to cling to the charts though, it launched her into a new phase of her career. She felt liberated both in a business-sense and artistically. What it gave way to was her most daring album yet and one that still shines bright today.

This week, we're taking on a curveball with Robbie Williams' ‘Rudebox'. The 2006 album is one of the most outrageous albums you'll hear by a popstar at the peak of his powers. The inventive, electronic album was an outlandish, surreal and often absurd collection of songs that divided his core fan group. To this day, people still go into fight for Rudebox while others have erased its very existence.

This week, we're going deep on Lorde's 'Melodrama'. The Kiwi's second album came after her huge breakout with ‘Pure Heroine'. After Grammys and hits, she returned with a pulsating, dizzying seconds album made entirely with Jack Antonoff. It was a rousing, poignant coming of age that earned her universal praise but its charts hits were few and far between. In this episode, we explore why it didn't hit commercially and why it's a landmark album for pop music.

This week, we're talking about an icon. Kylie is in the fourth decade of her career and still making pristine pop music. It's ‘Aphrodite' and ‘Kiss Me Once' that are on our radar though - two albums that loosened her stranglehold on the chart. Both albums contain fan favorites but the pair underperformed and shifted her career dramatically. On this episode, we look at why.

This week, it's P!NK's fourth record ‘I'm Not Dead' in the spotlight. The record sparked a career revival for P!NK as she grew into the artist we know today. It was slow to start though with the album growing in popularity over time. It was also disproportionately successful in Australia in comparison to the rest of the world. For this podcast, we're exploring Australia's love affair with P!NK and why I'm Not Dead wasn't initially successful in the rest of the world.

This week, we're casting our minds back to Harry Styles debut album. In 2017, he arrived finally as one of the last One Direction members to release solo music. ‘Sign Of The Times' was the lead-in and it was a grand, lengthy one. The album debuted at number one all around the world but the singles struggled to stick around, as Styles aimed for a retro rock ‘n' roll sound. On this episode, we'll explore what the album did for his career and why ‘Fine Line' went bigger.

This week, we're throwing it back to Gwen Stefani's second solo record 'The Sweet Escape;. Her debut 'Love.Angel.Music.Baby' was a breakthrough, casting her from No Doubt to mainstream solo success with ease. She never intended to do another one but the creative juices were flowing enough to make a second. 'The Sweet Escape' was an even odder record that couldn't match the chart success of its predecessor but drew plenty of attention regardless.

This week, Nicki Minaj's ‘Queen' is at the center of our universe. Minaj's fourth project came with antics, controversy and some classic moments but it tells a broader story of where rap was at that point. It was the first time her crown was perceivably challenged, not that it was ever up to be snatched. On this episode, we discuss the highs and lows of the ‘Queen' era.

Last month, Taylor Swift surprised everyone by releasing her eighth album ‘Folklore'. It's broken a plethora of records but today we're looking back at an album that many would consider to be Swifts's plateau - ‘Reputation'. As per usual, the record sold big in its first week but reviews were lukewarm and many of the singles failed to stick around. On this episode, we're going to look into why public favour turned against Swift and how she was able to pull it back.

This episode, we're taking a look at a fresh record. Jessie Ware's fourth album ‘What's Your Pleasure?' has been met with critical acclaim and a wave of public excitement like she's never received before. She's always made great music while traversing a very fine line between the underground and the mainstream. This week, we're discussing why this album feels so free and how she's handled pop pressure throughout her career.

For Episode 1 of Season 2, we're taking a look into Katy Perry's fourth album 'Witness'. Prior to the release of the album, Perry was the biggest popstar in the world, breaking records with her third album 'Prism'. 'Witness', however, broke that trend. The experimental pop project failed to find favour with the mainstream and led to a series of questionable promotional tactics. Still, there's some value to be found in the record as we approach her fifth album.

For our final episode, we're turning to the ultimate Flopstar - Robyn. While not always claiming top spot on the charts, she's become the gold standard of pop music. We're looking into her seminal record ‘Body Talk' - a 15 track opus that houses some of the greatest pop songs of our time from Dancing On My Own to Call Your Girlfriend.

It's Christina Aguilera's turn this time around as we look into her 2010 record ‘Bionic'. The album came off the back of some of Christina's most popular work but it signaled a shift in direction. She worked with Sia, Santigold, M.I.A., Nicki Minaj and more on an experimental pop record. It wasn't a hit on the charts though only managing one top 30 single in the US.

This week, The Veronicas' Hook Me Up album is our subject. The second record from the Brisbane duo catapulted them to become the biggest pop act in the country with number one records and a string of singles that have stood the test of time. Internationally, they made their first major splash but despite being a great pop album, it failed to solidify their place in the global pop space. More than a decade later, ‘Untouched' is having a moment though, as the track has become an Australian festival favourite.

This week, it's Miley Cyrus' turn as we take a look into her 2017 record ‘Younger Now'. The album marked a return to a more PG Miley after her ‘Bangers' era which was fill of wildcards, psychedelics and shocking live shows. Commercially, it was unable to match her usual success but fans still champion the record as a display of her natural talents.

This episode, we turn our attention to Justin Bieber's 2013 compilation ‘Journals'. Coming off a year of terrible PR, Bieber attempted to turn the headlines to music with a mature, R&B project. It didn't create the hits that his last album did but it's become a fan favourite and also informed his most recent album ‘Changes'.

This week, we're looking at Britney Spears' ‘Blackout' album. The 2007 record was a pulsating club and urban-inspired album that pushed boundaries. It was also surrounded by a very public meltdown that captured more headlines than the album itself. 13 years later, however, fans and artists alike agree that its influence can be felt in pop today.

This week, we're spotlighting Lady Gaga's ‘ARTPOP' record. The experimental, boundary-pushing pop record came at the height of her career but failed to nab the same commercial success as its predecessors. Since then, it's become a fan favourite with many arguing it was ahead of its time.

This week, it's the career of Tove Lo who we're delving into. Bursting onto the scene early last decade with a string of huge pop hits, Lo has become one of the most challenging pop acts around. While the hits have stopped flowing, her music has only gotten more exciting with last year's ‘Sunshine Kitty' giving us some of her most unfiltered work to date.