This Must Be Pop

Ana is joined by Selena Fragassi, music journalist and author of the new book: New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration. Ana and Selena go through the history of the New Kids, from their humble beginnings in Boston, to how they've evolved as one of the most profitable and successful legacy bands in music with the backing of one of the most passionate fanbases: the Blockheads. Buy "New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration" on Amazon During the episode we briefly touch upon Boston's desegregation program and busing crisis. Here are a couple of resources for more information: The Busing Battleground: The Decades-Long Road to School Desegregation (PBS) Nearly 50 years after the Boston busing crisis, a new initiative examines its history and legacy (WBUR) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Just in time for Hanson Day 2024! Ana is joined by Lia from The Ashlee and Jessicast to discuss Hanson. We discuss if Hanson is considered a boyband, as well as get into Lia's fan origin story and dive a bit into most of their discography. We also discuss how awesome the Hanson fandom is! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Ana is joined by Eryn Cooper (radio personality, music journalist, and self-proclaimed professional fangirl) where they break down the AMAZING multi-generational boyband collab to rule them all: Liam Payne's new song "Teardrops. They discuss how Liam's career, both in 1D and as a solo artist, has been very similar to another boybander: *NSYNC's JC Chasez, who coincidentally worked with Liam on "Teardrops" as a co-writer and 'background' vocalist. Follow Eryn on all the socials @onairwitheryn --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

This week marks the one year anniversary of Aaron Carter's passing. Aaron's legacy within music and pop culture is often overlooked, but it certainly deserves recognition and is insanely important. In this special episode honoring Aaron, we discuss him and his music and legacy, complex and layered as it was, with two friends of the pod Ali and Cali. Ali's portion was recorded a year ago only days after Aaron's passing, so at the time it was obviously fresh on our minds. That portion of our conversation was never released until now. A majority of this episode was done recently on the anniversary of his passing with another friend-of-the-pod: Cali, who had a personal relationship with Aaron. We hope you enjoy this honest and insightful episode, honoring the life of Aaron Carter: the musician and human being. A special thank you to both Ali and Cali for their time, honesty, and respect of the topic of Aaron. May he rest in peace.  Please be aware that there are some sensitive topics touched upon in this episode regarding mental health, addiction and trauma.  It's also important to note that this episode will NOT nor EVER be monetized. Too many people tried to, and are still trying to, profit off of his name and we absolutely are against doing anything like that. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Ana and Lizzie are joined by very special guest and fellow podcaster Kelli Williams (@laguna_biotch) to discuss her music journey with artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Taylor Swift, Aaron Carter and LFO and how bands like BSB are such a huge part of her relationship with her mother. We also get into a more serious discussion surrounding "the dark side of boybands" aka bad managers taking advantage of boyband members, and how we as a society still have trouble with taking allegations seriously from young men (poor working conditions, financial mismanagement, and sexual assault, etc.) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Friend-of-the-pod Sasha is back! Ana and Sasha discuss the experience going to the Pop2000 show on July 15, 2023 in Webster, MA. Before the Pop2k discussion, we recap all things JC-related in the past year and answer your lingering questions from the JC series. Timestamps: - Intro and Listener Q&A: 00:00 - JC Updates: 7:50 -Pop2000 Recap: 19:19 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Several news outlets have reported that *NSYNC has recorded a song together, the first time in over 20 years for the upcoming "Trolls" movie. Ana is joined by friend-of-the-pod and *NSYNC fan Sasha to discuss initial thoughts and speculation, and what the potential is to come. PLEASE NOTE: *NSYNC, the individual members, nor their team has confirmed this. Because this is a song associated with a film, the lack of confirmation from the *NSYNC team is most likely due to the WGA/SAG strike which currently prevents members from promoting work associated with union studios. We stand with WGA and SAG and hope they come to a resolution for fair wages and treatment. Also, we do not know if this recording will lead to a show/tour, residency/etc, all conversation surrounding a hypothetical tour or residency is merely just us speculating. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Ana & Lizzie are joined by fellow podcast Mary & Kelsey from the "When They Popped" podcast: What do you get when music journalists don't do any research and they make a podcast episode rooted in a misunderstanding of pop music, youth culture, and the tastes of many women and queer folks? You get the podcast "Your Favorite Band Sucks"; specifically, their most recent episode they did on *NSYNC. (The fact one *NSYNC fan was able to bring on three BSB fans on this episode should tell you how hard "Your Favorite Band Sucks" was on *NSYNC!) Listen to "Your Favorite Band Sucks - *NSYNC" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GMB2FNwAD9AlyqTwT2Q7X?si=59e8f8ffddaa4826 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Ana, Lizzie and Hallie continue their (postponed many times) discussion on Harry Styles' discography of his self-titled debut album (aka HS1), Fine Line, and finally, Harry's House. They break down some lyrics, melody, and overall feel of each album. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boybandpod/message

Ana continues her conversation with her cousins and discusses the discography of the Jonas Brothers. From their first album "It's About Time" to "Lines Vines and Trying Times". **Part 3 of our Jonas Brothers will be released in May after the release of "The Album". Referenced Links: - Desmond Child Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6zX7A4EFodzbuTWBLKc5rq?si=38ab337b1134444c - Nicholas Jonas "When You Look Me In the Eyes" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWFUazmTNGQ

Ana is joined by her two cousins: Jackie and Jocie, arguably the biggest Jonas Brothers fans in the world. In the first part of a three-part series, they discuss their origin stories of becoming Jonas Brothers fans, concerts they've attended and experiences they've had. Because the Jonas Brothers pride themselves as a family-oriented band, we discuss our own family's music journey, coming from a 'fangirl family' and our own fangirl-isms. This episode is dedicated to the dads of fangirls, including our own.

Logan Grimé is a songwriter, producer, musician, as well as a Hanson fan and TikTok/Instagram creator. Logan talks with Ana about songwriting and producing and the importance of an "underlick" of a recording and why it matters. Also discussed is why we shouldn't let marketing and labels get in the way of liking and appreciating a catchy melody. Follow Logan on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok @vib3.machine. Also check out Logan's "Underlick" songwriting class on Masterclass. Click Here to listen to Logan's "Underlicks" playlist on Spotify. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Lizzie are joined by Lizzie's sister Hallie to discuss our patron saint: Harry Styles (we kid about the esquire thing). We chat about Harry's years as a boyband member, his role and how he has grown as a vocalist and musician since then. We also talk about his fashion choices as well as our experience seeing Harry during his "Love On Tour" residency in New York. Links: The Maine's cover of "Watermelon Sugar": https://open.spotify.com/track/3RAzJMkJ8CfcYKhBd4jkBd?si=11ff175ff8a9412b Solo Harry performing "What Makes You Beautiful": https://youtu.be/nS0dGIgPG_Y Harry scolding a fan throwing a phone at him: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiDbOGxA5xD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Lizzie chat with Madison aka Madame Daley (basically our newest best friend). Madame Daley is a New York-based musician, songwriter, and singer of the female and LGBTQ+ group Madame Daley & the Starchild Band. She's the creator of our NEW theme song "Teenage Girls Made Rock & Roll". We talk about her boyband journey from *NSYNC to the Jonas Brothers, One Direction and the Rolling Stones. We also discuss the importance of women's stories and perspectives of being a fangirl. Listen to the full song "Teenage Girls Made Rock & Roll" on Spotify Follow @madamedaley on all the socials: TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! Ana, Ceci & Lizzie talk about their love of Christmas, boybands and why Boyband Christmas music is the ultimate Christmas music. We discuss our favorite boyband and non-boyband Christmas albums, songs and memories. We end with a recap of 2022 and the pop music that it gave us and which boybands we said a (hopefully temporary) goodbye to. TMBP's Boyband Christmas Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7EGDNPUKsuUd1S6Hy6anTC?si=dc58d7d8cdbb445c --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Lizzie chat with author & lover of all boybands Ali Tierney. We discuss her boyband journey, to being a mother of boys, and now an author of a boyband children's book, "B is for Boybands". We chat about her love and obsession with the short-lived boyband Dream Street (1999-2002) and what set them apart from the other boybands at the time. We then discuss members of Dream Street, including her favorite: Chris Trousdale (RIP). Click here to buy "B is for Boybands" on Amazon --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Lizzie chat with Marcus Monroe. Marcus is an NYC-based comedian known for being a boyband superfan, often telling jokes related to his love of boybands while wearing a boyband t-shirt. We discuss our shared love of boybands such as O-Town, Backstreet Boys, One Direction and *NSYNC. We also talk about the Backstreet Boys DNA show as well as Marcus witnessing the 3/5 *NSYNC reunion at Ryan Cabrera and Alexa Bliss' wedding. Check our Marcus' comedy, shows and tour at marcusmonroe.com and follow him on social media: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @marcusjmonroe and Twitter @marcusmonroe --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

PART 2 - Ana, Ceci and Lizzie discuss Backstreet Boys' albums and music from Millennium (1999) until the most recent album DNA (2022). We discuss the songwriters and producers who worked with them on songs on these albums as well as our own memories, stories and perspectives with the music. References: 1.) Lisa Miskofsky - "Another Shape Of My Heart" Lisa was one of the songwriters on "Shape Of My Heart" and recorded and released her own version Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/5DZ1SHJo5mFfjtV3g0iN6s 2.) Backstreet Boys - "Treat Me Right" JC Chasez (*NSYNC) wrote this song with AJ McLean. It is also speculated JC is singing backing vocals on this song. "You're just no good for me / I know you're not good for me" https://open.spotify.com/track/5SrSCFXjjn76bK13engFQr?si=77e4f02b28104dfd --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

OH MY GOD WE'RE BACK AGAIN! Ana, Ceci & Liz are BACK with Season 2 featuring a discussion on the Backstreet Boys. We get into our own personal experiences with the band, including our recent podcast field trip to BSB's DNA World Tour. We discuss all of the members, their relationship with Cheiron Studios in Sweden, and end with a deep dive into their debut album. Links & References: 1. Show Em What You're Made Of - BSB's 2015 Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ6ppWv0sxA 2. This Is Pop - 2021 Docuseries, Netflix Episode 3 - Stockholm Syndrome --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Lizzie provide their immediate reactions after attending the Backstreet Boys DNA show while waiting in post-show parking lot traffic. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana & Lizzie sit down with James Rodriguez (host, "The Original Doll" podcast) and discuss the music and cultural importance of pop music and boybands. We also get into JC Chasez's career as a solo artist, and the parallels of JC's story compared to Britney Spears' treatment by Jive records, specifically, the story about her never released "Original Doll" album. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana and Sasha continue their conversation about JC Chasez by diving into JC's short-lived career as a solo artist. We talk about JC's story with Jive records, and discuss the lack of support he received from the label. We also analyze songs from his debut album Schizophrenic and also discuss the ethical dilemma surrounding the never released but recently leaked "Story of Kate" album. We end with talking about JC's current status as a music producer and songwriter and what is potentially in store for JC's future. Links: JC Chasez Producing & Songwriting Credits (Spotify Playlist): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4UtCaSNajRaStAKbvDh2qi?si=f35c730fcb284c71 Documentary: Dirty Poplitics & the Solo Career of JC Chasez Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhlQk8wfquw Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB6_tHHl950 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

In Part I of our special "JC Series", Ana sits down with Sasha, a musician, photographer and (most importantly) a lifelong *NSYNC fan. Sasha and Ana also happen to be childhood friends and became such due to their mutual love of *NSYNC when they were pre-teens. Ana and Sasha get into why JC Chasez is the greatest boyband member of all time and reminisce about some of JC's best moments in *NSYNC. They also discuss what it was like to see *NSYNC live back in the day, and why *NSYNC worked so uniquely well as a vocal harmony group and boyband. They also talk about the early days of JC's solo career while still a member of *NSYNC. Links: She's the Max (Unreleased *NSYNC Demo, Written by JC & Alex Greggs): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzW90pr92eY Part II discusses JC's career as a solo artist as well as producer and songwriter. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana & Lizzie start Part 2 with discussing topics from Maria Sherman's book “Larger Than Life”, including the business of One Direction and their professional relationship with 5 Seconds of Summer. We also talk about the Rainbow Direction and how 1D was most likely the first ever queer-friendly boyband, and how this benefitted them. We then get into a deep dive of their albums Midnight Memories, Take You Home, Four, and Made in the A.M.  Credit is given to how 1D re-defined so many boyband “rules”, including properly setting up every member for a successful solo career with the proper backing and support from their label and music industry (and yes we compare this to how JC Chasez and the rest of *NSYNC were treated) Don't forget to listen to Lizzie's Essential One Direction Spotify Playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/13q5MfPxa3QNAxQcK4jxvM?si=a0186391a4d84812 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana & Lizzie discuss Lizzie's all-time favorite boyband: One Direction. In the first part of the episode, Lizzie talks about her study abroad experience as an American in London during the beginning of One Direction's rise to success. We also analyze the influence (both positive and negative) that social media had on One Direction's career. We also discuss the specific vocal arrangement, style and abilities of each member, and then do a deep dive into their debut album Up All Night. Also, check out Lizzie's Essential One Direction Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/13q5MfPxa3QNAxQcK4jxvM?si=a0186391a4d84812 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

PART 2 OF 2. Ana & Ceci are joined by friend Teena to break down the music and cultural influence of *NSYNC. In this episode, we discuss their albums "No Strings Attached", "Celebrity" and some of the songs from the "On the Line" soundtrack. *Warning: This episode leans VERY heavily on the musical abilities of JC Chasez, and also gives a lot of credit to the talents of Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone. Links to noteworthy performances mentioned in the episode: "This I Promise You" - Atlantic Concert Performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Suye6DCJ0 "Digital Get Down" - Madison Square Garden Performance from HBO special [No Strings Attached Tour] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhcrVUFqCaI "Selfish" - Performance from the Pop Oddessy Tour [note how JC belts through a key change on the bridge of the song... INSANE!!!] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7NJXz8hzrk --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

PART 1 OF 2. Ana & Ceci are joined by friend Teena to break down the music and cultural influence of *NSYNC (Ana's favorite boyband). We start off discussing our *NSYNC origin stories as well as other pivotal moments in our lives associated with them; seeing them in concert,  waiting in line for their CDs, and watching their TV concert specials. We then do a deep dive into their self-titled 1998 album. *Warning: This episode leans VERY heavily on the musical abilities of JC Chasez, and also gives a lot of credit to the talents of Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone. NSYNC's 2003 Bee Gees Medley: https://youtu.be/kDgh0Tlw5I8 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Ana interviews Erik Didriksen. Erik is a musician, songwriter and author of the book "Pop Sonnets", a book where he takes modern pop songs and reimagines them as Shakespearean sonnets. Erik recites three of his sonnets converted from the following songs: "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Ana and Erik analyze the lyrics and feelings the songs convey, and discuss how cheesy love poetry has been part of art for centuries. The topic of society not seeing the value in certain artforms is discussed (i.e. "high art" v. "low art") as well as comparing societal disdain for pop music as well as disco music and new jack swing; though all of those genres are important and influential. Lastly, the topic of pop punk bands from the late 90s/ early 2000s is also mentioned, answering the question once again if those bands are technically boybands. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

Meet Ana, Ceci & Lizzie, the hosts of This Must Be Pop! Today's episode is dedicated to discussing our backgrounds and music journeys in relation to boybands and pop artists. We also talk about how pop music and boyband music guided us through our adolescence and teenage years as well as the societal stigma felt when liking a boyband. Check out our Spotify Playlist of songs we discussed during this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7y70XdekJLUEIOLLnANcru?si=f29c0ff7c6044762 Bands discussed: *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, Hanson, One Direction, Jonas Brothers, 98 degrees, O-Town, the Moffatts as well as solo artists such as Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and JC Chasez. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support

SPECIAL PREVIEW EPISODE Every decade spawns male vocal groups (i.e. "boybands") who capture the hearts and minds of their teen and pre-teen fans. This episode is setting the stage of our podcast by defining: What "pop music" means What a "boyband" means The history of boybands We also take the time to discuss what truly defines a boyband; why they are overlooked and why their cultural and societal impact is important to be discussed.  [Our hosts Ana & Lizzie are on this episode. Our other co-host Ceci, will be on the premiere episode.] Bands Mentioned: The Temptations, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, The Jackson 5, The Osmonds, New Edition, Menudo, New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Bell Biv DeVoe, Hanson, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, 98 degrees, LFO, O-Town, Jonas Brothers, Big Time Rush, One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, The Wanted, BTS, Why Don't We --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/boybandpod/support