ABOUT THE SHOW
It started driving the California coast, when we realized Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” was a masterclass in musical tension hiding in a three-minute pop banger. That spark became Switched On Pop, a podcast about listening closer to pop music to understand why it moves us.
Hosted by Nate Sloan, professor of musicology, and Charlie Harding, songwriter and music educator, Switched on Pop breaks down the musical ideas and production choices behind today’s biggest hits: Taylor Swift’s recurring melodic signatures, Olivia Rodrigo’s heartbreak anthems, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s time-bending duets, and Stevie Wonder’s timeless harmonies.
We pull songs apart to understand how they work and why they matter, often bringing along artists, producers, and songwriters to share how their hits are made and what they mean. Because every song has more to give — if you listen closer.
TEAM
Reanna Cruz
Producer
Illustrator
Brandon McFarland
Audio Engineer
Nick Ripps
Video Editor
Nate Sloan
Co-host
Lissa Soep
Editor
Theme Composers
Bear
Cat
Art Director
Charlie Harding
Co-host, Executive Producer
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FEATURED GUESTS
Bootsy Collins
Lucy Dacus
FINNEAS
Disclosure
Jacob Collier
Jack Antonoff
Nile Rodgers
Mickey Guyton
Sylvan Esso
Rina Sawayama
Talking Heads
Seal
Brittany Howard
Carly Rae Jepsen
Caroline Polachek
Chappell Roan
Charlie Puth
Daveed Diggs
Jhayco
Jonas Brothers
Kali Uchis
Keith Urban
Meshell Ndegeocello
Laufey
Maggie Rogers
Robert Plant
Jeff Tweedy
Willow
“My first stop when major releases from Taylor and Beyoncé drop because I know they’ll get into the music, not (just) the narrative or the prevailing internet discourse.” Ministry of Pop Culture
“A fascinating deep-dive into how vast teams of talented people channel their knowledge of melody, diminished chords and syncopated snares into making truly terrible slush pop.” The Guardian
![“[Switched On Pop] treats the songs, artists and trends most would think of as flotsam with high-minded enthusiasm, and its break-it-down-to-basics approach never patronises and always illuminates.” Esquire (UK), best podcasts of 2019](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dc85fbedb678a2362a7fd9f/1574128133231-PWNCON6JBZQDT9QF5RS0/Esquire.png)
“[Switched On Pop] treats the songs, artists and trends most would think of as flotsam with high-minded enthusiasm, and its break-it-down-to-basics approach never patronises and always illuminates.” Esquire (UK)
“Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding have an uncanny way of making the fleeting, unknowable parts of pop music something to be understood, not just appreciated.” IndieWire
“Musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding have highbrow discourse on the Top 40.” Entertainment Weekly, Best Music Podcasts
The Signal Awards gold award for Best Music Podcast
Vogue UK calls Switched On Pop one “of the best podcasts to listen to now”
Peabody named Switched On Pop one of “7 Signal Award-Winning Podcasts You Should Be Listening To”
Esquire says Switched On Pop is one of “The 82 Best Podcasts You Can Listen To In 2024”
The Signal Awards gave Switched On Pop best music podcast of 2023
Time out lists Switched On Pop as one of “The 50 best podcasts to listen to in 2022”
The Webby Awards gave Switched On Pop people’s voice Arts & Culture Podcast 2020 award
The New York Times recommends Switched On Pop as one of the best “7 Podcasts for Music Lovers”
The Podcast Awards gave Switched On Pop the 2019 People’s Choice Podcast Award for Best Music Podcast
The Atlantic named Switched On Pop one of “The 50 Best Podcasts of 2019”
Indiewire called Switched On Pop one of “The Best Podcast Episodes of 2019”
The Guardian labeled Switched On Pop one of “The 50 best podcasts of 2018”
Entertainment Weekly dubbed Switched On Pop #1 of the “12 best music podcasts”
Buzzfeed says Switched On Pop: “will make you a more interesting person.”
Quartz cites Switched On Pop as part of the “golden age of the music explainer”
Apple Podcasts “Editors Choice”