The fingerprints of house music are all over mainstream pop, but much of its sound has been whitewashed. That ubiquitous four-to-the-floor kick and synth bass sound draws from Chicago’s queer, black and latinx warehouse club culture.

How do you create a hit that both breaks sound barriers and chart records? Drake has done this with a unique mix of international music from Africa, the Caribbean, the U.K. and Canada.

We have more information about pop stars lives than ever before, but this transparency is not always uplifting for music lovers. As listeners, this undoubtedly colors the way we hear our old favorite songs.

Summer heat is upon us and so are the jams. Our ears are hooked on Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” What you may not know is that this song leans on the success of mononymous giants: Pharrell, Michael and Handel.

With Meghan Trainor’s new singles “No” and “Me Too” ubiquitous on the radio dial, a larger discussion about the uneasy relationship between social movements and selling records takes a feminist bent.

A battle between brothers is playing out on the pop charts, a sibling rivalry the likes of which the music industry hasn’t seen since 1987, when Michael and Janet Jackson’s 1987 “Bad” and “Let’s Wait Awhile” jockeyed for peak position on the Hot 100.

On the same week we lost Prince, the world was gifted Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Both artists contain multitudes of musical traditions, collaborators and themes that weave throughout their song.

The Life Of Pablo is Kanye West’s latest album. Despite its lack of hits, it has been at the fulcrum of pop music for months. With its gradual online release and its changing track lists, this shapeshifting album is difficult to grasp.

Out of nowhere, Twenty One Pilots has rocketed to the top of the charts with their surprise hit “Stressed Out.” Charlie and Nate pull this millennial anthem apart to discover a deep political resonance, the kind that rarely hits the Hot 100.

How do you collaborate with five people to write a song that captures that national temperature? The stakes may seem high with stars like Alex Da Kid, Candice Pillay, Kanye West and Rihanna, but Sam Harris from X Ambassadors has unlocked the secret.

Listen carefully to almost any hit song these days and you’ll hear musicians screaming “Hey!” What’s the matter with them? Do they really need our attention?

Sia started her career as a ghostwriter for stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé. Recently she found pop star success with her hit “Chandelier, so you’d expect to see her front and center — instead, she hides her face.

What do Usher, The Band Perry and Bieber have in common? They all sing with Mama Jan, one of the best vocal coaches and producers in the music business.

Is it a love song or is it a breakup song? Charlie joins the women of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast to break down their namesake song by Robyn.

What do presidential candidates, professional wrestlers and improv comics have in common? Walk on theme music. As the primary season heats up we dig into the history, meaning and controversies of campaign anthems.

Annually, hundreds of publications release best of lists. These lists are supposed to make it easier to discover and celebrate the year in music. But with so many lists how can we know what is truly the best?

Celebrate 50 years of A Charlie Brown Christmas and his eponymous holiday album. If you’re feeling worn out on holiday music, this one never wears old.

Two unlikely anthems of individuality are rocketing up the charts: Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love” and Alessia Cara’s “Here.” One is from an established star, the other from a total unknown, but both use similar musical techniques to make their voices heard against the madding crowd.

The most omnipresent figure in pop music is also the most elusive: Karl Sandberg, AKA Max Martin, the mad Swedish genius who’s ruled the charts for 20 years.

Drake and Adele are two megastars who may not seem to share much in common on the surface, but their recent hits exhibit some surprising parallels. Both revisit past relationships over the phone and both conceal inner anguish beneath subtle musical shifts.