To understand how R&B has changed over time, we consult with Trevor Anderson, manager of Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop chart, and with R&B super-producer Oak Felder to understand how R&B is progressing and what it might become.

For the live action remake of the Lion King, Beyoncé, (who voices Nala in the film), recorded and curated a companion soundtrack called The Gift. She worked with leading Afropop stars to expose the music of the continent to a global audience.

Why is it that every hip restaurant plays the same music? When Eater restaurant editor Hillary Dixler Canavan kept hearing similar songs while dining for work assignments, she compiled a playlist of what she heard. It included songs by LCD Soundsystem, M83, Grimes, Biggie, Beck and the like.

Lil Nas X licensed the beat for “Old Town Road” from an e-commerce platform. He originally bought a non-exclusive copy of the backing track for just $29.99 from a 19 year old Dutch record producer called YoungKio. And he’s not the first hitmaker to do so…

Shawn Mendes’ hit song “If I Can’t Have You” is so ridiculously catchy that Charlie had it stuck in his head after the first chorus. How is that possible?! Declamation.

Madonna, Stephen Puth, Found Sound Nation, and Make Music Day’s “Street Studios” all use space to place us in their music.

How should we listen to K-pop? This music has become a global phenomenon, charting on the Billboard Hot 100, taking over social media feeds, and touring the world.

Fans are not happy with Will Smith’s update of the classic Disney song “Prince Ali” in the live-action Aladdin. Their complaint? The new “Prince Ali” is slow, sluggish, and dull.

Ever notice that wobbly, drunken and underwater sound common in so many contemporary pop songs? In an era of pristine recording quality, music producers are referencing old and impure technologies to add character to their recordings.

Rocketman is a spectacle the size of Elton John, four films in one. It contains a biopic, jukebox musical, addiction recovery story and a romance between friends. The soundtrack ties the story together by taking historical liberties to tell a fantastical story about one of the best living songwriters.

Jessica Hopper, host of KRCW series Lost Notes, plumbs pop music history for the most important stories never told, bringing us a bevy of lost gems. Tune in to discover another side of pop, one that’s rarely been heard.

A pop star collaboration is a foolproof way to grab the attention of two audiences at once. But do more collaborators actually make a better song? Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber put this question to the test in their new song “I Don’t Care.”

This is undeniably pop music, a daily soundtrack to the lives of many. So why does it sound the way it does? And why, after forty years, does NPR want to change it?

Daniel Armbruster, lead vocalist of indie band Joywave, has been hearing the same melody in tracks across the Alternative Songs charts. He believes that this hook could be the secret to securing a spot on the Billboard 100.

On her new album, Cuz I Love You, Lizzo shows off her genre bending musicality. We speak with X Ambassadors lead singer, Sam Harris, who helped co-write three songs on the album, including its eponymous track.

When a listener asked us about the “sorcery” behind Taylor Swift’s new song “ME!” we knew we had to investigate — and because the track features Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco, we couldn’t resist digging into their concurrent hit “High Hopes.”

Pop is inseparable from reality TV singing competitions. We’ve long overlooked this influence on pop, but were inspired to look into the phenomenon by the release of Teen Spirit, a pop-musical film about a fictional singing competition .

After Billboard removed Lil Nas X’s surprise hit “Old Town Road” from country charts, we decided to dig deep into the song’s musical matter and pit it against other country hits to test its deep fried bonafides.

On this episode, we examine how Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas crafted a cultural phenomenon, why their message speaks to this generation, and we speak with Finneas about the creation of their hit song “Bad Guy.”

Bhi Bhiman joins to explain the “nerd punk rock” behind releasing his new album Peace of Mind with an accompanying podcast. Since Bhiman explores issues like deportation on the track “Beyond the Border,” there’s a lot to say about each song.