We Ain't No Divas

15 years ago, California Gurls hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the first of five consecutive Katy Perry singles to do so. With her sophomore record Teenage Dream, Katy became the first female artist and second artist after Michael Jackson to score five chart-toppers from one album on its initial run.

Inspired by The Beach Boys and Jay-Z, Katy set out to dominate pop with her second album, enlisting the help of Snoop Dog...

As Rihanna’s first song in three years (Friend of Mine) missed the Global Spotify charts, Ross and Sam question what’s going on with Fenty Music.

We dive into PinkPantheress’ new mixtape Fancy That (and Sam’s interview with her for Capital Buzz), JADE’s That’s Showbiz Baby announcement, and Madonna’s upcoming Netflix biopic mini-series.

Plus, a new Weekly UpTate on all things Tate McRae, who kicked off her Miss Possessive wor...

You're 20 years old with $100 million in the bank and no more Disney to answer to, what could go wrong?

Miley Cyrus had something to prove but nobody to answer to when she released Bangerz in 2013. Her first album after being released from all Disney affiliated contracts, Miley described it as her debut album and reintroduced herself to the world while erasing Hannah Montana from their minds.

The Bangerz era gave her two UK n...

In this week's Diva Digest, Lady Gaga beats Madonna's Brazil concert record in Copacabana, Beyoncé kicks off the Cowboy Carter world tour with new backup dancer Blue Ivy (!) and Lorde announces she's exploring her gender on new album Virgin.

Plus, Little Mix album JADE has confirmed her debut solo album is currently delayed due to "label advice". Meanwhile, why are no songs going to number one in 2025?

New episodes drop every...

Ross and Sam are back for another Diva Digest and it's a meaty one!

Lorde returns with What Was That, a thumping return to Melodrama's sound that may or may not be a diss track to Jack Antonoff. Addison Rae reigns supreme with fourth single Headphones On and announces her self-titled debut album. Meanwhile, Tate McRae and Lana Del Rey are on two sides of the Morgan Wallen coin - who is the country star and what is going on?

P...

Fresh off Umbrella being the biggest single of 2007, Rihanna reissued Good Girl Gone Bad with three additional songs (including two more US number ones!), another haircut and a first hip-hop feature that'd make her the go-to girl for years to come.

Part two of our Good Girl Gone Bad deep dive delves into the success of Take A Bow, Disturbia and Live Your Life with T.I., while we explore how fashion continued to play a pivotal ro...

We're back and so are (some of) the main pop girls!

Ross and Sam discuss Coachella Weekend 1's biggest sets, from Lady Gaga's career-spanning Mayhem live debut to Megan Thee Stallion's headline show. Charli xcx isn't sure whether or not she's done with the Brat era but are we ready for it to be?

As for new music, Addison Rae has announced her debut album release date and Lorde has taken over TikTok with the first snippet of h...

Hi Divas! It feels like 2013 again with new music from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez out this week. Ross and Sam react to the beginning of Miley's new album era after watching the Something Beautiful music video and chat about Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball and Kesha's first independent album.

It's an all-out pop war as we dive into Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez's new albums (eternal sunshine deluxe: better days ahead, a...

18 years ago this week, Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty reintroduced herself to the world with Umbrella, the lead single from her transformative third album Good Girl Gone Bad.

Just two years after she was signed by Jay-Z at 15, Rihanna overhauled her image and formed her pop A-team (Timbaland, Stargate, Justin Timberlake) to command the world's attention with her voice, personality and style. Umbrella was the longest-running Number 1 sin...

Hey Divas! Ross and Sam finally catch up on Lady Gaga's new album Mayhem and a ton of new music released by Chappell Roan (The Giver), Doechii (Anxiety), JADE (FUFN), Lil Nas X (Hotbox) and Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco (Sunset Blvd).

Mother Monster is at her commercial and critical peak but the divas are divided when it comes to Mayhem's musical quality. Meanwhile, Lil Nas X has rebooted his sophomore album campaign with the Ph...

Where were you when Lady Gaga staged her own death at the 2009 MTV VMAs during Paparazzi?

Part two of our diva dive into Lady Gaga's The Fame, Ross and Sam revisit Lady Gaga's pivot from stereotypical dance-pop hitmaker to pop art provocateur with the campaign's third and fourth international singles LoveGame and Paparazzi.

From paying homage to Britney Spears and gender-bending like Madonna in the Joseph Kahn-directed LoveGa...

Dear Tate, we hope you're listening... Ross and Sam are back with an end-of-awards season special! Sam tells all about the 2025 BRIT Awards before we dive into JADE's star-making Angel of My Dreams performance and Sabrina Carpenter's royally racy Bed Chem performance.

We discuss the whelming 2025 Oscars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's spectacular opening performance, and that Bond tribute by Doja Cat, LISA and Raye. Finally, ...

RedOne! Konvict... GA-GA.

Lady Gaga arrived seemingly fully-formed in 2008 as a David Bowie-referencing, Grace Jones-dressing blonde New York party girl ready to disrupt pop. The one-two punch of Just Dance and Poker Face established her as a fashion-savvy, sexually charged visual artist ready to push buttons and take over the industry, while the record-breaking album The Fame introduced her and RedOne as two forward-thinking hi...

We don't need your drugs... Ross & Sam react to Addison Rae's third single High Fashion, break down its many musical references and discuss how her debut album is taking up.

We dive into Sabrina Carpenter's deluxe edition of Short n' Sweet (featuring Dolly Parton!), Chappell Roan's upcoming single The Giver, and Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco's joint album. As for UK pop news, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour ticket controversy c...

Ariana Grande's fifth album thank u, next came in the wake of personal tragedy and turmoil. In September 2018, Ariana's ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of a drug overdose months, just weeks after her fourth album Sweetener was released. She ceased all promotion and camped out at a New York recording studio with her closest friends and collaborators, including Victoria Monet, Tommy Brown, Tayla Parx and Max Martin.

Thank u, next rew...

It's time for a Diva Digest! Ross & Sam react to the 2025 GRAMMYs. From Beyoncé's historic COWBOY CARTER win to Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track Not Like Us sweeping, the GRAMMYs were finally FUN again. We get into Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter and discuss whether Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift really were "robbed" as TikTok is saying...

Elsewhere, we review LADY GAGA's new single Abracadabra, FKA tw...

I Am... Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé's most commercially successful album yet her most divisive and, perhaps oddly, forgotten?

Sam and Ross revisit the Destiny's Child superstar's third solo album - a double album showcasing a more 'human' Beyoncé and an uptempo disc named after her onstage alter ego Sasha Fierce. From Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) being one of the first ever viral music videos to her performing at Barack Obama's ...

Ross and Sam recap the first three weeks of January in music in the first Diva Digest.

We review JADE's latest release IT GIRL, which highlights The Wanted's Glad You Came effect once again, and the state of her first solo album. We dive into excellent new albums from Bad Bunny (DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS) and Rose Gray (Louder, Please). Elsewhere, we explore Heidi Montag's now-number one 2010 album Superficial and how it topped iTune...

Sabrina Carpenter went from "that blonde girl" in Olivia Rodrigo's Driver's License to record-breaking main pop girl with her sixth album Short n' Sweet.

Between three number one singles (Espresso, Please Please Please and Taste), a tabloid romance with Barry Keoghan and a pin-up makeover, Sabrina positioned herself on top of the pop charts. What does her reputation as the horniest girl in pop really mean? Does the album live up...