Greatest Pop Stars

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 2 artist, Taylor Swift. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Denise Warner to talk about Taylor Swift's incredible sixth straight year in the top five of our Greatest Pop Stars rankings — with a full-circle moment in her masters reacquisition, a beyond-historic first week on the Billboard 200 for her 'Life of a Showgirl' album, and plenty more incredible moments serving as crucial checks off the career to-do list for the biggest pop star of the 2020s.

Find all our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 essays and podcasts here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/greatest-pop-stars-of-2025/

Check out a YouTube playlist of all the best Lady Gaga 2025 moments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMYJCylODGk0ADiLpV3Mmzoj&si=c5W32Yum49YhvSyw

And please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Trans Lifeline

https://translifeline.org/

Destination Tomorrow

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

https://5calls.org/

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Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 3 artist, Lady Gaga. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard charts senior analyst/writer Eric Frankenerg to talk about Lady Gaga's return to the top five of our Greatest Pop Stars list — with a chart-topping album on the Billboard 200, a chart-topping hit on the Billboard Hot 100, one of the year's biggest and most spectacular live shows, and a year full of Classic Gaga moments to remind longtime fans (and everyone else) that she's one of the best to ever do this thing.

Find all our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 essays and podcasts here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/greatest-pop-stars-of-2025/

Check out a YouTube playlist of all the best Lady Gaga 2025 moments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMYJCylODGk0ADiLpV3Mmzoj&si=c5W32Yum49YhvSyw

And please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Trans Lifeline

https://translifeline.org/

Destination Tomorrow

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

https://5calls.org/

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Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 4 artist, Kendrick Lamar. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard Hip-Hop's Carl Lamarre to talk about Kendrick Lamar's second straight year in our top five Greatest Pop Stars — as his 2024 dominance just kept rolling through the first half of 2025, with Lamar continuing to top the Billboard charts, score Grammy recognition (for both 2025 and 2026) and find his way to the center of popular culture, much to the delight of everyone except for one particular rapper from the North.

Find all our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 essays and podcasts here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/greatest-pop-stars-of-2025/

Check out a YouTube playlist of all the best Kendrick Lamar 2025 moments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMZqZWd0paic8g4tbBNX-LKX&si=PoWwOZ2xjvmafs2G

And please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Trans Lifeline

https://translifeline.org/

Destination Tomorrow

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

https://5calls.org/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 5 artist, Sabrina Carpenter. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Lina Morgan of the Song vs. Song podcast to talk about Sabrina Carpenter's second straight year in our top five Greatest Pop Stars — with another blockbuster album and smash hit lead single, topping Billboard charts and getting Grammy nominations with both, as well as another year of major touring, headline-making and near-total pop culture ubiquity.

Find all our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 essays and podcasts here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/greatest-pop-stars-of-2025/

Listen to the Song vs. Song Podcast here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZPOSfyq3NwIsGGTPY1I10?si=ac6b2e655d974f40

Check out a YouTube playlist of all the best Sabrina Carpenter 2025 moments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMZJXyV1sM9zZKTdvKAGhVE0&si=r0KRHH6INVl10X8R

And please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Trans Lifeline

https://translifeline.org/

Destination Tomorrow

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

https://5calls.org/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 series continues its top 10 with a look at our No. 6 artist, KPop Demon Hunters Cast. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard branded producer and social manager Meghan Mahar to talk about the year of the KPop Demon Hunters takeover — with the animated musical not only becoming the most-watched film in Netflix history, but with seven songs from its fictional K-pop groups HUNTR/X and Saja Boys becoming IRL smashes, as the movie, its hits and the real-life artists behind them all became global pop culture fixtures of 2025.

Find all our Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 essays and podcasts here:

https://www.billboard.com/t/greatest-pop-stars-of-2025/

Watch Meghan's HUNTR/X Takes Us Out Video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1uIi7zPwD0&list=PLwFs58D1XAMbH88Bz85QKc--sl_F9Dvvx&index=7&pp=gAQBiAQB8AUB2AYnsAgC

Check out a YouTube playlist of all the best KPop Demon Hunters Cast 2025 moments here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwFs58D1XAMbH88Bz85QKc--sl_F9Dvvx&si=t8GyPgkWY9S66wlH

And please consider donating to the following causes:

Transgender Law Center

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

Trans Lifeline

https://translifeline.org/

Destination Tomorrow

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

https://5calls.org/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices