2026 Pop Predictions: big beat, animated avatars, and Bruno Mars

2026 Pop Predictions: big beat, animated avatars, and Bruno Mars

Author: Switched on Pop January 6, 2026 Duration: 57:25
It’s a brand new year, and what better way to ring it in than with the second annual Switched On Pop bingo? Like last year, Charlie, Nate, and Reanna polish their crystal balls and play Popstradamus, each throwing out eight outlandish pop predictions for the coming months. This time, there’s piano ballads, cover songs, and what Charlie calls the impending “death of auto-tune.”  Get your own bingo card to play along through our ⁠Newsletter⁠! Find us on YouTube! Songs discussed: The Prodigy – Firestarter The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin’ Beats Basement Jaxx – Jump ’N Shout Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – Die With A Smile Benson Boone – Beautiful Things Post Malone, Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott – Take What You Want LCD Soundsystem – Losing My Edge Anamanaguchi, Hatsune Miku – Miku Crazy Frog – Axel F Hampton The Hamster – Hampsters Get the Blues K/DA – POP/STARS Madison Beer – make you mine Forrest Frank –...

Ever wondered how a pop song gets its hooks into you? Switched on Pop digs into that question, peeling back the glossy layers of mainstream music to explore the craft and theory that make hits work. Hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding, this podcast is a conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two friends who are deeply passionate about the music everyone is hearing. They break down the mechanics of a track, from a surprising chord progression in a Taylor Swift bridge to the rhythmic patterns driving a Dua Lipa anthem, all while keeping the discussion accessible and engaging. Each episode focuses on a specific song, artist, or trend, treating pop not just as entertainment but as a rich subject worthy of serious, playful analysis. You’ll hear audio examples that illustrate their points, making the musical concepts tangible even if you’ve never read a note. It’s for anyone who has ever found themselves humming a tune and then stopped to ask why it’s so compelling. By connecting music theory to cultural impact, Switched on Pop offers a fresh lens on the soundtrack of our daily lives, revealing the intelligence and intention behind the music on the charts. Tune in and you might just find your listening habits forever changed.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Switched on Pop
Podcast Episodes
RAYE’s maximalist masterpiece is the hope we need [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:49
RAYE names Amy Winehouse and Edith Piaf as her artistic predecessors on the opening tracks of new album This Music May Contain Hope. Both died young, undone by the same darkness they sang about, and placing them there re…
Where have all the white rappers gone? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:50
On a recent podcast interview, Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow said that, to craft his new album Monica, he “got blacker.” The problem is… Jack Harlow is white. The statement, while extremely tone-deaf, speaks to his intenti…
Jacob Collier can make anyone sing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:02
Jacob Collier is a rare musician: an expert in so many musical languages (western harmony, negative harmony, microtonalism) and a phenomenal communicator about music. He's something like an Ambassador for Music, travelin…
Harry Styles loses himself to dance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:53
The dance floor is where Harry Styles does his therapy, and this album is the session notes. Four years after Harry's House, Styles returns with Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, a record built from minimal ingredie…
Can Bruno Mars counterprogram his way to another hit album? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:44
Bruno Mars is back with a new album called The Romantic, his first solo release since 2016’s 24k Magic. At first listen, the lead single, “I Just Might,” sounds like an outtake from 2021’s collaborative album with Anders…
Charli XCX’s "Wuthering Heights" fever dream [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:12
Emerald Fennell's new adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 gothic romance "Wuthering Heights" is the most talked-about film of the year. But for pop lovers, the soundtrack is the real event: Charli xcx, asked to write one s…
Will Sinners do for blues what O Brother did for bluegrass? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
It's the middle of award season, and Ryan Coogler's ode to the Black music canon Sinners has emerged as the Oscars frontrunner and the most nominated film in Academy Awards history. The love the movie has for the Delta b…
Jazz is A$AP Rocky’s secret weapon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:12
A$AP Rocky’s latest album, Don’t Be Dumb, is a wild ride through a cacophony of sounds — punk, industrial, drum ‘n’ bass, indie rock, and of course, hip hop. But on one track, “Robbery,” he and the rising superstar Doech…
Does humor belong in music? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:22
What makes Weird Al songs so indelible? Why is Bo Burnham more than just a comic? How do the biggest pop hits make us crack up in the middle of a somber ballad? Humor is always present in music, but we rarely confront it…