We have officially closed the book on the Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 — you can catch up here if you missed any of our list the past few weeks — and now it’s finally time to talk 2026. And wow, is there already a lot to talk about from just the first month and change: rising pop stars of last year already hitting new heights, defining pop stars of last year continuing to add to their 2020s legacies, and huge names whose returns we’d long been awaiting setting up shop to potentially dominate the whole calendar.
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we look back at the busy January that was in pop stardom, with a little bonus Grammys talk as well. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Trevor Anderson and Eric Renner Brown to share and debate our respective January top five lists, while also naming some honorable mentions, some disappointments, and some artists who we’re looking forward to in the next few months of the new year. (If you want to look back at any of our monthly recaps from 2025, you can check them out here.)
While catching up with the earliest parts of 2026, we ask all the most pressing questions about the start to the year in pop stardom: Could Bruno Mars have tried a little harder with his comeback single? Does the response to Harry Styles’ ticket prices represent any kind of tipping point in pop star touring? Which mid-2010s pop star is having the better start to their 2026, Zara Larsson or Fetty Wap? How do we feel about Kanye’s latest apology for his years-long run of anti-semitic behavior? And perhaps most importantly: Are we ready for how overwhelming this Bad Bunny February is gonna be in culture and on the charts?
Check it out above, along with a YouTube playlist of some of the greatest moments in January 2026 pop stardom — all of which are discussed on the pod — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.