Arts·Group Chat

Is the pop star-making machine broken?

Culture writers Suzy Exposito and Shaad D’Souza tell guest host Talia Schlanger about why pop artists are struggling to breakthrough.

Suzy Exposito and Shaad D’Souza explain why pop artists are struggling to break through in today's industry

Pop musicians Olivia Rodrigo, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Charli XCX.
Pop musicians Olivia Rodrigo, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Charli XCX. (Getty Images, Vivian Rashotte/CBC, Associated Press)

If you look at the state of pop music today, it's dominated by familiar names like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.

This landscape has left music writers wondering: where are all the new pop stars?

 L.A. Times culture columnist Suzy Exposito and freelance music writer Shaad D'Souza tell guest host Talia Schlanger about why pop artists are struggling to breakthrough, and how a so-called "middle class" of stars have demonstrated a new model of career sustainability.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Panel produced by Jane van Koeverden.