Every Single Album - Drafting the Biggest Artists for 2025

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

Nathan talks about why attending the Billie Eilish concert made him believe that she will win Album of the Year at the Grammys (1:00). Then, Nora and Nathan each draft a team of five artists that they think will have a big 2025. They talk about artists like Renee Rapp (31:27), JADE (45:52), The Marías (1:10:22), and more. Hosts: Nora Princiotti and Nathan Hubbard Producer: Kaya McMullen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wake up, babe. Bansplaine is back. That's right, your favorite extremely long music podcast has returned. And this season, we're talking grunge. As usual, there's Goss. There's tea. There's an excessive amount of facts and info. And you know what? There's nine hours on a band that rhymes with Schmirlsmam, plus much, much more. Listen to new episodes of Bansplane with me, Yossi Sallek, every Thursday. And welcome to every single album. I'm Nora Prynciatti. And for the last time in 2024, I am joined, as always, by Nathan Hubbard. Nathan, how you doing? Is somebody else joining you in 2024? Well, no, but this is our last episode of years.

So the next time that you join me, which you will still be doing, it will be 2025. Oh, I thought you were like hard launching, dumping me on Maine. Yeah, who would be the next co-ho? There are many candidates, I'm sure. No, never, never, ever. It's been a great year. A lot of music.

Hopefully a fun year in 2025 to come. And that's what we're going to talk about today, for the most part. We're doing a little draft. Everyone knows we love to draft. We love to draft. And we're going to do it again. And this one is going to be of artists to watch in 2025, which I think will be very cool. I'll explain the format. I will explain the rules in just a little bit. However, before we get to that, I did want us to catch up because it's been a few days. I know you were up to some stuff over the weekend. I know you went to see Billy Elish in Los Angeles and I want to hear about that. I also want to address that the last time we came on these mics to talk about the end of the air is,

such as it was. We both, but probably more me, speculated. Don't laugh at me. The possibility that Taylor's birthday would not come and go without some sort of announcement. And yes, this is just me admitting

that once again, I have egg on my face or a clown nose on my face. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. BTS videos on YouTube wasn't enough for you. Like, it's not an announcement. I think they're lovely, but it's not, it's not an announcement by which I basically mean. It's not the documentary or rep TV.

First of all, before her birthday, and only a few days after going off tour, there she is walking through the Children's Hospital in Kansas City, greeting patients, signing books, sending gifts in arrears in case Santa spaces it. I mean, totally showing up their parents. I love it. I couldn't believe it.

It was everything that I love about Taylor Swift all in one. It was like she is a total angel. Like, who is this mother, Teresa? Number two, got to love the opportunity to show off the book. I mean, just what those kids wanted is some signed books. I think they did want the signed books. There's a lot of other stuff she could have signed. I guess I want a sign book too.

I don't care about the book that much, but if Taylor wants to sign it, I want it. Well, Taylor cares about the book. And, you know, and then it was like, oh, my God, can she never be at rest? Like, you ended the ERIS tour four days ago. No, you know this. And now we're doing another public appearance.

It's crazy. She will never. give herself peace. Yeah. But she can't do it. We are starting to get bored Taylor Swift social media things happening. Yeah, she's been posting. Yep.

And so this is exactly what I want out of Taylor Swift off tour. I did think of you when I saw the Selena Gomez engagement post and saw that just like fully Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift on Maine, not Taylor Nation, not like, I always do the double take of, is this her, is this one of the accounts? But just like fully Taylor Swift had posted like, yes, I will be the flower girl or whatever. And I did think of you saying that because I was like, oh, that is really what that energy is, isn't it? It is coming.

She got home and after 48 hours, she started going bananas with nothing to do. And she's like, I'm going to start handing out books. I'm going to start posting on Maine. It is obviously fabulous that Taylor Swift is using her time. energy to go be with children in a children's hospital. It is also a little bit, like, I'm sure there is no coincidence with this, but because I did in fact watch both Taylor and Travis themed Hallmark movies, I could not help but think that in the one in Christmas in the spotlight, the one that's like based on her and Travis,

there is a huge children's hospital angle. And so, of course, my like crazy brain was, was trying to, you know, connect. You can't watch that shit? Well, I did sort of for work purposes, but also like, fuck yeah, I watched it. It's like, Maven, it's so funny. You should really watch it. You should really watch it. The funniest thing that they do in that movie is that they claim that the Travis character

is a nine-time MVP. Wow. Which has never happened in the history of football. Also, he's like simultaneously, constantly worried about how his numbers are down. But also, if he is a nine-time MVP of the league, one must extrapolate from that that he is the greatest football player who has ever lived. Right. So, like, it's just, it was really fun. I had a really good time watching it.

I don't know if I can, like, with my whole chest, recommend it to you. But there's some moments of, of glee and mirth. But again, there's this whole thing where it's like, well, the benefit at the Christmas, at the children's hospital. and I would do anything for the children's hospital because they treated my father there, which doesn't make sense because her father is an adult or was an adult. But anyway, I was thinking about that when I saw Taylor at the hospital, which again, is a lovely, wonderful thing to do.

She is a saint. It does also track a little bit as like Taylor can't fucking sit still. Why do you think she's not going to road games? Honestly, I think for a number number of, Like, yeah, I think it's, I think she's like pretty rarely gone to road games anyway, you know. She went to the Jets. Well, that's, that's in New York City. I think that's a little different.

But she's got a jet. It is like, yeah, look, I don't think this has anything to do with Taylor's commitment to Travis. I do think it would be fair if she didn't want to go to an NFL game every single weekend of her life. Okay. I barely want to go to an NFL game every single. single weekend of my life. In fact, I don't want to go to an NFL game every single weekend of my life. It takes a long time. Some of them are in weird places. Like, she has so much other stuff to do. So I think that's probably part of it. I do think also there is a there is a safety component.

You know, I think they've definitely figured out Arrowhead. There is also this whole thing going on in the NFL right now, which is like bizarre and scary where there's been a series of burglaries at players' homes, including Travis's and Patrick Mahomes. You think she's sitting there with a shotgun in Kansas City at his house when he's playing? Okay, no, but that's a movie I would watch.

Olivia Ponton-style, is that how you pronounce her name? Ponton? Burroughs? Whoever the TikToker was that was sitting in the house? The influencer who's speculated to be Joe Burrough's

girlfriend who went down in the police report of the robbery at his house, which was the latest in this series as his employee, which is unfortunate. That is a weird thing. Yeah. It would be the other way around in the police report.

It would be that Taylor was at her employee's house that got robbed. Yeah, I wonder if she just, like, panicked and she was talking. Like, I don't know. I wonder if they, like, they hadn't really gone public. I'm talking about Olivia and Joe Burrow. Well, let's forget them. I wonder if she just panicked and was talking to the cops and was like, I work here.

The Bengals suck and they're going to miss the playoffs. You think she's staying, can you finish the thought? Because what is your point? She's not traveling to away games because robberies are happening. Okay, okay. Hold on. Hold on. I think there is a general sense, which is always true,

that these events are sort of targets. And that's, that it's a high profile place to be. It's a little scary for her to walk in. Yeah, well, that's for sure. ...walk into a different stadium, a stadium where she doesn't know the people. Like, I just think... They don't have the security protocols down and all that.

I get it. That might be happening... I thought you mentioned she'd, like, assembled the cast of the bad blood video and was standing outside Travis's house in Kansas City. I don't think she's guarding Travis's house. However, I will say, I do think that, like, part of what's happening is that when you are an athlete, aside from, you know, being a celebrity

and presumably having things of value in your house that people could try to rob, you have these predictable behavior, like travel patterns. People know where you're going to be at certain times. Right. But I think she probably, you know, if she has some opportunity here to not feed into that,

which she would in some ways be doing if she were going to show up in a range different city based on wherever the Kansas City Chiefs were going to be playing every weekend. Like, I don't know. Maybe it feeds into it. In general, I do think in part it's a security thing. I also think she might just not want to go to a football game every single weekend,

which would be perfectly understandable. Most wags don't. Hmm. Who've they got left? They've got the Broncos. Yeah, that's kind of a big game. Yeah. I mean, I think she's going to show up here in December.

They got the Texans. weekend, then they play the Steelers on Christmas. She's going to be at that. Is she going to go to Pittsburgh for Christmas? I mean, is he going to go, are they going to do Christmas in Pennsylvania in some, like, between the Christmas tree farm, or also Jason and Kylie are there as well. Well, there you go. So, like, a lot of family in Pennsylvania. So I can see that happening. She's going to be in a box at the Steelers Stadium on Christmas Day. Probably wearing a Santa hat. Oh, one million percent.

That Broncos game, which is the Chiefs last game of the season, probably will be a meaningful game and will be like kind of a big deal for them. I have a feeling she's not going to go to Denver. Okay. Well, there we are. It's the Taylor Swift situation. She did not do shit for her birthday. she did not do shit for the end of the Ares tour.

And that's fine. Well, in terms of releasing stuff for us. Yes, that's fine. I think it is a reflection of her guarding what she's got. We've talked about the documentary that's definitely going to come. She's going to do Reputation Taylor's Version. There's debut Taylor's version. There's whatever else other sort of products are going to be released.

I think she understands coming off this 149-day tour that when she's touring, she is a non-scalable resource, she has to be physically present for the business to happen, for the commerce to happen. With these releases, she can go do whatever it is she wants to do, whether that is kick her feet up

and protect Travis's house or her own house, whether she wants to go get in the studio and do a bunch of work. I'm now obsessed with this image of like Taylor sitting on the stoop with a shotgun. Yeah, but she'd fucking do a good job at it. If she did it, I promise. But, you know, if she was going to be working,

if she's going to be chilling, if she's going to be whatever she does, she can stay present by being bored Taylor Swift and posting random shit on social and releasing these things in a staged way such that she can actually reclaim the next two plus years of her life if she wants and not have to be physically present to stay present in the minds of her fans.

I think that's right. I mean, I'm mostly bringing this up because I just want to acknowledge that I was wrong and I'm a clown. But it did make me think, as you said, that this points in the direction, just her holding off on releasing those things, that she will try to milk this run for a little bit longer.

Yeah. Because she can, and she can do it without the requirements of physical presence that the tour entails. She'll be in the news with Travis by virtue of football games. Yeah. You know, through January at a, like, Mahomes is a high-yple-spray.

she's making a movie too at some point. She's directing and writing a movie. The flippin movie. I forgot about the movie. It's not, that's because you've been watching the Hallmark movies. You forgot. She's actually going to make a real... Nathan, watch Christmas in the Spotlight.

No, I will not. I will not watch that. The problem is, here's the other problem with it. Is the songs actually like aren't anyone... The songs are better than they sort of have any... right to be. They're not good. They're not good, but they're not as bad as they should be, but they're Katie Perry songs. They're like supposedly rip off Taylor Swift songs, but they're not. They don't sound like Taylor Swift songs. They're not like, you know, singer songwritory. We're not even

trying to do bridges and lyrics. They sound like bad Katie Perry songs, which is to say that they sound like Katie Perry songs. Do you see the Sabrina Carpenter sketch on the news update from the update desk at SNL? I added this to our rundown and I didn't even tell you about it because I just knew you would have watched it. Yes, it was, I've seen it like four times at this point. It was my, I thought it was so funny.

You're talking about the Jane Wick line song. Yes, I am. I make out with Jenna Ortega passionately. And everyone's like, I heard this song is about Sean Mendez. It is just the funny I wonder if she does kind of feel that way. It's a good question. It was such a

for, it was like every single album just coded perfectly for us, wasn't it? And in response to that, I feel like I don't even need to say this, but just in case anyone missed it, first of all, just go watch it. You'll think it's so funny if you were listening to this podcast, you'll think it's so funny. But it is a song, in essence, about how Sabrina,

hard as she might try, cannot get the public to do the sort of queer baiting or lesbian rumor discourse that happens with so many female pop stars. Sexuality speculation. Like, as hard as she tries, even when she makes out with the alien, even when she makes out with Jenna Ortega,

and the music video because fundamentally there is something dispositional heterosexual about Sabrina Carpenter that I think overshadows

any of those attempts but it's just really funny and I loved it so much. It was brilliant. And look, the Netflix special is crushing.

S&L clearly has a soft spot for her. I wouldn't be surprised wouldn't surprise me if they give her an invite to double host next year.

Oh, that would be fantastic. especially because, like, those Disney kids just, they know how to do it, they know how to take the cues, they know how to... Total pro. Yeah. I bet she'd be great.

I bet she would be absolutely great in that spot. You know who else is a pro? Yes. Who? Billy fucking Eilish. Okay, I was going to do the transition, but then you did it for me. Tell me about the concert.

Nora, it kind of solidified my feeling that hit me hard and soft should unequivocally be. the album of the year. And I say this understanding full well that this maybe broadens the definition or the prism through which we should analyze this Grammy Award for album of the year. And the truth is the whole thing is political and its nonsense and whatever. But I have maybe never seen new music received that way by an audience. It's not that new.

It came out in May, so it's been a part of people's lives, and we got two singles. But when I tell you that there was more energy at the forum for the Billy Show than there was at SoFi for the Taylor Show, I know that's going to sound sacrilegious, but there's something about this Billy show and the connection with the fans

and something about the sort of electronic threads that she's woven into this album. that elevated the energy on some songs beyond pretty much anything I've ever seen. And the new stuff was the foundation of the show, like closed with birds of a feather. The greatest is probably the most, like, energetic sing-along moment of the show. She opens with songs from the record. So it's just, it's scattered throughout the show. It is the anchor of the show.

she didn't need Ocean Eyes for the show to be electric. She didn't need bad guy. On and on. Now, she played those songs, and people were literally jumping up and down, not just on the floor, but in the seats. It just, I sat there, and I looked at the people I was with. I was like, holy shit.

Like, this is a thing. And you remember when we talked about Hit Me Hard and Soft, I was like, I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure whether I really thought Billy was a generational artist. And then I listened this record and you and I got on the pod the next day and we were like, did you hear what I heard? And you were like, yeah, this is incredible. I was like, this is incredible. And then you go see the live show and she's only 22 years old.

But she's been famous since she was like 14. and she has this accelerated growing up process where she is very much an adult at this point, but she really understands who she is as an artist and she really deeply understands the fan base. It's a different kind of vulnerability. It's a different kind of connection. She thrusts herself into the crowds physically,

as well as obviously emotionally. I was blown away. I was absolutely blown away. I don't remember seeing, you know, it's different than seeing her at a festival. It's different than seeing a big artist. You know, cold play in a stadium is just fascinating. And there's energy and people are, that can be like a religious experience. Forget what you think of cold play.

I happen to like cold play. But, you know, it's a thing. I also like cold play. This is just an energy that is not present in normal day life. It was crazy. It was wonderful. still positive, you know? And like she sang a Christmas song,

and yeah, she brought out Phineas for a couple songs because it was in L.A. But it was the same set she's been rolling with over the last couple months of this tour. I just, that young woman is a monster in all the best ways. So I'm looking at the current album of the year betting odds, which, you know, grain of salt, but sometimes they know things.

and it's Cowboy Carter plus 150. Then is this... You are more of a... You're more understanding of the gambling world than I am. You'll have to check me on this. But what... The tortured poets department

plus 200 is next. That shocks me. I'm surprised. We must be looking at different odds because these odds have changed. I'm looking at... Okay. I'm looking at an action network.

I guess this is from a couple of weeks ago. But I mean... Look, let's just start with this. Does the JZ news and all of the speculation and rumors change the way voters think about this? I mean, that's how insane this whole process is. Yeah. I mean, that's...

You just think of an institution that has not done right by Beyonce historically. Like, that's in some ways an awful thing to think about that somebody else. But I don't know. It's a fair thing to bring up because I do wonder if there are a lot of people if a lot of voters are kind of looking for a permission structure to vote for someone else. And that might be what it is.

That's what I'm asking in this case. And the reason I'm so excited for Beyonce at the halftime show on Christmas is not the Chiefs Steelers game, but it's the Texans game in Houston. Texan Ravens in Houston. is for the same reason that I just talked about. Like, I want to see a crowd react to Cobai Carter played live.

Like, we haven't seen that. And it's the ultimate, like, forget polling, forget, you know, before, it's the election, is to take this stuff out live and say, how is it received? And let me tell you, tortured poets was very well received. The spectacle of it was very well received. it was not received musically live the way that I saw Billy Elish hit me hard and soft received live.

People were losing their goddamn minds for that stuff. Interesting. Okay. Now I want to go, like, I hope a lot of it's, I'm sure a lot of it's on, like on TikTok and stuff, you can see videos. It is.

It is, but you've got to be in the room. The Taylor stuff, once you showed up, let me put it this way, once you showed up in, you saw it in New York first, right? Yeah, although I will say, like, I'm thrown by some of those odds

because I just honestly don't really think tortured poets is a super contender. It's not in the running. What I saw last time was Billy first, Cowboy Carter second, maybe even short and sweet third, but I would imagine some of the brat stuff Charlie's S&L performance could have moved her further up the list, but we'll take a look

and see what happens. There's still a little bit more Grammy discussion to go, but I, this made me want you to come out to Los Angeles and see the show this week, because you just, it's not just the presentation of the show, which is really interesting. It's in the round, and she's got some screens that can make her invisible, and she's got a hovering part of the stage that she gets on. and some really cool expanding and contracting screens. Like all that stuff is cool, but there's no, like, dancers.

It's Billy. It's just, running around, putting herself in the crowd, getting in the faces and the physical spaces of the people in the pit. There's a little B-stage where she does the, um, guess song and Charlie makes a big appearance on the screen. Don't have to guess.

But that, that to me also like solidified it. I was like, here's Charlie making a guest appearance and abstentia on the screen, like, at the Billy show. Yeah. This is, and they've got albums. Like, Billy's just, I, anyway, it's going to end in LA, so it makes me sad that you won't see it.

But my point is just that going and seeing the clips online, like I watch some clips online afterwards, and it does show you a little bit about the show. it does not capture the energy in that building. I go to these shows and I'm such a weirdo because I'll watch them, but you know me, I turn around and I just watch the crowd.

And I look in the upper parts of the deck and I look in the VIP suites and I look on the floor and back by the soundboard, like all the different parts of the building just because those are the different segments of an artist fans. And everybody was going bananas

and jumping up and down. Some of it is hometown show for sure, But, who, got a live one, Nora. Cool. Yeah, as we've talked about, Billy is always so interesting to me because I love a lot of it. When we did the album earlier this year, I was pretty blown away by it when I was really sitting with it

and, like, giving it all my attention. And then I didn't continue to find myself drawn to it quite as much as I thought I would have. But I do know that, you know, I think there are, I think there is a segment of people who sort of feel like I do where we have our favorite songs and have so much respect for the artistry and are really interested in Billy. And then I think there are, and you fall into this camp, I know a lot of my friends fall into

this camp. Like, Billy has diehards who. care in a way that, you know, the most passionate Swifties care. And like, she really has that that fan base and that support system. And so... There's like a thousand people sleeping in the parking lot at the forum all week just to get the wristbands to get into the GA section. A thousand people. Now, listen, I don't...

I'm choosing my words carefully and I actually want you to help me think it through. I mean, I, I, I, I, I, like at the Taylor Swift show, there was just a ton of love. Like, there was a lot of parent-daughter stuff going on. The Billy's show feels like somewhere between deification and obsession. And I know that a lot of people are obsessed with Taylor Swift. And I know that a lot of people quasi-worship Taylor Swift. But there is, I think a lot of people are connected to Taylor because they feel like she's their friend. Billy gets a... The Ares Tour had become, and I think you're totally right. And I think a lot of people like went to the ERIS tour with like for that purpose or were drawn to

it because of those things. I do think also a lot of people went to the Eres tour and a lot of people tried really hard to go to the Eres tour because it was kind of like the thing to do. And don't get me wrong. It's very cool to go to a Billy Eilis show and and everyone doing that is posting it and really excited to tell people that they were there. But I have to imagine that the percentage of people in that crowd, given that it wasn't quite that Erez tour phenomenon, but still, I'm sure,

was an expensive ticket, was a difficult ticket, like all of the above, people are sleeping in the parking lot. The percentage of people in that crowd, who I would imagine are like real diehards and, like, feel like Billy has impacted their lives. Well, that's it.

I think that's it. The distinction is everybody wants to be friends with Taylor Swift, this crowd wants to be Billy Eilish. They dress like Billy. They have mannerisms like Billy. It's like a very cultural lifestyle thing, which is maybe healthy, maybe not, but it's fucking cool as shit to witness. I love seeing a group of teenagers and young 20s dressed like Adam Sandler. So that's very cool. Exactly. Like big old baggy shorts and some jerseys and a backwards baseball hat from none of those teams that match and like knee pads. It's like, okay, we're doing this.

But that, I think, is the difference. And she's up there with those ocean eyes on the monitor and the way they light her. Like, she looks like some kind of like blend of a ghost, a demon, a angel all at once. Cool. Very cool. I'm excited. I'm just excited for you that you had this experience. I bet other people listening to this went to the show.

In fact, I know that some of them did. So, you know, chime in, DM us. Curious to hear if other people felt the same way that Nathan did about this show. Don't worry. Taylor's still the soundtrack of my life. It's just, this one is just an energetic thing. I don't think that's, that has to be a compare and contrast, right? Like, I don't, again, I really don't think those two albums

are in serious competition with each other for album of the year. I think the much more compelling and true race is really Billy and Beyonce. But, you know, I'm really grabbed by you saying that the energy level was very high.

It was the vibes that I didn't expect. It was the vibes and the vibes around this album. To me in a vibes way, but also, like, musically, I think I would be pulled in by that. So that's very cool. I will check out some of those videos even if it's not quite the same.

as being in the room. Nora, what are we doing today? Shall we draft? Are you ready to draft? You said at the top there were rules? What rules? What are the rules? We're each drafting five artists that we think are going to have big years next year. And there are only two rules. Rule number one is that we can't have done an episode on the artist this past year.

Wait, can we have talked about them at all? Yeah, I think they can have, if they come up, you know, use your judgment. I think if we had extended... That's never a good direction for me. If we had extended, I totally trust you. Extended conversations about someone a bunch of times. Like, we can discuss and debate if that counts. But someone that we didn't focus on this past year.

Okay. And then rule number two is that at least two of the picks, though it could be more than that. but at least two per team have to scan as like up-and-comers or artists who haven't had a big breakout yet that we're in some way predicting is going to come next year. That's another thing that we can sort of discuss and debate who qualifies if we need to. And then we're going to follow these teams next year and see who actually pops off. Okay. See who we actually end up having big conversations about.

Again, I'm going to leave the barometer for success. intentionally loose because I thought about ways that we could quantify which ones of these artists actually end up hitting next year and it just ends up being too much

a reflection purely of either like commercial success or critical response and that's not really what I want to do. So we're setting up 2025. Correct. And we can put these teams up on social and people can vote on them for like which group they're more excited about.

So maybe that's that's the way that we can totally gamify this. But I also just think that we're going to go through next year and see what happens. And it's going to be exciting. Okay. So are we doing like a snake draft as usual and you get the first pick as usual? I don't think we need to do a snake draft since there's just two of us. I was going to give you the first pick just because I'm so magnanimity. Wait, really?

Yeah. Shit. Give me Renee Rapp. Oh, cool. Okay, talk to me. What are you expecting for Renee Rapp in 2025? Yeah, I think if you look at Renee Rapp's touring this past year, she was ostensibly on a number of festival nights, the headliner, except there was this little chapel rome thing that was happening. around every festival that she played,

that got a little bit, you know, I mean, it got, it took all the oxygen out of the room. And I think that Renee, when I saw her play live, and again, that's why it's so important to go see these artists live, like, you forget, you're like, oh, she has all the tools, right? Yeah. She can sing. She has the acting chops,

and so she can present and perform extremely well. She has... Funny as hell. A amazing sense of humor. She was great on Saturday Live. She has a dedicated and passionate fan base. And to me, the only thing she doesn't have is a song. And I believe that she's got some songs that are going to blow the doors off that are coming.

So I think Renee Rapp... Is that like a Nathan Hubbard? I believe with 17 winks because you know something. thing. This is not yet a video podcast, Nora, so you'll never know. But I think Renee is going to have a massive year in 25. Super cool. Already jealous of your team.

I'm so excited to talk about Renee Rapp on this podcast. We've done it a couple of times. Definitely haven't spent enough time on her. Definitely qualifies. For all the reasons you spelled out, I just, I really feel like I root for her. Yeah. One because I think, you know, like too well. Some of the songs, I agree with you, nothing's truly hit in the way that I think would lead to a real breakout.

But she's got some good ones. And then the other thing is just anytime I see her on any of the talk shows, she's just so fucking funny. Yeah. And she seems so fun. I am a Sex Lives of College Girls fan as well. Obviously, she had an up and down experience, I think, being part of it. of that show, but I think she was really good on it. So, yeah, total, you know,

five-tool player, total package. That's it. Renee Rap. She's got all of the tools. It's a little Sabrina Carpenter-esque in that it's all there just waiting for the right music. But in Renee's case, she's got a bigger built-in fan base already right now than Sabrina did pre-short and sweet.

Do you think she will put out a, like, full studio album next year? I think so. All right. With my first pick, I'm going to do a comeback candidate off the top. And it's someone who we've been interested in what their next move will be. And there's an element of this that I will explain in a second that I will confess I'm a little nervous about in terms of dedicating the top pick in my draft here. But I know who it is and I know why you're doing it. I'm choosing Miley Cyrus.

Yes, you are. It's a great pick. And I want to hear what you think is coming. Well, to some extent, we know what's coming, which is that Miley has recently started promoting a visual album called Something Beautiful, which is slated to come out sometime next year. It's experimental.

It has... references that she has talked about in interviews to 1995 Mugler, to Pink Floyd, to the movie Mandy with Nicholas Cage. The reason I'm choosing Miley Cyrus with my first pick is because it's fucking Miley Cyrus. And you've pointed out many times that she has really savilely bided her time during this past year that has been so flooded with pop releases. And that makes us think that she has an idea and she's waiting for the right moment and she's going to come out and she's going to handle this in a really smart way.

I always am interested in what Miley Cyrus is doing. I am a huge Miley Cyrus fan. I think Miley Cyrus is someone who, you know, has spanned generations at this point and has been dormant a little bit, but has proven. even with flowers, which was not my favorite song. I can buy myself flowers. But proven that when she tries to go for the big song, she can still, like, she still got it.

But also, as has come up in a bunch of different situations, even when we were joking about Miley Cyrus and her dead pets, Miley has the capacity to go in, like, random directions and still find a way to do something really cool with it. So this is one of my most antipsy. I believe because I believe in Miley that it's going to hit and that it's going to excite people. The reason I say I have a little bit of like, oh man, am I going out on a lift here? Is that every time she talks about this album, it sounds fucking weird.

But that's Miley Cyrus. That's Miley Cyrus. It's not going to be Pablo the Blowfish. Are you sure? I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. I'm like mostly sure. Well, you never can be totally sure.

But Miley is a chameleon. But the reason that she's able to sell the different colors and different shades is because she's able to represent them authentically. And I think this time away and this observation observational period that she's been in is her making sure that what she brings back

is going to land. And I think what, if I extrapolate what I'm hearing from both the artist and the general chatter, you know, we're in this moment where I don't think you're going to be able

to be an artist on a go-forward basis and not have some visual element to your music, to your art. You're going to have to either show up on social, you're going to have to make some kind of video, you're going to have to be an actress

if you're Olivia or you're Sabrina or your, you know, any host, Selena Gomez, right? And I think maybe... Working pop musicians Selena Gomez. Well, I think what we're, you know, what we're likely to see here is Miley making an ambitious effort to blend the mediums of audio and...

visual music and to blend her skill sets as an actress and as a musician. And I don't mean we're getting Hannah Montana part eight or whatever it is at this point. Sign me up. But I think the art is going to be an interesting thing to watch. And I wonder if she might be able to set the bar for what an album, what a project, what an artist is on a go forward basis. Maybe she'll whiff, who knows. But I sort of get the vibe that that's where we're headed with Miley in 2025. That's my hope. That's why I'm making the pick. All right. Nathan, it goes to you. See, now, I don't know what to do here because I'm not surprised with your pick at all, but I do think that we're going to, we're going to go in different directions from here. So look, I'll tell you what I think. I'm going to take this one just because I'll be so bummed if you draft.

McGee. And for those hearing for the first time, mk.ge made a who the fuck is this appearance on SNL this fall and crushed it, but is blowing up right now with the kids. And there's just authenticity and chatter. With the children. He's special.

He's really like, he's worked with a bunch of cool artists. He's worked with Fred again. He's work with Dijon. If you haven't heard those artists, like, go do it. Fred again's on my list here, by the way. But the solo project is cool as hell. And Two Star and the Dream Police is fucking cool.

And there is this lane, Nora, for a man, for men who are musicians in 2025. And I say that just as a general trend, six out of eight nominees for album of the year and last year were female, seven out of eight this year were female and all of them extraordinarily worthy. Most of the male nominees in the last two years, not particularly worthy. But I think the pendulum in culture and in music in particular seems to swing. And we've been kind of vacant of strong pop male music or really rock pop. stuff for a while. And so I just, you can feel this wave of support for McGee that's happening. And I think

25 is going to be the time when he really breaks out. New music, touring. Like, what do you think the output is going to be? Yeah. I think a lot of touring behind this album and certainly some more music that comes out. He just creates. All right. Very cool. This tempts me to go in a direction of, of one that I don't think you're going to take, but like someone who, if they're not on my team, I'm just going to be really sad. Okay. So because I think you did the,

you did the one for you. I'm going to do the one for me here. And I'm going to take Jade, who is Jade Thirlwall, you know, she's gone to the mononym, one of the former members of Little Mix. Nathan, were you a Little Mix fan? I was not.

I was not. I was, I mean, you know, Little Mixed had some big songs that if you want to go down that road, like you will remember a lot of, you will remember shout out to my ex. You've heard that a bunch of times. But Jade is gearing up for her debut solo album. There are three songs that are out. and those singles are called Fantasy Midnight Cowboy and Angel of My Dreams. And Angel of My Dreams is a song that started, I think, like has started to get some traction and some real buzz because it wound up on a lot of like year end lists as a little bit of a left of center choice.

And that song is incredible. Like, it is this bizarre amalgamation of this very sort of diva, old school, belty chorus. And then these verses that are like very electronic, very like club thumping. The tempo changes. It's like a Frankenstein's monster of a song. It is sort of a commentary. on life in the music industry. You know, she takes a shot at Simon Cowell.

Hey, who doesn't? Yeah, you know, there's a long lineage of songs sort of treading this territory. And the other two singles, I think, are really cool. But Angel of My Dreams, I just, I, like, I hope everybody listening to this pod goes and listens to that song if you don't know it already. I think it was an incredible song.

And it is just like, there are some, people who maybe we'll talk about here where I can name you more things that they've done that I'm interested in. But this is maybe the one like three minutes of music from this year that just make me go like, I want to see what else that person does. And, you know, again, the song has started to get some of the traction. I think it's on, it's, you know, it's, it's rising on some of the Spotify playlist and the charts and all of that stuff. The whole album, I don't know when it'll be. out, but presumably seems like she's going in that direction. And so maybe there will be some touring off of that.

If there are anywhere near as good as this song, I just think it's going to click for people. Okay. Nora calls for a 30, almost 32-year-old female pop star to break out in 2025. I know. I know. It would be cool. But look, it has to always. Always, always, always, always.

It has to start with the music. And the music's really good. Yeah. And when we talk about what hasn't worked from a Tate McCray perspective so far, there's a lot that's working for Tate McCray. Let's be clear. What hasn't worked for Renee Rapp?

What hasn't worked in Katie. Oh, I thought you were choosing Tate McCray. No, I'm assuming that Tate might be on your list. Tate is on my extended list. I've got a draft board here of 13. Tate's on my extended list, but I'm not going to draft her. Not because I don't think Tate is great.

I think Tate is great. I'm just not entirely sure yet if that lane is there, but I'm going to let you tell me if you agree or disagree. I'm going to completely bum you out. Oh, my gosh. I'm going to take Lord.

Wow! No! I can't believe you're doing this to me. Don't take... Nathan. Okay. Yeah, I'm going to take... take Lord. Because

I mean, first of all, can I sorry, I didn't say this enough. I'm like devastated. You took Renee Rapp. Really? Yeah. I don't, you know, I can I'm glad she just got drafted on. As usual, we can make some trades at the end. Yeah. We can make some trades at the end.

Wow. I'm really, I'm really jealous of this. Miley was on my list for sure, but Lord is coming. And I think Lord has been hard at work on music. And I think we're getting Lord in 2025. Lord. Yeah, I don't know if we're getting a ton of Lord touring, but the problem with Lord has been the long gaps in between albums.

And the good news is, I think she's in a creative space where she is making stuff. And I think that means that she's going to be back in our lives. I mean, it was fun to have her on Girls so confusing on the remix. That was really fun. Well, and she, I wrote the blurb on that song. for our, like, best songs of the year post. And one thing that clicked for me when I was doing that is that,

and, you know, and I think the girl so confusing remix has definitely critically been anointed as, like, the best song from Brat. I think that's totally fair. I do think that, like, part of why Brat is so good is that Brat is deep and Brat has a lot of songs that would be worthy of consideration for that. So I don't think it's, like, blowing everything else out of the water. But that's one of the real highlights.

Yes. And when I think about the best, like the moment on that song that I will never get over, it's the Lord lines where she's like, girl, you walk like a bitch when I was 10, someone said that. And Lord wrote that.

Lord wrote her own verse. And so when you talk about Lord being in a creative space, It does remind me that one of my absolute favorite brat moments is a result of that space. So I, too, would obviously be very excited to hear what comes of that. Solar power was 2021. It's time. And there is always space for Ella in the pop conversation. Will you be my therapist slash like co-GM slash whatever?

And can we talk about? about Tate McRae for a second? Yeah, let's do it. As has been discussed on this podcast, I'm an enthusiast. I am a supporter. I'm really hopeful that things are going to hit for Tate McCray. I would be really interested to live in that world.

And, you know, if we wanted to sort of do this by the numbers and who's going to have the metrics and torn the biggest spaces and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and this is why we're not doing it this way because success looks different for different artists, I think it would be pretty easy to argue that Tate McCray is definitely going to have a big 20-25. The album is coming in February, so close to what is coming out, February 21, at least that's when it's supposed to right now. And she's going to go on this arena tour. And so all of the infrastructure is there. the first two songs I like,

but I think we both agreed didn't take off the way that you would want them to. And a thought that has started to like creep into the back of my mind is that I wonder, like, is there something about what Tate McCray is trying to do

and trying really hard to do with the best management and sort of institutional support that she could possibly have at this point. And then fucking Addison Ray is like doing it as a bit but in a way that kind of grabs people more. Well, as you're Tate McCray therapist, I want to encourage you to listen to those voices

that are speaking to you. and you need an angle, and authenticity really matters more than ever. It's what I felt at the Billy Show. It's what I watched when Gracie played SNL this last weekend, when that young woman looked fucking regal up there. And it took us both a little while to get that, I think about your dumb face all the time, is a way of phrasing and writing about,

life that is somewhat unique, and that is what people are connecting with. Gracie... But that feels true to her. Yeah. It feels very true to her. And I think the jingle ball show, which, by the way, Gracie played jingle ball in New York, Tate was kind of all over the jingle ball shows. You said it. She's trying. She's putting in the work, which I respect and admire. She's being well managed. But it feels at times like it's being fed to you, like it's a push instead of a pull.

I mean, that's right. And I think in part why I feel so supportive of her is like, I find the authenticity conversation challenging sometimes. Because once you center authenticity as this North Star that every artist needs in order to be successful, then you encourage people to try to be authentic, which then becomes inauthentic. And I think that there are ways of leaning into performance

and spectacle that aren't tied to our idea of what makes music authentic, which is not always straight down the middle anyway, that I think are really interesting. and that I sort of want to gravitate to because I just, I don't really, like, I feel like there have been times in the last few years or even more than that in pop music especially, where we have had this totem of authenticity and that has just led to a lot of artists trying to do someone else's version of authenticity. This is actually why, like, the parts of the Gracie album that I didn't like as much, I think they suffered for that. And then when things started to really click, it's because she

found her own version of it. So I root for Tate, I think, as a counterweight to that. But that doesn't necessarily mean that, as you said, the lane is there and that she really knows who she wants to be as an artist. So this is my way of shoehorning a Tate McGrath conversation into this podcast. Without drafting her? Even though I think I'm going to just, I think I'm going to pass on that. She's on my big board, but that's what I am doing as well. It feels a little bit like a NASCAR or a Formula One race or like the end of a marathon where there's maybe four or five participants in front of you, drivers or runners. And you're there and you probably have, or the Kentucky Dirk And you've probably got the speed and the burst to break through.

But it's just not clear where your lane is and how you work your way up to the front and get through the crowd. And that's, I think, the challenge. And as always, as we talked about earlier, one song's going to do it. I just get a little anxious that one of the first two singles hasn't been out of the park in that way. If there are three more greedies on this album, you know, we never have to revisit this conversation again. But if there were three more gritties on this album,

I imagine we would have heard one of them already. So we'll see. I will certainly be watching with interest. All right, since I am not drafting Tate McRae, I'm going to take Harry Stiles. Wow. Do you think I am really gay? gambling on Harry doing something.

Because to me, this is like the easiest pick in the world. If we're sure, Harry's going to, like, you know, come out of his hiding place. I think it's 2026 for Harry. That's the reason I didn't draft him. And now I feel, and you know more than me. So now I'm like, shit. No. What you just did was give yourself schmuck insurance.

Because if there's a Harry single in November or October, it's going to be a thing. If there's a, so I don't, look, I wouldn't want to keep him out of the limelight for too much longer, but as we talk about the return of the male pop star. There's kind of a man lane. Yeah. There's a lane that's right there and I'm not sure the weekend found it. Although the weekend still plays to tons of people. I just think the single, you know, the music itself probably didn't catch.

Yeah, the weekend did not find it. but Harry Styles is Harry Styles and I think when he comes back there's going to be as ready and you know fertile ground as you could ask for for whatever he brings. I just I just think it might not be till 26. Harry is, you know, he is someone who takes his time. He should take his time. I will say we know he has spent a,

fair bit of time in the studio. That's typical for him. That doesn't necessarily mean anything. It has already been a year and a half since the end of the tour. So it hasn't been zero time, is all I'm saying. It would be perfectly reasonable and probably desirable from a career perspective for him to show up in 25. He just might want to not. He may just be happy, you know, living the life of a monk in Italy and not being, you know, tracked and family. Like, having a life outside of being pop star Harry Styles, which he's been since he was a little boy. You know what?

If I whiff on this pick, and it's just because Harry Styles decided to vibe out in Italy for a little bit longer, like I can live with that. Yeah, mentally healthy Harry Styles is what we want. And the vibe that I'm getting right now is he's as happy as he's ever been pre, you know, the awful Liam stuff. But life is pretty good for Harry Styles is. Harry Stiles, and that's where I want Harry.

All right. Okay. So Harry's your pick. Harry's my pick. Number four pick for Nathan. I'm going to clear the board for you in a way that makes it really easy because there's no way. I'm actually taking a two-fer with this because there's no way that you're going to draft a

country star. But I want you to know that there's two guys in Nashville right now. One is named Zach Top, and the other is named Gavin Adcock. And these two guys, they're independent artists. they don't work together. They should at some point. I'm sure they will. It's country for crying out loud.

But these two guys are the next thing. And Zach Top has a song that already broke. I'm sorry. This is so cool. And I'm like riveted. And I don't know these artists. And I'm so excited to go listen to them. Zach Top is a really funny name.

Yes. Yes. And his album is called Cold Beer and Country Music. And he literally has a song called Beer for Breakfast. He's kind of old school. in a great way. Instead of coffee and eggs, I'll have beer for breakfast. Cool.

And I think that's resonating with a lot of people in a way that Gavin Adcock is a little bit new school. But both of these guys are making music and stirring up the crowds and the interest that I think 2025 is going to be a big year for both of them. Now, what's cool about Nashville-based arts? artist is, and Taylor Swift, by the way, I think gets a lot of ethos from them. They're constantly on tour. They're putting out an album almost every single year. They just almost never are off the road. And it's how they keep their fan base is vibrant and active. So they both had really

big kind of starting to break through 2024s. I think 25 is going to be big for both of them. So there is my, first of all, I don't think that was on your radar. So I've cleared the board for you. I'm giving you a free pick. Like, why is it, why is it sending me to just think of the collection of syllables, Zach Topp and Gavin Adcock? Yeah, there's a lot in there. I understand. That's why I put them together.

I thought you'd enjoy the alliteration. Like, just, yeah, no, it's, it's, they're both very consonant names. There is a real, just sort of, ah, yes, the men. And so I'm really giggling, even though I am taking this, draft pick seriously and I think I'm excited to go listen to them and see what's up next for these fellas in 2020

I think one of them's gonna seriously break out it's just it has a real like for a dollar name a man energy to it but that's cool what should like what what should we go listen to? I think you should listen to sounds like

the radio hook a speaker up to my soul Is that by Zach Top? That is a Zach Top song. I'm sorry. He should change his name. That's too funny. You can't be named Zach Top.

Why not? If you're a country star, that's exactly what you should be named. I'm Zach Top. Welcome to the rodeo. Yeah, and I'd listen to Acton Up again by Gavin Adcock. I'm at you know Okay, cool. Love it. I will do those things.

All right. I'm sorry, I'm loving too hard. Is this your, what pick is this for you? Four? This is my number four. This is my number four pick. I'm going to take Griff. I'm taking Griff.

Okay. I like it. Vertigo is like one of the best albums that came out this summer and that probably just got a little buried in the avalanche of other stuff from bigger names. But Tears for Fun is like one of my favorite songs from the past year. That's a great song. That whole album is just, I think, really, really strong.

This is going to be a year where, you know, I imagine that Griff is going to get to go tour that album as a headliner. I think a lot of enthusiasm has been building. and, you know, she's opened for Taylor, opened, and will be opening for Sabrina. And I think it's just a matter of, like, let's get this person an individual spotlight. Yeah, the music show like to see Griff because the music is really good. Yeah. So I just think, yeah, I'm just waiting for it all to click. I think it's probably an off cycle album here, obviously, like this thing just came out in July.

But with the touring and with. some of the, you know, I think sometimes we see this, this phenomenon. And, you know, we saw it with Sabrina. That's obviously an extreme case. But where sometimes being the opener, it's hard to tell how much enthusiasm artists are really building because it's not about them, but what they're doing might be really resonating for a lot of people. And then when it is about them, when there's a moment where they are the headliner,

that's when people can show up for them and show how much. they actually have clicked with the music and with the person. So I really, I think Griff's going to have a big year. She's like, her parents are like Chinese and Jamaican. She's just, she's like five foot three. She's super fucking cool. And the songs are so good. Yeah.

And there's a real, like, I think the fact that, you know, the music is so like, there's such an energy to it, but it does have this atmospheric quality where, you know, that album was sort of a concept album and it's about the, the, feeling of vertigo and sort of emotional vertigo. And it really sounds like that. Yeah. And I think that's a sign of someone who knows what they're doing. Like, it's, it's well thought through.

There's an ability to make the music sound like an idea or a feeling. So I, I'm super impressed with Griff. I stand. Well, I... No, Zach Top, but... It's no Zach Top. It's not. I don't know.

Can I be clear that I'm not making fun of your pick, like, at all? I think that's really cool. I just, there's something, like, I don't know. Maybe it's just because, like, I can't read a man's name without losing my mind. You're talking to someone whose middle name is church. So just, you know, you can make fun of men's names all you want, but there's nothing dumber than my middle name. My whole name, my name is absurd.

I have, like, 100 syllables in my entire name. Like, the people in glass houses should not throw stones. I just have to tell you, I have to speak my truth. I am looking at where I'm writing out your team and I'm just looking at the name Zach Top. And it is, I'm losing my mind. I can't believe you think Zach Top is a funnier name than Adcock. Zach Top is funnier to me than Gavin Adcock. But putting them together really sort of emphasizes.

I've totally blown Nora away. It's so good. I've really... Like, they're either two, they're either two, like, regional salesmen from an office supply company in New Mexico or their country stars. And that's it.

And those are the only two options for Zach Top and Gavin Adcock. Oh, boy. Well, they're going to be stars in Nashville. I don't know. Maybe they'll also be on the Jan 6th pardon list. Who knows? I don't know what they were doing four years ago. but they're definitely very bright artists with bright futures.

I don't know who to draft fifth. Now I'm thinking about maybe drafting just somebody for the name just to throw you. Can I tell you what my candidates are? Yeah, please. All right. So on my list is Fred again, DJ who is doing crazy shit like putting a stadium in Los Angeles or Chicago on sale two days before the show happens and selling out.

not getting the streaming numbers yet, but has the live show, he's just like a genius. He just takes, he takes little bits of media and turns them into songs. He's just, he just creates in ways that really translate live, hasn't had the full streaming stuff yet,

and so I'm just sort of waiting for that to happen. So there's Fred again. I thought you were going to pick Dochi. On my list. Yeah, so I'll let you sort of go there because I think that's one that's definitely just buzzing. There's a few others. You know who opened for the Billy Show in L.A.?

The Marias. And the Marias are on a tear. This song No One Noticed is doing some stuff on TikTok. There's a lot from this album. She's a star. It felt a little bit like a nine-inch, nail show fronted by a like really sultry

like singer she's just she's special and this band is cool and I think 25 could you're going to see them on some festivals in 25 that matter they've played Coachella before they've done the rounds but I think they're

starting to really go so the marias are on my list young blood is on my list young blood of British rock stardom. Yeah. This guy has a best-selling book.

This guy has a festival that he curates Blood Fest in a field that everybody comes out to. This guy makes movies. This guy has merchandise, and this guy tours and makes great music. And I think that the stardom that exists around him in the UK

is going to start spilling over into the U.S. in 20. So I have to pick up amongst all those. There are two others that I think are my finalists, though. Okay. And it's Lucy Dacus, and it's Mumford and Sons. And I'll start with Mumford because I think I'm going to pick Lucy. Mumford have been gone since the last notes of their album Delta in 2018. Taylor recorded a big chunk of Evermore in Marcus's house.

he has been quietly popping up, as has the band, on everything from the Joni Mitchell side project to a lot of singer-songwriters that are out there at the moment. And this band really was the godfather to the Noah Khan Zach Bryan stuff. And I know those artists are huge fans of Mumford. And in a moment in which that music has made a bit of a real,

Revival 10 years after Mumford won for album of the year in a moment in which, as we discussed earlier, there may be as a lane for men in this genre. I have a suspicion that this band's going to have a massive 2025. But I come back to Lucy as my fifth pick because I think Lucy's doing the same thing. Lucy has an album coming. Lucy is going to be playing a number of festivals this year. and it's a bit of a wild card, but Boy Genius was a big freaking band, Nora.

Yeah. And it was driven, sure, Phoebe was coming out of an incredible album cycle, and that fame carried over into Boy Genius. But Boy Genius was something bigger and something different. And just as we saw the Taylor Swift media platform, catapult Gracie, Catapult Sabrina, Maybe Catapult Griff, as we've talked about, into stardom.

I want to see if the Boy Genius platform can actually take Lucy, who is an excellent, excellent songwriter, and put her into the forefront. She's never going to be a pop star, but she is one of the cool kids. And I want to see if she can fully break out as a solo artist in 2025. I love it. I mean, it has occurred to me a number of times, recently that just like, as you said, boy genius was a big deal. And all of those gals are going to be

up to stuff. And I think Lucy's a really good, good pick there. I'm just, I'm so excited to hear whatever that is. So I think that's a good pick. I like the Mumford idea. Did you go through? Is that, was that your whole list? Is that, did that go to your list? Yeah. Not your honor roll mentions, right? that's right I mean those are a bunch of my honorable mentions and I think I end up at Lucy I don't know what Phoebe's up to I know she's definitely in the studio

we've seen a little bits here and there my assumption is that she and Harry are 2026 but you know when Phoebe comes back that could arguably be one of the that's like Billy's next album or this album for Billy which is to say like Phoebe just had a smash

really big fucking star the next album is going to either send her into the stratosphere or, you know, be considered a regression. There's no two ways about it. She's an incredible songwriter. I'm just assuming that's going into 26. Yeah, I did the same. I'll say that I ended up feeling the same about Moona. Yeah.

I don't really know why. Because I do think that there's Ben Chatter that there's going to be another, you know, working on another album and stuff is in the works. but for some reason I was like, I don't, I don't think that's next year. That was a truly vibes-based decision. But this is just me saying, as I think you're saying, like, if we felt like Phoebe was coming, Phoebe would be on these lists. I felt the same about Moona. So take me through.

Who were some honorable mentions and who's your fifth pick besides Moona? Okay. I'm really, yeah, I got to make a decision here. And it's tough. I'm not going to choose Addison Ray. Okay. However, I will be watching, oh, God, should I choose Addison Ray? I kind of want to. Clara was on your list, right?

She's, yes, Clara was on my list. But hold on. I want to talk about Addie Ray for another second. That's fine. She has to do something to, like, keep the Diet Pepsi thing going, right? And I know that, you know, Aquamarine did not have the same. Yeah, it didn't. I thought it might, but it didn't. There's no, like, known infrastructure or signaling that this song or these songs are building to something. All of this in some ways is kind of a bit. So that's why I feel like I can't choose her. But I also, like, I hate to, maybe it's just because their last name sound like each other. Like, I don't mean to pit them against each other.

but like Tate McCray wishes, unfortunately. Like Diet Pepsi? Iconic. A song with a lasting cultural footprint from this year. But it's, yeah, I can't choose Addison Ray because it's just too much, like, it's too giant cheek. Okay. I had Flo.

The British sort of pop R&B girl group very much in the lineage of your TLCs, your Destiny's Child, so much so that they had Cynthia. Arevo doing a voiceover about how they are a part of that history as the opening track of the album they put out this past year, access all areas. They will be touring. I have tickets. I am excited. It is so, like, the music is so, it's just glorious in the way that that girl groups are glorious where the harmonies are gorgeous and it's, you know, the instrumentation is beautiful and they just all sound like it's so fun. It's it makes you want to dance. It's such

great. The songs are so great. I do think they have a freshness to them. Sometimes it isn't quite differentiated as much as I want it to be from sounding a little bit dated and a little bit. It's a little bit. It isn't quite differentiated. Impressionistic, but I'm excited about flow. So that's under consideration. Okay, I like it. Lola Young. Look at you going into the bag.

Who has this song messy from the album's called This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway. Which honestly, I had not spent a lot of time with, but then that song started to, it started to catch on. Because actually a couple of people texted me about it, like earlier this fall. And then it really started to hit because there's this random video from Thanksgiving of Sophia Ritchie dancing to it that has become, do you know what I'm talking about? Is this all Greek to you? It is Greek, but please. Keep speaking it. So there's this TikTok video where Sophia Ritchie is just like, she just like dances for like five seconds to the chorus of this song. And it has become this whole internet thing where like a lot of people are calling it the Sophia Ritchie dance and making

videos of themselves doing the same dance. The dance is just like kind of moving your shoulders back and forth. So then there's a lot of people also making videos being like, what the fuck are you people talking about? That's not the Sophia Ritchie dance that's just like swaying a little bit. So it's become this whole thing. And then lo and behold, the song has started to pick up a lot on streaming and it's a really good song. You know, it feels a little ephemeral perhaps because there's a virality component to it.

I do think like the album, again, I haven't spent that much time with the whole album, but I like what I've heard and I do think the song is very good. So that's, you know, that's an interesting, that's an interesting person to watch. Here's one we've talked about. Navin, do we still think Troy Savon should be a bigger artist?

No. No. No. Okay. How about that? Interesting. Okay. No.

Just like full, absolutely not. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. I like Troy Savon. I just think... If it was going to hit, it would have hit by now? Man, that Charlie XX tour was a tough one. It just was tough.

And it's not that he didn't do well. He did. But it just, there was a real big gap. And Charlie was it. And, you know, he was in that backup role. I think he's great. But I don't know that he is, I'm not sure that he's got the universal appeal of Harry.

And I'm not sure that if he did, that there would be space between him and Harry in terms of just sort of stylistic and how they do it. So I hear all of that. I guess I think the flip side of that coin, which is the universe that I'm at least considering here, is that that tour experience had to be instructive and in some way educational to a degree. Right? Like he got to be a part of something that really impacted people, that really energized people. Obviously, you'd rather be Charlie in that situation. But I wonder if there were some valuable lessons learned there. It makes me interested to hear what. you know, the person who was kind of the, you know, the always the bridesmaid of the sweat tour does after that experience. I will also say that I wonder if it'll take a little bit longer just because the last album was 2023 and then the tour just ended and obviously the tour was big.

So maybe there's some time to recover from that before whatever's next happens. So I won't, you know, this is just me going through my list. I'm not going to draft Troy. Look, one of your girls is a great song. Great song. I loved it. I just, I don't know. I think it, and it's totally okay. Everybody can't be the biggest star.

It's okay. Okay. I'm going to give you my last two sort of honorable mentions, and then I'll give you my actual draft pick. Rachel Chinariari, who is a British singer-songwriter, another short and sweet opener. Yes, I love it. When Sabrina's Abroad.

Never Need Me is the name. of that song. And the album is what a devastating turn of events. Go listen to that whole album. Like, this might be

one where we're just a little early. Honestly, even though like it's a whole ass album and it's really, really good. Yeah. But, man,

a lot of those songs I think are just like spectacular. There's a real, like the lyrics are really interesting. She's clearly a thoughtful person.

has a lot to say. But they're also, you know, to me, they track as pop songs. It's super listenable. Just like interesting point of view. And she's going to be opening for Sabrina this winter and spring when the short and sweet tour is abroad. In Europe. So in Europe.

So I think like that's, I'm hoping that's some sort of springboard because I do think that if people click in and they're interested, there's already a. a full-ass album of really good stuff. Last honorable mention, Remy Wolf. The album Big Ideas came out this year. I love the song Soup. And Remy just has a super big fun personality.

I also like the song Cinderella, which is very cool. I don't know if, you know, I don't know if Remy is quite ready, but definitely in the, sort of honorable mention section and someone whose music I really enjoy. Okay. Brings me to my actual pick here. And I'm actually, man, I'm a little tempted to go with Flo, but I'm going to go with Ray. Okay. Who is definitely working on a second album. Her first album

was my 21st Century Blues. That came out in 2023. I will say she's definitely working on a second album, but there was a bit of an unfortunate hiccup this fall because her car was stolen and it had her songwriting books inside. And it was around her birthday and then she had a birthday cake that said like, sorry your car was stolen, which is so sad. I'm so sorry that happened to you, Ray, but it is kind of funny. I'm going to assume that we're back on track with the songwriting process. I certainly hope so. The song escapism, which was the breakout single from the debut album. Was produced by a guy named Mike Sabbath,

who honestly, I don't know a ton about his deal, but he also produced the Jade song that I'm obsessed with, Angel of My Dreams. So Mike Sabbath, watching what you're up to. Again, it's like the whole package of, I do think the songs are,

a lot of the songs are there. Oscar winning tiers is so cool and fun, and there's so much personality to it. And then Ray is also nominated for a few Grammys, including Best New Artist, which I think we both feel is not her award to win. But that could still be a platform. She's been touring, still has some more shows that'll continue into next year. But I do think that there are enough of these sort of showcase moments to build anticipation for the second album. If that comes next year, which I think it will, I hope it will.

And as we've said time and time again, all comes back to the music. and if we're building off of what has already come, I would be very excited to hear it. So that's my team. She's special. I don't feel like we had a lot of fight over this. I know. It's because there's actually a lot to look forward to.

Well, I'd be interested in other people's ideas and what their teams are like. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had said with my first pick, I draft Zach Topp. I actually get like, ah, I wish I could live in the world. I would have closed the laptop for the year. You would have like, yeah, no, you would have, you would have gone to your grave believing that there was, believing that there was some sort of like hijinks. Someone told me like I was pranking you. Kai had hacked my machine. Kai had hacked, yeah. Yeah, I'd mastered like mind control or something. Well, you have. Well, this has been very fun. Nathan, your team, Renee Rapp, McGee. Lord, Zach Topp and Gavin Adcock, and Lucy Degas. Very exciting. Mine. I've got Miley Cyrus,

Jade, Harry Styles, Griff, and Ray. And that's a wrap on 2024 and something to look forward to in 2025. Lots of good stuff ahead. Lots of good stuff ahead. It's been a great year. Thanks to everyone who's listened. It really means the world to us. And we are so excited for what's to come. have a happy holidays and we will talk to you soon. We will be off the next two weeks over Christmas and New Year's, but we'll be back with lots of great stuff, some of which we've just talked about in 2025. Thank you, as always to Kaya McMullen for producing this episode and to you for listening.