The Rose Gray Interview: Madonna, Robyn & Making Pop Classics Of Her Own

Rachel Chinouriri joins the podcast off the back of the release of her second album 'I Think I Spoke Too Soon...' The album comes off the back of a huge period of change for Rachel, including sobriety and touring with pop titans like Sabrina Carpenter.Those experiences are reflected in the album which strikes a balance between vulnerability and confidence. It's a glossy pop record with an intimate storyteller at the centre. This interview goes behind the album but also gets into how she studied campaigns like 'Brat', consciously broke out of moulds she'd made for herself and pop classics like Rihanna's 'Anti'.

MNEK has helped shape the sound of modern pop, writing and producing hits for Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Little Mix, FLO and Zara Larsson. Now, he's stepping back into the spotlight with his second solo album, Bulldozer. Fresh off executive producing Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun, MNEK joins The Pop Pod to talk about making two very different records, finding his own voice as an artist and why there's no longer a rulebook for pop success. We get into the creative process behind Midnight Sun, reuniting with Zara a decade after 'Never Forget You', his five years working with FLO, and the stories behind some of his biggest pop hits. Plus, he opens up about the pressures of the music industry, embracing his identity and making the loud, unapologetic dance record he's always wanted to make.

We’re uplifting Tinashe today and always. Over the past near 15 years, I’ve watched Tinashe shape pop stardom in her own vision from huge chart hits to cult favourites. In this moment, it feels like both sides of her have synthesised. Her 8th studio album ‘Popstar’ features some of her most unexpected, mind-bending moments but it’s also landed her in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time in her career. Everything has led Tinashe towards this very deserved moment.We sat down a couple of weeks ago, before the album found itself as one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, to discuss what pop stardom means to Tinashe. We talked about Britney Spears, SZA, Janet Jackson and how she’s managed hits and virality throughout her career. Subscribe to The Pop Pod for weekly interviews.

Lizzy McAlpine is on The Pop Pod! A huge period of change informed Lizzie’s fourth album ‘Angel’. The adventurous, warm and experimental folk-pop record doesn’t come long after her last album ‘Older’ but plenty happened in between. She starred in Broadway musical ‘Floyd Collins’, found new love after a breakup and found an appreciation for the music of Joni Mitchell. Speaking to her, it feels like she’s found a new sense of freedom and that’s been poured into the music. We spoke not only about the album and this period of change but the pop music that has shaped her along the way from Ariana Grande to Joni Mitchell to Britney Spears. Follow The Pop Pod on Instagram and subscribe to us here for me.

Tove Lo has had a very interesting career. Her first album 'Queen Of The Clouds' landed her in the mainstream quickly but ever since then she's taken left turns. Rather than attempting to repeat previous success, she's followed her artistic instinct which pulls through stronger than ever on 'Estrus'. I sat down with Tove on the day the album was released to talk about how she got there after 'Dirt Femme'. This is a career-spanning conversation touching on everything from 'Talking Body' to how she found her freedom as an independent artist. Of course, we also had to talk about fellow Swedish pop icon Robyn. Make sure you're following us on Instagram for the clips & more.