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

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 – YOUR WAY’S BETTER Tate McRae – Sports car Tata Taktumi, Timbaland – Pulse x Glitch PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake, Yebba – DIE TRYING The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Impression That I Get Maddox Batson – Tears In The River JAY-Z – D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune) Adele – Someone Like You Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved Rihanna, Mikky Ekko – Stay Baauer – Harlem Shake Billie Eilish – bury a friend This Is Lorelei, MJ Lenderman – Dancing in the Club – MJ Lenderman Version WITCH – Once In A Lifetime MOLIY, Shenseea, Silent Addy, Skillibeng – Shake It To The Max (FLY) – Remix Geese – Bow Down Turnstile – LOOK OUT FOR ME Rebecca Black – Sugar Water Cyanide Bad Bunny – DtMF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices