Destiny's Child: Boot Camp, Lawsuits, and Pop's Fiercest Trio
Before they were the polished trio the world remembers, Destiny's Child was a six-member Houston act called Girls Tyme that lost on Star Search. Under Beyonce's father Matthew Knowles, the group endur...
2 Jul 17min
Lady Gaga's Bad Romance: The Science of the Perfect Earworm
Written on a lonely tour bus in Norway amid paranoia and isolation, Lady Gaga's Bad Romance was leaked online in an unfinished state she said made her ears bleed. Rather than rushing it to radio, her ...
2 Jul 21min
Mariah Carey: The Architect Behind the Diva Persona
Beneath the glamorous diva image, Mariah Carey is one of the most prolific songwriters and producers in chart history, a secretive alt-rocker who fought her label and her husband to make the R&B and h...
2 Jul 19min
Single Ladies: Beyonce's Secret Marriage and Viral Anthem
Just weeks after her secret 2008 wedding to Jay-Z, Beyonce recorded Single Ladies, taking off her wedding ring in the vocal booth to channel the energy into an anthem for unmarried women. Released as ...
2 Jul 18min
Dolly Parton: The Business Mind Behind the Rhinestones
Beneath the wigs, rhinestones, and self-deprecating jokes, Dolly Parton has spent six decades as one of the sharpest business minds in entertainment. Born the fourth of 12 children in a one-room Tenne...
2 Jul 18min
Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso: A $3 Loop and Global Domination
The defining pop anthem of 2024 was recorded quickly in a sleepy French village, built on a guitar riff and drums downloaded from a Splice sample pack for a few dollars. Sabrina Carpenter, a former Di...
2 Jul 20min
Adele's Rolling in the Deep: A Breakup Turned Global Anthem
When an ex-boyfriend told a 22-year-old Adele that her life would be boring, lonely, and rubbish without him, she channeled the fury into Rolling in the Deep. Paired with indie-rock producer Paul Epwo...
2 Jul 21min
Jennie: The Shy Trainee Who Became a K-Pop Mogul
Jennie was once so paralyzed by shyness that she could not say her own name at her YG audition, yet she became the CEO of her own label and one of the most followed Koreans on Instagram. Sent alone to...
2 Jul 19min
