CIARA (with Chris Stedman)

In episode 2 of Pop Pantheon, host DJ Louie XIV addresses the veritable uproar from the KatyCats following last week's episode. He then briefly reviews the concept of the Pop Pantheon tiers before being joined by author and professor Chris Stedman to discuss the Princess of Crunk&B, Ciara. Louie and Chris dissect the idea of "flops" in the context of Chris' Pitchfork piece, "The Enduring Appeal of Pop Stars Who Flop", the trajectory of Ciara's career from centrist pop star to flop to critical darling and gay icon, the unjust tension projected onto women of color in pop who move between genres, and Ciara's resilience and longevity in the fickle and ever-shifting pop landscape over the last twenty years. Finally, they debate which tier Ciara belongs in in the official Pop Pantheon.  Read Chris' piece, "The Enduring Appeal of Pop Stars Who Flop", on Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-enduring-appeal-of-pop-stars-who-flop/  Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppantheonpod/  Follow Pop Pantheon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopPantheonPod Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlouiexiv/  Follow DJ Louie XIV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJLouieXIV  Follow Chris Stedman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisDStedman