Episode 52 - Kara DioGuardi’s Songwriting Genius

In the second and final part of their Katy Perry deep dive, Mary and Kelsey explore Katy’s chart-topping singles from Teenage Dream: Complete Confection, Prism, Witness, and Smile. The gals also discuss Katy’s record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show that delivered us the Left Shark phenomenon (plus an update on where Left Shark is now!), her Vegas residency, and what Katy’s been up to lately. 

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Katy Perry’s first album came out in 2001, so Mary and Kelsey are considering her a y2k pop queen and thus deserving of her very own deep dive! In part I of those two-part episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss Katy’s transition from Christian rock to topping the pop charts with her first album, One Of The Boys, and Teenage Dream and a track by track analysis of when Katy popped! 

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25 years ago, tweens across Sweden - and soon after, the world - were introduced to the timeless musical stylings of ABBA thanks to a new group of young teens called ABBA Teens. Quickly after their first single, the group changed their name to A*Teens, and branched out from ABBA covers to create their own original music. In this episode Mary and Kelsey discuss A*Teens’ meteoric rise to international stardom, their biggest hits like Upside Down (Bouncing Off The Ceiling), Sugar Rush, Floorfiller and more, and their recent reunion. 

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We’re addic- we’re addicted to 2000s pop punk. It’s that simple. In this episode Mary and Kelsey revisit the discography of their biggest inspiration for emo AIM away messages: Simple Plan. They discuss their origin story, when they popped, and their biggest hits including I’m Just A Kid, I’d Do Anything, Perfect, Welcome To My Life, and more, plus an update on where you can catch them live on tour! 

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In honor of Valentine’s week, Mary and Kelsey are celebrating the season of love with an episode dedicated to the undisputed rom com queen of y2k: Cameron Diaz. The gals take a look back at their favorite Cameron movies including My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, and The Sweetest Thing. They discuss when Cameron popped and where she is now! 

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“I like your pants. I like your shirt. I like your face.” And we LOVE Alex M., the breakout star of Laguna Beach’s second season. Alex Murrel joins When They Popped to share her experiences and stories as a reality television pioneer and her favorite and not-so-favorite moments from the show. Alex also shares more about her post-Laguna life as a recording artist, and what she’s up to now as a supermom to her young children. Let the rain fall down, and let your volume turn up, because this is a juicy one!! 
Be sure to follow Alex on Instagram @alexmurrel and TikTok @alexmurreljohnson

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To celebrate the 2024 Grammy Awards Kelsey and Mary are rewinding back 20 years to the 2004 awards ceremony. It was a breakthrough year for many artists who are now household names, like 50 Cent, Ludacris, Sean Paul, Beyoncé (solo), Avril Lavigne, and Evanescence. We also saw some familiar faves honored with nominations, like Missy Elliott, Eminem, Christina Aguilera, and The Neptunes. This episode is full of hot takes as the girls go through the list of top winners in a game of “were they robbed?” 

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In 2004, Perez Hilton founded his eponymous site, changing the celebrity gossip game forever. At its peak, PerezHilton.com is reported to have had 7 million visitors a day. In this episode, Mary and Kelsey look back at 20 years of “The Queen of All Media,” his biting commentary and signature (usually inappropriate) doodles, and the toxic tabloid culture of y2k. They also examine Perez’s instrumental role in kickstarting the careers of two of today’s biggest pop stars - Katy Perry and Lady Gaga - and his *very public* falling out with Gaga. They also discuss Perez’s change of heart in 2010 when he vowed to stop being mean to celebrities. If you ran to the computer lab between classes to refresh Perez’s site and read the latest celeb news, this episode is for you!

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Mary and Kelsey continue their deep dive on Max Martin, this time focusing on Max’s collaborations with two of today’s hottest songstresses: Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. This episode offers a detailed song-by-song look at Max’s work with these titans of pop, including Taylor’s Red, 1989, and Reputation albums, and Ariana’s My Everything, Dangerous Woman, and Sweetener. 

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Kelsey and Mary do a deep dive on their favorite subject, Max Martin. Max is the king of pop production, songwriting, and composition. He’s the brains behind hits like Baby One More Time, I Want It That Way, and Bye Bye Bye. What you may not know is that luckily for us, Max didn’t leave his hard-hitting beats in y2k. He has kept the hits rolling with stars like Celine Dion, The Weekend, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Pink, and more. This episode explores hits you probably didn’t know are Max bops (tbh, even Kelsey and Mary were shocked by some of them), his signature Swedish sound, and his recipe for a hit song. 

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