The release of Big Red Machine’s “Renegade,” featuring Taylor Swift, last week has us wondering about what might be next for the power trio of Swift, Aaron Dessner (The National) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).
After all, they’ve already given us two No. 1 albums — Swift’s 2020 projects Folklore and Evermore, which Dessner co-produced and Vernon sang on two duets — and now they’ve delivered an earworm single with the surprisingly upbeat “Renegade,” which has Taylor on lead vocals and Vernon on backup.
On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith discuss some burning questions around the new song: Will this trifecta (or their respective bands) ever tour together? Or maybe we could dream of a festival lineup that includes Swift’s folky collaborators one day and her pop besties the next? Who benefits the most from this working relationship? And has Taylor even met Justin yet?
Listen below to hear our best guesses:
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat debut at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Billboard 200, how Lady Gaga’s Chromatica jumps up the charts thanks to a new vinyl release, and how BTS’ “Butter” holds firm at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth straight week.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard’s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard’s deputy editor, digital, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
