There’s just two months left in 2026 — and while it feels like the big picture is starting to shake out for the year in pop stardom, there’s plenty of game still left to be played. With the finish line now in sight, a lot of the biggest pop stars were outside in October, either shoring up their cases, forcing their way into the center of the discussion, or maybe even making some fashionably late entrances to the mix in general.
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we catch up with all the stars who defined October 2026 in pop stardom. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Michael Saponara and Emily Fuentes to share and debate our respective October top five lists, while also naming some honorable mentions, some disappointments, and some artists who we’re looking forward to in the final few months of the year. (If you want to listen back to our first nine 2026 recaps, or any of our 2025 episodes, you can check them all out here.)
Along the way, we answer all the most pressing questions about October in pop stardom: Is Tate McRae doing her new album cycle the right way? Which of Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: The Encore bonus cuts are holding up for us? How’d Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan fare on their first-ever remix? Is Harry Styles ending the year in a stronger place than we expected? Are people really saying that Jay-Z doesn’t have the catalog to play the Super Bowl? Do the Texas elections mean that “Choosin’ Texas” is gonna get another 10 weeks atop the Hot 100? How have we not made a true pop star out of Dominic Fike yet? And perhaps most importantly: What were our takes on the Kelly Clarkson animatronic bird mini-controversy?
Check it out above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Human Rights Campaign – In Your Area
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
