Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century Podcast: BTS (No. 19) & The Weeknd (No. 18)

On this week's (September 6) episode of the Biggest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we take a look at a pair of unlikely pop powerhouses: K-pop icons BTS and R&B mystery man-turned-pop megahit maker The Weeknd.

First, host Andrew Unterberger is added Bulletin board music director Jason Lipshutz and longtime K-pop correspondent Jeff Benjamin to talk about the Bangtan Boys. We cover the group's rise to stardom in its home country of South Korea—and the stylistic and thematic differences that made BTS stand out from the start—and then analyze the septet's US and global takeover at the turn of the decade of 2020 and what made his music, impact and fans so great during that time. We then dive into the members' successful solo careers and what we think a full BTS comeback might eventually look and feel like.

Next, staff writer Kyle Denis and senior R&B/Hip-Hop/Afrobeats writer Heran Mamo stop by to discuss the beauty behind the madness of The Weeknd's unusual career. We share fond (and transformative) memories of his early mixing, then understand how he was able to pull off one of the most diverse pop pivots of the 2010s — becoming a superstar and A-list celebrity without completely sacrificing his chops cool. And then, of course, we remember his global conquest of the early 2020s, including a record-breaking Billboard Hot 100 smash and a Super Bowl halftime victory lap, before living up to our expectations for his upcoming Hurry up tomorrow period.

Listen to our latest below, catch up on our past episodes here and be sure to subscribe Bulletin board'small The biggest pop stars of the 21st century series wherever you take your podcasts! (New episodes will be revealed every Friday, after we publish our two new Top Pop Star rankings for that week.)