Banger Films Announces THIS IS POP: THE PODCAST, Available Now On All Podcast Platforms

From Auto-Tune to boy bands to the rise of country pop, Banger Films' hit Netflix series THIS IS POP dives deep into some of the most significant moments in pop music history over the past seven decades. Now, fans can go further behind the scenes of the docuseries with THIS IS POP: THE PODCAST, which is now available on all podcast platforms. Augmenting each of the eight thematic THIS IS POP episodes with fresh insights from the artists featured in the series as well as cultural critics and the Banger Films production team, THIS IS POP: THE PODCAST is the perfect snack to complement your binge.

Launched last month, THIS IS POP, which is currently in Netflix's Top 10 in the U.S., Australia and Asia, features exclusive interviews with the artists, producers, songwriters and superstars integral to pivotal untold stories, including Shania Twain, Boyz II Men, ABBA's Benny Andersson, T-Pain, Brandi Carlile, Public Enemy's Chuck D and other luminaries. It's the latest music-focused project from Banger Films, the production company behind award winning documentary work including Hip Hop Evolution, ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and more. Each director-driven episode comes with its own style, voice and one goal in common: to explore how these game-changing moments unfolded and why their impact on pop music and culture continues today.

While the series speaks to the power of pop music to create global consensus and community, it also tells a more nuanced story of the genre's role as a societal magnifier. The producers and directors of THIS IS POP aim to shine a light on racism, sexism, classism, queer politics and social injustice while also celebrating the levity and joy for which pop music has long been known.

"We started with the question "What is Pop?", and found answers we never expected", said Series Producer Amanda Burt, Banger Films. "It's more than the charts or what floats out of a car radio. It's a perfect time capsule of how people were living as it was made and how they danced, loved, and cried as it was heard."

"The Boyz II Men Effect" examines the struggle that Black musical innovators face in reaping pop music rewards as well as the personal cost of cultural appropriation. Its accompanying podcast features interviews with The Undefeated senior entertainment writer Kelley Carter and CBC journalist Del Cowie.

"When Country Goes Pop" delves into the raging debate about what makes a song "country" and why country music has such a fixation on authenticity. The podcast includes an interview with music journalist Natalie Weiner.

"Auto- Tune" presents the idea that technology is an art form in itself, one that augments the natural talent of the artist. The sound has become omnipresent all over the world since its invention in 1997. Some say the pitch-correction technology has ruined music, while others have found fame by using the tool creatively. The podcast features an interview with producer, songwriter and entrepreneur Shakari "TRAKGIRL" Linder.

"Stockholm Syndrome" examines how the world's image of Swedish pop music differs from the reality of the musicians that make it, and how today's Swedish musicians have developed a new model for a global superstar that is more private and reserved despite the current hypervisibility and Extremely Online culture. For the podcast, Peter Bjorn and John's Bjorn Yttling discusses how one Scandinavian country came, quite unexpectedly, to dominate global pop music.

"The Brill Building in 4 Songs" profiles the unheralded legacy of the most important address in Pop music history, alongside some cautionary tales from behind the walls. In the 1950s and "60s, songwriters, record producers and wannabe pop stars flocked to 1619 Broadway in New York with dreams of churning out the next big hit. The podcast features an extended interview with legendary songwriter Neil Sedaka, who wrote scores of hits in the Brill Building era.

"Festival Rising" frames large-scale music events as cultural engines to create pop culture moments that can only happen at a festival. An interview with Jasmyn Burke of Canadian indie pop band Weaves helps the podcast bring to life the sights and sounds of these unique events.

"Hail Britpop!" asks what the female and racially marginalized musicians on the periphery of Britpop tell us about the movement, how class played a role in the Oasis vs. Blur battle and why Britpop was destined to have an expiration date. The podcast includes interviews with music journalist Simon Price and Marc Brown, the founder of digital music platform Byta.

"What Can A Song Do?" explores all aspects of protest songs, including how the message of a political song is changed or magnified once it becomes a pop hit. Colombian/Canadian singer Lido Pimienta is featured on the podcast, discussing her unique approach to writing about injustice.

THIS IS POP is produced by Banger Films in association with Netflix. For Banger Films, Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen are Executive Producers and Amanda Burt is Series Producer.

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