As expected, it was a total eclipse of Taylor Swift on the charts and in the conversation for October — with the pop ultrasupermegastar topping both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 for essentially the entire month with her The Life of a Showgirl and its lead single “The Fate of Ophelia,” posting beyond-historic numbers and inspiring takes of all kinds in the process. Most other pop stars understandably stayed out of her way — but a few intrepid souls were still heard from this month, managing to make waves of their own within the Swift riptide.
This week, we look back at the October that was in pop stardom, as host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Kyle Denis and Stephen Daw 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 months of the year. (If you missed our recaps of the first nine months of 2025, check them out here, including our review of the entire first half of the year in pop stardom.)
While doing so, we answer all the big questions about October pop stardom: Has Olivia Dean now officially arrived? When did the Tame Impala fanbase get so absurdly young? Did the new albums from Demi Lovato, Khalid and Halle make any kind of impression on us one way or the other? Are there any rappers worth talking about in this discussion during such a fallow time for the genre on the Hot 100? Are we more excited for the new Rosalía album or the new Summer Walker album next month? And most importantly: Does Taylor Swift’s unprecedented month mean that the Greatest Pop Star of 2025 discussion is now good as settled?
Check it out above, along with a YouTube playlist of some of the greatest moments in October 2025 pop stardom — all of which are discussed on the pod — 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:
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Destination Tomorrow
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Sign Up
