Chappell Roan has taken the title of “The Giver” to heart, gracing fans with album-level promo (Billboards! A secret phone number! An instantly controversial Call Her Daddy interview!) for the Shania-esque stand-alone single. In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield join host Brian Hiatt to break down Roan’s strategy, even as they try to figure out whether a new album will be out this year — and if the fan-favorite ballad “The Subway” will be her next single. Spanos points out that Roan is simply following a template she created in her indie days, when she dropped songs like “Pink Pony Club” on their own, but on a much bigger scale.
Elsewhere in the episode, our panelists dig into the greatness of Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem, and make the case for past Gaga albums, from 2016’s Joanne to 2020’s Chromatica. To hear the whole episode, go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.
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The episode also includes a deep dive on on Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco‘s excellent collaborative album, I Said I Love You First. The panel traces the influence of Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift on the album, marvels at the fearless raunchiness of tracks like “Sunset Boulevard” and “Cowboy,” and puzzles over which songs might be semi-veiled shots at Justin Bieber.
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone‘s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out eight years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, SZA, Questlove, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Kirk Hammett, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.
