It’s a wrap on the first half of the 2026 calendar year in pop stardom — and while we haven’t gotten a ton of totally new chart-topping artists to this point in the year, we have heard all year from a whole lot of the ruling classic of the last decade (or two). This past June was no exception to that trend, as some of the biggest names of recent years returned with new albums, new singles, new tours and/or big new moments, making sure that we enter the back half of the year still reeling from the star power on display.
This week on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we catch up with all the stars who defined June 2026 in pop stardom. Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Xander Zellner and Emily Fuentes to share and debate our respective June top five lists, while also naming some honorable mentions, some disappointments, and some artists who we’re looking forward to in the second half of the year. (If you want to listen back to our first four 2026 recaps, or any of our 2025 episodes, you can check them all out here.)
And of course, we ask all the most pressing questions about the month in pop stardom: Is Olivia Rodrigo already thinking about her long-term legacy at age 23? Is Taylor Swift still as dominant as ever in this in-between year for her — and will it actually end up being an in-between year at all? Have we come around to Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me?” Has Malcolm Todd proven himself to be the real deal? How are we feeling about Phoebe Bridgers’ return six years after her last solo album? What are our current reads on upcoming albums by Gracie Abrams, Charli xcx and Carly Rae Jepsen? And of course most importantly: Who has been the Greatest Pop Star of the first half of 2026?
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.
The post “Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift & Ariana Grande: Which Pop Stars Won June 2026? Greatest Pop Stars Podcast” by Andrew Unterberger was published on 07/02/2026 by www.billboard.com