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Popcast

How Slayyyter Became 2026’s Breakout Pop Star

6/12/20261 hr 1 min

Slayyyter, who became one of the year's breakout stars with the release of her third studio album “Worst Girl in America” and a viral Coachella set, sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss her slow-simmer career arc, why preexisting pop-star formats didn’t hang well on her shoulders, and how mainstream pop classics and forgotten pop detritus can be equally influential.

- Watch the episode here.

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Clips

Hearing Crowd Sing Back
Career On The Brink
Last-Words Album Mindset
The 'Taste Peacock' Rant
No Time For Pretentiousness

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 10:00

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  2. Slayyyter· Guest0:25

    Paying someone to rhinestone, like, a body suit for you is- Oh, it's the labor, it's not the stone itself. Well, it's the labor and the stones.

  3. Jon Caramanica· Host0:32

    Okay.

  4. Slayyyter· Guest0:33

    'Cause the crystals themselves are expensive.

  5. Jon Caramanica· Host0:34

    The quality of the, well, you got the quality of the sto- you gotta get a good stone, yeah ...

  6. Slayyyter· Guest0:36

    Yeah, you gotta get the good quality.

  7. Jon Caramanica· Host0:37

    Yeah, yeah, yeah.

  8. Slayyyter· Guest0:38

    Yeah, like the nice, the nice ones.

  9. Jon Caramanica· Host0:39

    Yeah, yeah.

  10. Slayyyter· Guest0:39

    Like Austrian Preciosa Maxima crystals, you know?

  11. Jon Caramanica· Host0:42

    Wow.

  12. Slayyyter· Guest0:42

    Preciosa, if you're listening- Uh ... please send me rhinestones. I can't keep doing this.

  13. Jon Caramanica· Host0:46

    [laughs] Welcome to the New York Times Popcast, your we should link later of weekly culture chat. I'm Jon Caramanica. I'm the critic.

  14. Joe Coscarelli· Host0:56

    I'm Joe Coscarelli. I am the reporter.

  15. Slayyyter· Guest0:59

    I'm Slater, and I'm on Popcast.

  16. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:02

    [clapping] Here we go.

  17. Jon Caramanica· Host1:03

    Uh- Worst girl in America, in the building.

  18. Slayyyter· Guest1:05

    Yeah.

  19. Jon Caramanica· Host1:06

    But you're here every week.

  20. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:07

    [laughs] Ah, that was good. We didn't even set that one up. That was just- I know.

  21. Jon Caramanica· Host1:10

    I'm just freestyling ...

  22. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:11

    that was rim shot o- off the dome ...

  23. Slayyyter· Guest1:13

    It's good.

  24. Jon Caramanica· Host1:13

    That's what I do.

  25. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:13

    Um, Slater is an overnight sensation 10 years in the making.

  26. Slayyyter· Guest1:18

    Yeah.

  27. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:18

    One of the breakout pop stars of the year so far.

  28. Speaker 5· Soundbite1:22

    Tell you I mean it and think about you every night.

  29. Joe Coscarelli· Host1:27

    I think we can trace

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