Reading List

is The Saturday Paper’s music critic.

Shaad D'Souza is a freelance culture journalist

Shaad D’Souza is a writer based in London. He has written for Vulture, Frieze, Billboard, Paper, The Face, and Bon Appétit, among others, and has been an editor at The Guardian, Vice, and The Fader.

THE FACE Podcast will cover the biggest stories in music, movies, fashion and politics.

Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single ‘driver’s license’ is undeniably the biggest song of 2021 so far. Now the actor turned singer-songwriter has released her debut album ‘Sour’, which has broken streaming

Podcast Episode · Pop Pantheon · 08/18/2022 · 1h 47m

Rihanna fans have been waiting for this moment for six years. The singer has released Lift Me Up, a single on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It’s her first release since she launched her Fenty Beauty empire, and became a billionaire and a mother. As she storms back into our lives, we ask – what makes Rihanna such an icon?

The singer and songwriter’s career has inspired dance parties, as well as spirited conversations about her ambitions and aesthetic innovations.

A conversation about her unique route to the top of the charts — and what’s next.

Remembering Lady Gaga's most misunderstood piece of performance art, 10 years on.

My panda-shaped shaker is the fastest route to flavorful plant-based meals.

After all of last week's criticisms, Frank Ocean's second PrEP+ club night — featuring Leeon, Arca, Papi Juice, and SHYBOI — turned out to be imperfect fun.

Featuring horny singles, vaporwave vixens, smutty, sordid house cuts and gay electro-punk with a cynical sneer.

We insist she's a prophet, but her music chronicles our dystopian present.

The latest tv recaps and news from RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

With jobkeeper scrapped, international shows impossible and local tours still a logistical nightmare, musicians are losing hope – and bracing for a talent drain

By teasing fans with new song snippets, artists such as Rosalía are minting hits before the finished single is even out – but will this viral power fade once the industry catches on?

Bubblegum sweet, razor sharp and deliriously chaotic, the genre – if it even is one – is responsible for some of the most vibrant, strange pop in the country

A survey shows the station is losing its mandated audience – but the full story is more complicated than it seems

From Lorde to Rosalía, today’s biggest stars deliver shows that seem precision-engineered for social media. We speak to the people behind the scenes

As with her earlier work, Amy Shark’s new album, Cry Forever, trades on her struggles to succeed – but she’s no longer an underdog.

Read Shaad D’Souza’s review of the album.

‘Can you hear my voice?’ at Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Melbourne, asks what it means to claim agency amidst sectarian conflict

Amid the relentless individualism of pop music, Lizzo’s new album – for all its blithe tastelessness – comes as a breath of fresh air.

Read Shaad D’Souza’s review of the album.

The singer-songwriter breezes through every iteration of herself on a chimeric folk-trap ballad that acts as a crash course in Lana signifiers.

"This is for everyone."

It’s got celebrity guests, insiders’ tips, and discussions about post-sobriety friendship. We meet the two hosts who have propelled their podcast to the cutting edge of pop culture

Director, podcaster and Succession cast member Dasha Nekrasova’s debut film is a genre mash-up that reflects the hallucinatory age of conspiracy theories.

As she releases her sixth album, the musician discusses – and stokes – her controversial history, dismissing identity politics, the move to defund the police, and cancel culture