In this episode of The Track Record, we sit down with Paxton Smith, a pop artist carving her own path and exploring what music can be.

We talk through her creative process, from the first spark of a lyric to shaping a track in the studio, and how she experiments with textures, melodies, and emotions to find her voice. Paxton shares her perspective on joy, growth, and play in music, and gives a peek behind the scenes at her Spotify bio, including her playful Grammy plan with googly eyes.

From her EP But I Love It as a whole to the latest single, we explore the heart, humor, and curiosity driving her music, offering listeners an insider look at an artist defining her own journey. Whether you are a longtime fan from her valedictorian speech or discovering her music for the first time, this episode captures the next chapter in Paxton’s story.

Check out Paxton's new MV that dropped today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc0ykl4kxbU

Find Paxton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paxtonasmith/

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

We trace their journey from The Debut: Dream Academy to their bold new EP, "Beautiful Chaos", asking what holds them together, how they balance health with fan pressure, and what their place really is in an industry obsessed with control.

Along the way, Rae and I dig into Manon’s contested narrative, the bigotry around Lara Raj’s queerness and identity, and Katseye’s daring choice to keep a trans-affirming lyric in Mean Girls when others would not.

Are they pioneers of a new kind of global pop, or artists navigating impossible double standards?

Do not forget to check out Rae’s blog on Instagram.

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we sit down with Tom Spare to revisit the rise of Coldplay, a band that has soundtracked heartbreak, revolution, and stadium singalongs for more than two decades.

We trace their journey from the fragile intimacy of Parachutes to the sweeping ambition of Viva La Vida and the technicolor optimism of Mylo Xyloto, unpacking how Chris Martin’s songwriting, the band’s chemistry, and their politics shaped a generation of listeners. We dive into spectacle versus sincerity, the balancing act between art and activism, and what it takes to stay relevant while constantly reinventing yourself.

Where does Viva La Vida stand as a cultural turning point? How does Coldplay hold space for joy and grief at the same time? And what keeps fans like Tom still making heart signs on Zoom calls all these years later?

Don't forget to check out Tom's podcasts:

• Spare a Thought
• The Political Dispatch

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we sit down with Tia Malhotra to unpack what it really means to grow up alongside Justin Bieber, from bubblegum pop to public scandal and some of the most streamed choruses of our lives.

We trace his journey from Baby to his latest album, SWAG, exploring how vulnerability, faith, and love have shaped his music and his public image. We talk parasocial protection, fandom misogyny, and the strange way fame blurs the personal and professional until they feel inseparable.

Where does Bieber stand now that he is free from Scooter Braun’s management? How do we balance valid critique with empathy for an artist who has lived entirely under a microscope? And what keeps fans like Tia fiercely protective of him even after all these years?

Do not forget to check out Tia’s poetry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiamalhotra_/ https://www.instagram.com/bibliophile_burrow_/

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we sit down with Aditya to write a love letter, full of questions, chaos, and care, to the one and only Chappell Roan.

Together, we trace her evolution from Kayleigh to Midwest Princess, exploring how she builds queer fantasy through music that feels both ultra-specific and universally felt. We talk personas, pedestal politics, and what it means to make joy feel radical.

Where does Chappell Roan really sit in the current pop landscape? Why do so many queer fans see themselves in her? And how do we hold space for artists who are still learning out loud?

If you’ve ever screamed “Good Luck, Babe!” like a prayer or found yourself dancing through your feelings in something unhinged and glittery, this one’s for you.

Don't forget to check out Aditya on Instagram.

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we dive deep into the wild, weird, and wounded world of Mayhem. In the last one, we had my bestie Aryan Mahajan help us set the stage: who Gaga is and how she shapeshifts through the culture.

Today, we walk through the album song by song. No skips.

Part two of our Mayhem breakdown takes us from glitter-stained ballads to glitchy breakdowns, through Eden-like clubs, conversations and graveyards. Gaga pulls us through grief, lust, fame, fantasy, performance, persona, and whatever’s left of the self once the curtain falls.

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we welcome Aryan Mahajan, one of the most passionate and perceptive Lady Gaga fans out there.

Together, we unpack the chaos, control, and catharsis of Mayhem and explore Gaga as more than just a provocateur or pop icon. What does it mean to live as both Gaga and Stefani? How does she hold space for trans queer fans through more than just the songs? And where was she, emotionally and politically, when Mayhem stormed into the world?

This is a conversation full of grudges and gratitude, joy and judgment. For the fans who found healing in the Mayhem and the ones still figuring it out, this one’s for you. <3

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.

In this episode of The Track Record, we unpack the mythic, mournful, magnificent world of BTS’ You Never Walk Alone, not just as a K-pop milestone, but as a coming-of-age novel in motion.

From piano lullabies and mother-son tributes to crime confessions and cyphers of self-love, You Never Walk Alone dares to be both biblical and boyish, both a diary and a manual. We read each solo track as a chapter in a larger emotional syllabus, one that wrestles with shame, identity, masculinity, fame, and forgiveness.

This is not a casual listen. It’s a love letter to the album that taught us wings hurt when they grow, that pain deserves poetry, and that no one, truly no one, walks alone.

To follow along with The Track Record, find the podcast on Instagram.

To get connected with Vaish, find her on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at lily@bethechangepodcast.org.