We Ain’t No Divas

Fresh off Umbrella being the biggest single of 2007, Rihanna reissued Good Girl Gone Bad with three additional songs (including two more US number ones!), another haircut and a first hip-hop feature that'd make her the go-to girl for years to come.

Part two of our Good Girl Gone Bad deep dive delves into the success of Take A Bow, Disturbia and Live Your Life with T.I., while we explore how fashion continued to play a pivotal role in Rihanna's rising star. Ross and Sam find out which song Rihanna nabbed from Janet Jackson, why Rehab was the final single and revisit the tabloid aftermath of Chris Brown assaulting her the night before the 2009 GRAMMYs.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:35 Rihanna - Take A Bow

00:04:44 Beyoncé - Irreplaceable comparisons

00:09:06 Rihanna and Maroon 5 - If I Never See Your Face Again

00:12:39 The song Rihanna got over Janet Jackson

00:14:33 Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded

00:20:14 Rihanna - Disturbia

00:28:28 Rihanna and T.I. - Live Your Life

00:33:48 Rihanna - Rehab

00:37:38 Chris Brown assaults Rihanna the night before 2009 GRAMMYs

00:47:08 Diva Diploma - What do Ross and Sam rate the Good Girl Gone Bad era?

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back and so are (some of) the main pop girls!

Ross and Sam discuss Coachella Weekend 1's biggest sets, from Lady Gaga's career-spanning Mayhem live debut to Megan Thee Stallion's headline show. Charli xcx isn't sure whether or not she's done with the Brat era but are we ready for it to be?

As for new music, Addison Rae has announced her debut album release date and Lorde has taken over TikTok with the first snippet of her comeback single "WWT (What Was That)". We discuss Lorde's influence on pop at large and what we're predicting for her fourth album.

Finally, we review Miley Cyrus' new single End of the World and its low chart debut in the UK (23) and US (52), a huge dip from Flowers' record-breaking debut and reign of the charts. Can she pull it back for the Something Beautiful era? Does she care to?

Follow us @weaintnodivas on Instagram & TikTok now! New podcast episodes every Wednesday.

00:00:44 Lady Gaga debuts Mayhem live show at Coachella 2025

00:10:10 Did Charli xcx officially end the Brat era at Coachella?

00:14:20 Is Charli launching a new era at Coachella Weekend 2?

00:15:15 Megan Thee Stallion at Coachella review

00:18:25 Addison Rae's live debut at Coachella

00:19:09 Addison Rae announces debut album release date

00:20:20 Addison teases Headphones On music video

00:26:10 Lorde kicks off fourth album era

00:26:52 Charli xcx's Girl, so confusing remix

00:32:30 Miley Cyrus' End of the World review

00:40:35 Diva Download - New music recommendations

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi Divas! It feels like 2013 again with new music from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez out this week. Ross and Sam react to the beginning of Miley's new album era after watching the Something Beautiful music video and chat about Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball and Kesha's first independent album.

It's an all-out pop war as we dive into Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez's new albums (eternal sunshine deluxe: better days ahead, and I Said I Love You First), leaving us divided by a certain Charli xcx collaboration (Bluest Flame) and questioning the future of a Wicked pop superstar.

Follow us @weaintnodivas on Instagram & TikTok now! New podcast episodes every Wednesday.

00:01:31 Miley Cyrus announces new album Something Beautiful

00:07:17 Kesha announces first independent album '.' (PERIOD)

00:11:51 Lady Gaga announces The Mayhem Ball

00:17:15 Selena Gomez & benny blanco's I Said I Love You First album review

00:20:14 Is How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten about Justin Bieber?

00:22:30 Selena collabs with Charli xcx on Bluest Flame

00:29:00 Ariana Grande's eternal sunshine deluxe: better days ahead album review

00:35:10 Why the deluxe tracks are more direct to Ari's ex-husband Dalton Gomez

00:36:20 Is Dandelion inspired by Doja Cat?

00:40:10 Why fans think better days ahead is Ariana's last pop album

00:44:15 Ranking Ariana Grande's albums

00:44:47 New music from Mae Muller and Mahalia

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 years ago this week, Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty reintroduced herself to the world with Umbrella, the lead single from her transformative third album Good Girl Gone Bad.

Just two years after she was signed by Jay-Z at 15, Rihanna overhauled her image and formed her pop A-team (Timbaland, Stargate, Justin Timberlake) to command the world's attention with her voice, personality and style. Umbrella was the longest-running Number 1 single in the UK of the 2000s and topped the charts in 19 countries, propelling her to the A-list of global pop. Good Girl Gone Bad is a hit-stacked album that set the tone for RiRi's genre-hopping career and was her first working with Kuk Harrell, the vocal producer who would train her voice for years to come.

In this episode of We Ain't No Divas, Ross and Sam discover how the album was made, why Rihanna had to fight for Umbrella to be hers and the story behind her iconic bob hair cut. Plus, why Jay-Z interrupted her at the 2008 GRAMMY Awards, her performance with Chris Brown at the 2007 VMAs and much more.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:12 Why is Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad era significant?

00:05:36 Rihanna's inspiration behind Good Girl Gone Bad

00:09:28 How Rihanna got signed by Jay-Z

00:13:33 Umbrella released as a single

00:16:00 Why Rihanna had to fight for Umbrella

00:18:45 Who Is Kuk Harrell?

00:25:07 The "Umbrella Curse" of the UK

00:26:10 Umbrella gave Ross tonsillitis

00:29:17 The Umbrella music video

00:30:15 Did Rihanna copy Victoria Beckham's "Pob"?

00:31:04 The story behind Rihanna's bob hair cut

00:37:11 Good Girl Gone Bad album review

00:50:28 Follow-up singles: Shut Up & Drive, Hate That I Love You & Don't Stop The Music

00:55:00 Shut Up & Drive's double meaning

01:03:00 Performing with Chris Brown at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards

01:04:40 Good Girl Gone Bad - Rihanna's first world tour

01:05:09 Rihanna's first GRAMMY Award win

01:05:57 Jay-Z interrupting Rihanna during GRAMMYs acceptance speech

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Divas! Ross and Sam finally catch up on Lady Gaga's new album Mayhem and a ton of new music released by Chappell Roan (The Giver), Doechii (Anxiety), JADE (FUFN), Lil Nas X (Hotbox) and Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco (Sunset Blvd).

Mother Monster is at her commercial and critical peak but the divas are divided when it comes to Mayhem's musical quality. Meanwhile, Lil Nas X has rebooted his sophomore album campaign with the Pharrell and Jay-Z-sampling Hotbox, which finds him referencing André 3000, Nelly, Nicki Minaj and LL Cool J. Is it enough to take Montero to the mainstream after his J CHRIST controversies? Plus, Ariana Grande reveals eternal sunshine deluxe edition tracklist.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:49 Chappell Roan releases The Giver

00:06:54 JADE drops new single FUFN

00:11:22 Lil Nas X returns with Hotbox

00:20:04 Doechii samples Gotye on Anxiety

00:25:39 Ariana Grande announces eternal sunshine deluxe

00:30:13 Lady Gaga's Mayhem review

00:44:40 Diva's new music recommendations

00:46:30 Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco's Sunset Blvd

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where were you when Lady Gaga staged her own death at the 2009 MTV VMAs during Paparazzi?

Part two of our diva dive into Lady Gaga's The Fame, Ross and Sam revisit Lady Gaga's pivot from stereotypical dance-pop hitmaker to pop art provocateur with the campaign's third and fourth international singles LoveGame and Paparazzi.

From paying homage to Britney Spears and gender-bending like Madonna in the Joseph Kahn-directed LoveGame to delivering her first original epic with Paparazzi with Jonas Åkerlund, the second half of The Fame rollout aligned her with the pop greats then built a blood-drenched seat at their table. Plus, we revisit how Gaga received the transvestigation treatment by the media, The Fame Ball Tour and her star-making set at Glastonbury.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:27 LoveGame and Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)

00:04:17 "You wanna take a ride on my disco stick?"

00:05:50 LoveGame music video controversies

00:13:00 The Fame Ball Tour

00:18:30 Performing on The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2009

00:22:55 The Transvestigation

00:31:36 Paparazzi

00:33:18 Paparazzi music video

00:43:32 Paparazzi at the 2009 MTV VMAs

00:53:55 Diva Diploma - what do we rate The Fame era out of 10?

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Tate, we hope you're listening... Ross and Sam are back with an end-of-awards season special! Sam tells all about the 2025 BRIT Awards before we dive into JADE's star-making Angel of My Dreams performance and Sabrina Carpenter's royally racy Bed Chem performance.

We discuss the whelming 2025 Oscars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's spectacular opening performance, and that Bond tribute by Doja Cat, LISA and Raye. Finally, we dive into our beloved Tate McRae's number one (!) third album So Close To What, its whirlwind takeover and if its chart-topping success means she's now in pop's A-list.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RedOne! Konvict... GA-GA.

Lady Gaga arrived seemingly fully-formed in 2008 as a David Bowie-referencing, Grace Jones-dressing blonde New York party girl ready to disrupt pop. The one-two punch of Just Dance and Poker Face established her as a fashion-savvy, sexually charged visual artist ready to push buttons and take over the industry, while the record-breaking album The Fame introduced her and RedOne as two forward-thinking hitmakers inspired by the 1980s and Britney Spears' Blackout.

How did she get there? Who invented the character of Lady Gaga? And did Akon discover her? Listen to part one of our deep dive into the most game-changing era of the 21st century.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:16 Why we're revisiting The Fame

00:02:38 Where was music at the dawn of The Fame?

00:04:28 Who was Lady Gaga before 2008?

00:08:10 Who came up with "Lady Gaga"?

00:10:00 Signing with Interscope & meeting RedOne

00:11:52 Who were we before Lady Gaga?

00:14:41 Britney Spears - Blackout influence

00:17:36 Just Dance

00:21:13 David Bowie - Let's Dance influence

00:27:20 Who is Colby O'Donis?

00:29:40 The FASHION

00:32:57 Transmission Gaga-vision YouTube vlogs

00:37:45 Poker Face

00:41:21 Does she sing "F**k her face"?

00:43:55 Just Dance could've been a Pussycat Dolls song...

00:50:44 2009 BRITs performance with Pet Shop Boys

00:52:27 The Fame album review

01:09:00 How Gaga manifested The Fame

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We don't need your drugs... Ross & Sam react to Addison Rae's third single High Fashion, break down its many musical references and discuss how her debut album is taking up.

We dive into Sabrina Carpenter's deluxe edition of Short n' Sweet (featuring Dolly Parton!), Chappell Roan's upcoming single The Giver, and Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco's joint album. As for UK pop news, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour ticket controversy comes up and we guess what JADE will perform for her solo BRITs performance in March.

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00:01:05 Addison Rae's High Fashion reaction

00:08:00 High Fashion's musical references

00:11:44 High Fashion music video reaction

00:16:22 Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet deluxe edition

00:17:07 Dolly Parton and Sabrina's Please Please Please collab

00:25:55 JADE is performing at the BRITs

00:30:49 Beyoncés Cowboy Carter Tour ticket prices

00:37:14 Chappell Roan announces The Giver

00:40:53 Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco announce joint album

00:45:10 Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show reaction

00:51:00 Diva Download - what songs we're loving this week

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ariana Grande's fifth album thank u, next came in the wake of personal tragedy and turmoil. In September 2018, Ariana's ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of a drug overdose months, just weeks after her fourth album Sweetener was released. She ceased all promotion and camped out at a New York recording studio with her closest friends and collaborators, including Victoria Monet, Tommy Brown, Tayla Parx and Max Martin.

Thank u, next rewrote the industry rule book for main pop girl releases while asserting Ariana as a storyteller. The frank lyricism, conversational tone and self-deprecating humour combined with less polished production set the tone for the next decade of pop. The real-time release strategy and Hollywood production music videos lead to Ari breaking many chart and streaming records (first solo artist to tie The Beatles' very big Billboard record!). However, accusations of blackfishing and cultural appropriation throughout the era have tainted its legacy. How does the thank u, next era hold up in 2025?

Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

00.33 Why thank u, next?

02.28 Were we into Ariana Grande before this era?

06.55 How the Manchester bombings changed the sound of Sweetener

10.00 What was charting in 2018?

12.58 Ariana and Mac Miller's relationship timeline

14.48 How thank u, next began

16.03 thank u, next - first single release

18.07 Naming her ex-boyfriends on the song

24.07 Colleen Ballinger in the thank u, next music video?

29.25 imagine - promotional single

33.05 7 rings - second single release

39.08 Copyright, blackfishing and cultural appropriation accusations

42.22 7 rings music video and blackfishing

46.08 break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored - third single release

50.42 Queerbaiting allegations in 'break up' music video

55.09 thank u, next - album release

01.02.00 ghostin - the song she never wanted to be released

01.10.00 Coachella 2019 headline shows

01.11.00 Sweetener World Tour

01.14.00 2019 singles with Social House, Normani, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey

01.18.00 2019 GRAMMYs - Ariana gets snubbed!

01.23.00 Diva Dictionary

01.24.00 Diva Diploma - Our rating of the thank u, next era

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for a Diva Digest! Ross & Sam react to the 2025 GRAMMYs. From Beyoncé's historic COWBOY CARTER win to Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track Not Like Us sweeping, the GRAMMYs were finally FUN again. We get into Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter and discuss whether Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift really were "robbed" as TikTok is saying...

Elsewhere, we review LADY GAGA's new single Abracadabra, FKA twigs' third studio album Eusexua, The Weeknd's new album Hurry Up Tomorrow and Tate McRae's latest single Sports Car. Follow us @weaintnodivas to keep up with your faves and let us know your thoughts!

01:35 2025 GRAMMYs Recap

01:54 Chappell Roan wins Best New Artist

05:49 Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us wins Record of the Year and Song of the Year

10:06 Beyoncé wins Album of the Year for COWBOY CARTER

13:35 Beyoncé first Black artist to win Best Country Album

16:26 Doechii wins Best Rap Album for Alligator Bites Never Heal

19:08 Sabrina Carpenter wins for Short n’ Sweet & Espresso

19:55 Charli xcx wins for Brat

20:50 Were Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift “robbed”?

23:25 Lady Gaga’s trans allyship in acceptance speech

25:40 Best GRAMMYs Performances

29:55 Beyoncé announces COWBOY CARTER Tour

33:11 Lady Gaga announces seventh album Mayhem

33:35 Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra Music Video Reaction & Single Review

39:34 FKA Twigs’ Eusexua Album Review

43:35 FKA Twigs and North West’s “Childlike Things” collab reaction

45:08 The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow album review

48:45 Tate McRae - Sports Car review

54:37 Bruno Mars & Sexyy Red’s Fat Juicy & Wet

56:15 Heidi Montag’s Superficial 2: Heidiwood & “Top” Review

We Ain’t No Divas is hosted by Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance. This episode was produced by Sam Prance, and edited by Ross McNeilage. Music provided by Monopoly Phonic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I Am... Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé's most commercially successful album yet her most divisive and, perhaps oddly, forgotten?

Sam and Ross revisit the Destiny's Child superstar's third solo album - a double album showcasing a more 'human' Beyoncé and an uptempo disc named after her onstage alter ego Sasha Fierce. From Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) being one of the first ever viral music videos to her performing at Barack Obama's inauguration and her final stab at acting (at least onscreen), it's a textbook 2000s pop era with countless singles, music videos, performances, a sold-out tour and MUCH more... So why hasn't it aged well?

Follow us on socials @weaintnodivas and catch up on the first two episodes. New eps drop every Wednesday.

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Ross and Sam recap the first three weeks of January in music in the first Diva Digest.

We review JADE's latest release IT GIRL, which highlights The Wanted's Glad You Came effect once again, and the state of her first solo album. We dive into excellent new albums from Bad Bunny (DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS) and Rose Gray (Louder, Please). Elsewhere, we explore Heidi Montag's now-number one 2010 album Superficial and how it topped iTunes charts around the world in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Looking ahead to new music in 2025, we discuss Addison Rae's upcoming debut album, Ariana Grande's confirmed eternal sunshine deluxe, Charli xcx's extended Brat era, Doechii's GRAMMYs-nominated mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, Miley Cyrus' ninth studio album, Tate McRae's So Close To What and Lady Gaga's highly-anticipated seventh album, referred to by fans as "LG7".

Follow us on socials @weaintnodivas and listen to our first pop era deep dive from last week, Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet.

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Sabrina Carpenter went from "that blonde girl" in Olivia Rodrigo's Driver's License to record-breaking main pop girl with her sixth album Short n' Sweet.

Between three number one singles (Espresso, Please Please Please and Taste), a tabloid romance with Barry Keoghan and a pin-up makeover, Sabrina positioned herself on top of the pop charts. What does her reputation as the horniest girl in pop really mean? Does the album live up to the hype? Has she earned her diva-ship to be peers with her influences, from Christina Aguilera to Rihanna and Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift?

Listen to Ross and Sam dive into the era (so far) for the first Diva Dive of We Ain't No Divas.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE AIN’T NO DIVAS is a music podcast diving into the biggest pop eras to decide who made history and what aged like milk. Ross McNeilage and Sam Prance will be hosting album deep dives and bi-weekly pop culture digests to discuss the latest celeb and music news.

Subscribe to the show for new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us @weaintnodivas on the socials.

Music: Monopoly Phonic

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.