We are closing out the summer with the Greatest Pop Stars of August 2025 — and we are very happy to be ending the summer in a much better place with pop stardom than when it began, with the return of a few major pop stars and the announcements of more exciting things to come in the months ahead.

This week, we look back at the August that was in pop stardom, as host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Stephen Daw and Danielle Pascual to share and debate our respective August top five lists, while also naming some honorable mentions, some disappointments, and some artists who we’re looking forward to in the months to come. (If you missed our recaps of the first seven months of 2025, check them out here, including our review of the entire first half of the year in pop stardom.)

Along the way, of course, we ask all the most important questions about August 2025 in pop stardom: Is the early online blowback for Sabrina Carpenter fair based on our early impressions of Man’s Best Friend? Will Life of a Showgirl end up doing better or worse than Tortured Poets Department (and how do we even judge what “better” means for Taylor Swift at this point)? Are there parallels to be had with Laufey in 2025 and Adele in 2010? How are we feeling about the Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5 at this point in human history? And perhaps most importantly (and surprisingly): Is it really time to start considering the KPop Demon Hunters cast’s case for being the Greatest Pop Stars of 2025?