We are getting into spooky season on the calendar, especially for any pop star not named Taylor Swift. Just before the Oct. 3 release of The Life of a Showgirl makes for a solar eclipse over the rest of the top 40 landscape, the biggest names had one final month to get in their last big releases, performances and overall moments — and many of them did just that.

This week, we look back at the September that was in pop stardom, as host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Eric Renner Brown and Eric Frankenberg 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.)

While doing so, we answer all the big questions about September pop stardom: How big a deal is Bad Bunny headlining halftime at America’s Game during this moment in history? How do we rate Cardi B’s long-awaited return to pop stardom? Has any 2024 pop star leveled up this year as well as Tate McRae? Is it actually fair to compare Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun with Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia? Did Doja Cat really need to make a hard turn back to pop? And of course, with the year now three quarters of the way through: Who is leading the race for the Greatest Pop Star of 2025?