The Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in pop music criticism, trends and news.

These are fraught times for the young male pop-singer business. Justin Timberlake is no longer young, nor particularly pop; Justin Bieber has been slowly removing himself from the narrative; and boy bands, from Prettymuch to BTS, are pop-locking their way back to the forefront.

Some might see a setback; others might smell opportunity. Two performers with new albums have their sights set on pop ubiquity: Charlie Puth and Shawn Mendes.