Pop Culture Happy Hour · NPR

2026 Pop Culture Predictions

December 31, 2025·29 min·2 clips
Aisha Harris predicts a fully AI-generated song will hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 2026.
The hosts of Pop Culture Happy Hour review their 2025 predictions and make new ones for 2026, covering topics like AI in music, RuPaul's potential retirement, and holiday hits. They discuss industry trends with humor and insight, reflecting on past misses and bold forecasts.

As heard by us

A loose, funny 2026 prediction round with its sharpest edge in the panel's unease over generative AI and creativity.

Pop Culture Happy Hour's 2026 forecast uses the annual prediction game as an excuse to take the temperature of pop culture, with Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and Glenn Weldon laughing through last year's misses while trying again anyway.

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Why you'd press play

For when you want a year-end pop-culture conversation about what 2026 has in store, with a sharp eye on AI and fake-looking media.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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