Ariana Grande's 2015 EP 'Christmas & Chill': Great Moments in Pop Star History (with Kyle Denis)

In late 2015, Ariana Grande's smooth sailing towards pop superstardom had finally had some slightly rocky waters, so she dropped a surprise release that gave both her sound and her career a little bit of a reset: the six-song EP Christmas & Chill. On this week's Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard's Kyle Denis — one of our staff's most devout Arianators — to talk about a secretly critical release in Grande's stacked catalog, and a low-key holiday favorite that's aged exceptionally since its release a decade ago. Check out Kyle's 2025 Year in R&B review, as well as his recent Druski cover story: https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/rb-not-dead-mainstream-comeback-leon-thomas-kehlani-music-1236139048/ https://www.billboard.com/music/features/druski-number-ones-billboard-cover-story-interview-1236132075/ And if you enjoy the pod, please consider donating to the following causes: Transgender Law Center https://transgenderlawcenter.org/ Destination Tomorrow https://secure.givelively.org/donate/destination-tomorrow-inc Trans Lifeline https://translifeline.org/ Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/c/gender-confirmation-surgery-fundraising Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5Calls.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices