ARTPOP and the end of Lady Gaga

[Benji 20,113]

 Further proving that the original intention, if we consider all the things pulled during this album's run, wasn't to prepare for the "ending of the beginning" of her brand. That what makes the theory to prove otherwise very compelling. It's always more desirable to hear that she has planned everything all along, even the 'weakening' of her already existing brand, than hearing the "ending of the beginning" thing as nothing but an excuse to hype the next material. Now, all eyes would be set on whether she'd actually implement that 'plan' or not. If she does, then great. It'll be one great story to sell. If not, then let's hope everyone has forgotten what was earlier said or implied. As a fan, I'm hoping for the former. I mean, who wouldn't? 

 

Wait... most of her original intentions this era wasn't even achievable (Very first performance, Venus, Do What U Want) so you really can't claim this was her original intention when she hasn't even been able to portray what she wanted to this era. I know you're looking for a positive in what's been a little bit messy but sh*t happens. Gaga would not purposely damage her brand and image just for the sake of "ARTPOP".

 

The sooner we just accept sh*t happens the more we can just enjoy what we did get. Over complicating a management issue is a waste of time.

[Haunts 7]

I have to say I strongly agree with what you said, something is gonna drastically change with and after Cheek To Cheek.

 

It's funny, these past few weeks I've developed quite the obsession with Cher, and as I'm watching old interviews of her, I'm struck by how similar her persona is to Gaga. Cher was ridiculed and hated in the late 70s. Sure she was successfull and praised by her peers but people were OVER her, mainly because of her use of antics, costumes and s-xuality. THIS IS EXACTLY GAGA.

But then she stepped back a few years and focused on her acting career, she made her broadway debut and filmed serious movies. When she got nominated for an Oscar, she finally got the respect she deserved. People were laughing at her name going in the theater but applauded when it was over. People used to not give her the chance to show herself and this was her way to showcase her talent and dedication to her craft.

 

I strongly feel that this will happen to Gaga, that sort of break from the past and what people think she is. Cheek To Cheek will definitely start that process and I'm really excited to see what she's gonna do after that.

She hasn't really talked about writing new music, I think she even said that since ARTPOP she didn't feel the same urge to write anymore. She hasn't teased a new era for herself either. I used to think Cheek to Cheek was just a side record she'd do with Tony to show variety in her style, and then she'd come back to ARTPOP and go on with the tour and single cycles. Kind of the same way she did Lady Is A Tramp and those jazzy covers throughout the Born This Way era.

But it seems that Cheek To Cheek will be her actual next album (her next effort) bringing ARTPOP to an end.

 

I don't know, I see the next few years being really really different from the past. We can see it's starting to change, she's allowing herself to break the Gaga wall. All the past convictions and ideals are coming down, you know, not being friends with celebrities, not going to award shows, not living in Hollywood, not actually having a home. She's not wearing heels/wigs/make-up all the time, she's repeating outfits and changing looks and ideas very quickly... All of the things that made her the Gaga machine seem to be slowly coming down. She's not working 100% of the time or focusing solely on her career like before, she's letting us into her private life a bit... In short, she's allowing herself to live. She's not constrained by the fear that fame would change her or that she needs to hide herself anymore. It's spectacular to see how much she's grown this past year specifically.

 

Now she's gonna bring forward the part of her that the public doesn't know but we -fans- love. That mature, educated, sophisticated, almost traditional side, her impressive vocal and musical talents, her love and knowledge of classical pieces, her genuine kindness and amazing view of the world. I'm really excited for what's to come.

[GypsyHaus 0]

I have to say I strongly agree with what you said, something is gonna drastically change with and after Cheek To Cheek.

It's funny, these past few weeks I've developed quite the obsession with Cher, and as I'm watching old interviews of her, I'm struck by how similar her persona is to Gaga. Cher was ridiculed and hated in the late 70s. Sure she was successfull and praised by her peers but people were OVER her, mainly because of her use of antics, costumes and s-xuality. THIS IS EXACTLY GAGA.

But then she stepped back a few years and focused on her acting career, she made her broadway debut and filmed serious movies. When she got nominated for an Oscar, she finally got the respect she deserved. People were laughing at her name going in the theater but applauded when it was over. People used to not give her the chance to show herself and this was her way to showcase her talent and dedication to her craft.

I strongly feel that this will happen to Gaga, that sort of break from the past and what people think she is. Cheek To Cheek will definitely start that process and I'm really excited to see what she's gonna do after that.

She hasn't really talked about writing new music, I think she even said that since ARTPOP she didn't feel the same urge to write anymore. She hasn't teased a new era for herself either. I used to think Cheek to Cheek was just a side record she'd do with Tony to show variety in her style, and then she'd come back to ARTPOP and go on with the tour and single cycles. Kind of the same way she did Lady Is A Tramp and those jazzy covers throughout the Born This Way era.

But it seems that Cheek To Cheek will be her actual next album (her next effort) bringing ARTPOP to an end.

I don't know, I see the next few years being really really different from the past. We can see it's starting to change, she's allowing herself to break the Gaga wall. All the past convictions and ideals are coming down, you know, not being friends with celebrities, not going to award shows, not living in Hollywood, not actually having a home. She's not wearing heels/wigs/make-up all the time, she's repeating outfits and changing looks and ideas very quickly... All of the things that made her the Gaga machine seem to be slowly coming down. She's not working 100% of the time or focusing solely on her career like before, she's letting us into her private life a bit... In short, she's allowing herself to live. She's not constrained by the fear that fame would change her or that she needs to hide herself anymore. It's spectacular to see how much she's grown this past year specifically.

Now she's gonna bring forward the part of her that the public doesn't know but we -fans- love. That mature, educated, sophisticated, almost traditional side, her impressive vocal and musical talents, her love and knowledge of classical pieces, her genuine kindness and amazing view of the world. I'm really excited for what's to come.

You're not the only person to say this, and each time it's said I can see where they're coming from and truthfully it makes me tearful, but not from sadness, but from nostalgia.

Most of us have grown and evolved with Gaga, and the crazy antics and outfits are what we've become accustomed to.

Sure, the outfits and antics are certainly still present this era. However, in 90% of the 'outfits' (that is when she isn't dressed up per say) the fashion appears to be contrived and it happens less and less. Changing on stage and taking off her wigs certainly show it too, that stripping way from the 'persona' that was, or is, Gaga.

I'm definitely here for her to grow artistically, and I'm definite she is too. I- and I'm sure many other Monsters- feel like I'm saying goodbye to some form of the Gaga we know.

This evolving Gaga/Stefani thing... It's weird, but exciting

[LittleBoot 27]

I take some of the things she says with a grain of salt.

 

That said, I do believe she is at a crossroads about how she wants to evolve and proceed from here on out.

[Mills 446]

Wait... most of her original intentions this era wasn't even achievable (Very first performance, Venus, Do What U Want) so you really can't claim this was her original intention when she hasn't even been able to portray what she wanted to this era. I know you're looking for a positive in what's been a little bit messy but sh*t happens. Gaga would not purposely damage her brand and image just for the sake of "ARTPOP".

 

The sooner we just accept sh*t happens the more we can just enjoy what we did get. Over complicating a management issue is a waste of time.

But it isn't whether Gaga's intent on what should have happened on ARTPOP what the OP has presented. It's the idea that how this album was handled is supposedly all in preparation for the next material, which argues to be the "ending of the beginning" of Gaga's brand or the assumption that she'll drop (almost) everything that made her Lady Gaga once we have C2C.

 

Is there an absolute certainty that this would happen though? No. I don't think she'd actually drop Gaga altogether, nor do I believe this "ending of the beginning" thing was the real intention from the beginning. It's just a harmless wishful thinking that serves as an escape from the harshness of reality. As I've said, if she does 'end' Gaga, then this theory will make her be seen as an Einstein. If not, it'll be seen as any other pretence meant nothing but to hype. Be that as it may, I also understand your point. It just so happened we chose to see it differently. And yeah while they're entertaining, this theory, like any other theory, just over-complicate things. And that's what I love about them. 

[Let Love Down 48]

Right, she said that her next album after CheeckToCheeck will be her best :)

You forget ARTPOP is the album of the millennium ? LMAO

[Tropico 4,145]

There was so much mess in the first page I'm just gonna skip everything else. Like who even mentioned flopping or purposely wanting to flop? Leave it to the chart monstertalk about flopping. :awkney:

I think that this may be indeed the ending of a certain Chapter in Gaga's music career. I mean this has been an entire transition from the blonde pop star to a more naturl woman.

Maybe Aura foreshadows her career from this point.

I'm ready for Gaga 2.0 with new fashion, genres and statements.

You forget ARTPOP is the album of the millennium ? LMAO

1. She never said millenium.

2. She never said that herself.

3. Your confusing your albums.

4. Where even are your receipts? (She didn't say it bro)

5. And she may believe so. Problem with her having an opinion?

[Benji 20,113]

1. She never said millenium.

2. She never said that herself.

3. Your confusing your albums.

4. Where even are your receipts? (She didn't say it bro)

5. And she may believe so. Problem with her having an opinion?

 

She did say it (on Twitter) but she was being 100% sarcastic, she was mocking herself for saying Born This Way is the album of the decade!

 

So it doesn't count anyway

 

https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/390149449005015040

[Tokyo Rose 1,475]

Gaga is just a nickname. I highly doubt she's planning on going by anything else.

 

She'll always be known as Gaga. Use a little logic people

[Pop 4,541]

What an incredible, insightful post! I agree with every word written.

[HausOfMark 4,115]

makes sense and i cant wait for this new chapter of her career :)

[holy scheisse 20,379]

she is one person. she's not gonna magically come back with a new album where she is no longer lady gaga. all of her experience in this industry has been through her work as lady gaga. it's all she knows. sure she can learn more and expand and experiment, but like... she's always gonnna be gaga with her poker face, bad romance, pianos, fashion, and passionate opinions.

 

i mean if this is the case, and she comes back as a new person, that would be the worst. as an avid fan since just dance, i fell in love with gaga and if ridiculous theories like these are true and she's about to abandon everything she's ever done, then essentially she will be emerging as a new artist, and i probably will not be there for it personally

[Ladey Gagz 2,512]

Even if she takes "Lady Gaga" out, people will still continuing referring to her as so. She's too well known as the international pop star Lady Gaga to switch out

[Sakrai 4,759]

What an interesting post, I enjoyed reading it very much

Anyway, I have a few thing I'd like to point out:

 

About the Aura situation

The album version...What the **** is up with that? It's obviously weaker than the original "demo" we heard, which wasn't really a demo at all. If you know Gaga, you'd know she would never replace a song like Aura with a version of the song that sounded like the Album version.

It's tamer, weaker, lazier. And it's also an incredibly obvious sign of what happened to ARTPOP.

The reason she leaked it is absolutely obvious: because she wasn't allowed to put that version on the Album. She thought the song was great, but the label said it was probably too risky, violent, and aggressive, especially for the opening song, SO CHANGE IT. And Gaga didn't take it very well.

She lashed out by leaking the song because she REALLY wanted that song to be heard. And by that time the label obviously made her change it, now that she had leaked the original version. The edited version, the album Aura, is Gaga mocking the industry, talking like she's drunk, sedated; like a puppet faking a sweet voice. That's how she wanted to sound, because she wanted to get the point accross. That's why Aura was leaked, and that's why the Album version sounds like that. Gaga wanted to sound drunk and boring, anticlimatic and weird, as a vengeance.

 

About the end of the beginning of her carreer

The Aura situation is eerily indicative of what's about to come: an album where Gaga gets a taste of the limits of her own creation, like you point out so well in the OP. Through ARTPOP she gets to observe the bars of her artistic cage. What she has built, and how she now has to move around that. Her label, her persona, and her dance-music. That's what ARTPOP has been about, ever since the beginning, when she appears inside a cage in the Applause Video.

It's obvious she's sick of it, and she knows if she keeps doing this her next album will definitely flop, because her heart is not in it. Because she can see too clearly the cage her Label put her in. That's why this is the last album of the beginning of her career.

She NEEDS (inside) to make something completely different, so she can feel again that artistic drive.

[AquaFire Witch 160]

It’s just a name to me.

Whether she is Lady Gaga or Stefani I think she will continue to find success because her talent does not lie. I think she will also continue to be creative and reinvent herself. It doesn’t have to be on a massive scale. People need to understand she is still learning. There isn’t a written manual on how to be the top artist in the world. And if there is Gaga still wouldn’t want anything to do with that.

She said herself she doesn’t even know if what she is doing is any good and she’s okay with learning. That’s what life is all about.

Gaga has already evolved. Her first album was safe. It had the dance songs people wanted to play on the radio and it had the pop songs casual fans would say oh yeah sounds good. Put ARTPOP on and it’s an acquired taste. It is without a doubt my favorite Gaga album despite how messy things have been with it’s execution.

I think she needs room to breathe. I mean she is still a relatively new artist. And she is one of the few who want to be in control. While the other pop stars ride the wave of success and milk it for all it’s worth, they do have a shelf life. I appreciate and respect Gaga so much more for everything that’s happened good and bad. It shows how much she cares about her music and creative vision.