Success of other pop stars compared to Gaga

[Didymus 32,701]

That has nothing to do with impact or peaks though.

Why not? Katy is a growing success. Her peaks move with her career. That is a far better scenario than Gaga who has been in a commercial decline (according to her own standards) for about four years now.

A person who doesn't care about cultural impact (and I still refuse to believe Gaga had any serious, lasting significant impact btw) would say that Katy is obviously the horse to bet on. Her reputation as a global pop star is solidified year after year. When people think of current pop stars, I can imagine many more people think of Katy than Gaga. Is that not impact?

[Mark 4,065]

I'm sorry... but everyone sounds deluded right now. Gaga peaked like a few years back and I have no doubt she will rise again from the ashes. But still, won't you try to credit other people too. They're much bigger than Gaga is right now.

[giskardsb 12,565]

because actual talent level has very little to do with success in pop music.  It's a machine with many parts, and the "face" doesn't have to even be all that great as long as they look good.

When a truly talented star shows up in pop, one of three things can happen.   If they work within the machine, they can become a long time pop superstar because they have that something extra but they are still playing by the rules.  True talent can also enable a talent to break through in spite of being outside what the machine currently promotes, i.e., Adele or Amy.   Gaga is an example of the third option, which is an exemplary talent but one which is iconoclastic and openly antagonistic to the machine.    It's actually amazing she became as big as she did at all, but it's because in her early career she allowed the machine to control things to a larger extent and played by the rules.   Now, not so much.  Gaga will have to be successful specifically because the public decides to like a direction she goes in, because she won't play by all the "rules" that would make the machine automatically support her.

[untitled 2,755]

Success, maybe. Impact on popular culture, little to none 

They just make more gp friendly music for the charts. I love Miley tho 

[mariomania1234 11,368]

Why not? Katy is a growing success. Her peaks move with her career. That is a far better scenario than Gaga who has been in a commercial decline (according to her own standards) for about four years now.

A person who doesn't care about cultural impact (and I still refuse to believe Gaga had any serious, lasting significant impact btw) would say that Katy is obviously the horse to bet on. Her reputation as a global pop star is solidified year after year. When people think of current pop stars, I can imagine many more people think of Katy than Gaga. Is that not impact?

I think we have different opinions on what true impact is. Fans have really overestimated Gaga's decline IMO. I feel that ARTPOP was a fluke in her career commercially and that the next album campaign will show this.

[Riot Poof 2,236]

Accessibility, marketing, conventional beauty, and controversy (or a lack of it) all play a part.

ALSO, there is a psychological phenomenon (I forgot the name) where someone can grow to like something/someone the more they're exposed to it/them. Pop songs are notoriously played over and over again on the radio. It's possible that some people hear more songs by Taylor, Katy, etc. on the radio than Gaga, so naturally they'll grow to love those songs (and the people who sing them) more.

[TEANUS 11,175]

None of them have had the peak Gaga had.

This. NO ONE has had the size peak Gaga had. 2009-2012 she could sell out arenas, then stadiums, her singles and albums went #1 all over the world. Her debut album sold more than 15 million copies, Born This Way sold 2 million copies first week, The Monster Ball Tour remains the highest grossing tour by a debut headlining artist, the Born This Way Ball SOLD OUT stadiums all over Europe, Asia, and South America, and she did 17 dates in Oceania. 

Katy Perry is at her peak right now and she barely sold out arenas in Europe and Asia. Yes, she's huge in Oceania, but that's one region. Taylor Swift is the same way, she's huge in America and can sell our stadiums here, but, oversees she struggles a bit in some places.

The only person I can see being as successful as Gaga in recent memory is Beyoncé

[ViviLittleM 3]

 

Katy Perry is at her peak right now and she barely sold out arenas in Europe and Asia. Yes, she's huge in Oceania, but that's one region. Taylor Swift is the same way, she's huge in America and can sell our stadiums here, but, oversees she struggles a bit in some places.

 

Already passed the BTW Ball gross...

[Tropico 4,145]

I'm sorry... but everyone sounds deluded right now. Gaga peaked like a few years back and I have no doubt she will rise again from the ashes. But still, won't you try to credit other people too. They're much bigger than Gaga is right now.

Debatable with Miley and not true with Selena. Taylor however is bigger than anyone in the OP right now for the simple fact that she's the only one besides Selena promoting music rn. 

[MiMiMonsterx3 16]

Definitely because they are more mainstream & relatable. Their music is lyrically typical and average and doesn't push boundaries. They don't incorporate other concepts into their music and they recycle what worked the last time. That's how they stay on top. On the other hand Gaga did not stick to what worked the first time. The Fame Monster was much darker than The Fame. Born This Way had a lot more rock concepts than The Fame Monster. ARTPOP was electronic and had a lot of underlying art concepts. Cheek To Cheek was a different music genre all together. And who knows what LG5 will incorporate. That's why Gaga has moments when she succeeds and according to the public "flops". Gaga gives herself the opportunity to "flop" because she's trying new things. Other artists produce the same stuff.

Also a lot of those artists (excluding Miley in recent years) promote themselves to all age groups. Kids can listen to Taylor, Selena, Katy and so can adults. So they are marketed to a variety of people. Gaga is primarily for adults and the gay community. Not that others don't listen to her but that's primarily who do. 

I think these reasons are why Gaga may SEEM less popular than other artists. But when you compare her talent and versatility to other artists those other artists are extremely inferior. That's why the general public wishes Gaga was "normal" they know she's talented, but she doesn't cooperate with the system. And it's more difficult for her to sell because of that. 

My hope is that's Gaga can find a balance. And not make LG5 completely artistic and over the top. She would be easier to swallow if she incorporated some relatable songs too. I don't want her to give up who she is at all, but I would really love for her to be on top again. I wanna see her sell out Madison Square Garden 5 times again by captivating the general public. So I'm really excited she's working with RedOne again and "operating on her old self" as she said in an interview. Because I don't want her to lose herself to become mainstream either.

 

[Whispering 18,865]

Already passed the BTW Ball gross...

With 51 more shows.

If Gaga hadn't had broken her hip, the gross would have been higher...and you know it. 

[StrawberryBlond 13,245]

Talent has never been a guarantee of success. This is why shows like The Voice have never produced a star - because they judge it completely on the voice, not on the overall package. If a good voice was all it took to be a star, their would be a lot better sales from the divas and there wouldn't be a single tone-deaf lipsyncher on the charts. Singing talent isn't the point, it's all about good songs. Songs that are good to the sheep-like public, however. And the ones that are pushed on us. If a song is marketed well, it's usually a hit, no matter how bad it is. Which is why it always gives me immense satisfaction when awful music is promoted to hell and back but doesn't even make the top ten.

Yes, Gaga does have the downside of being more experimental both in music and style resulting in her lack of public acceptance at times. Age plays a role too. She's almost 30 and I sometimes fear she's too old for the public now as most popstars start their decline at 30. I'm confident that she'll continue to do well, though as her fans are loyal enough and she had older fans from the beginning. The teen stars always inevitably die out (MJ and JT are 2 in a million), even when they've grown up which proves that aiming at kids and teens isn't the smartest move long term. I think it's good that Gaga can still get hit singles and albums when there's younger, more generic artists struggling/splitting up/getting dropped. It shows the public have some taste.

One thing I would like to say is that success can be skewed a bit. I'm baffled as to why Beyonce, who can't make hit singles anymore (I'm talking from a worldwide perspective here) is considered to be slaying just on the merits of selling albums and tour tickets alone. Yet, when Gaga fails to produce the high number of hits that she used to (but still some here and there), she's proclaimed to be flopping, despite still selling a good number of albums and tour tickets in addition. Beyonce hasn't had a massive hit since Single Ladies in 2008. From 2009, she has only produced 4 songs that have gone to #1 anywhere in the world - Halo (Norway, Slovakia), Sweet Dreams (New Zealand), Best Thing I Never Had (South Korea) and Drunk In Love (South Africa). So, she's lucky to get a #1 anywhere, really. None of those countries are even major music markets. I'm in the UK and Beyonce has only had 2 top ten singles in the last six years, with the second one just scraping #9. Beyonce sells albums and she sells tickets but her days as a single seller are far behind her. Even in the US, she's lucky to get one hit per album these days. Seeing as mainstream artists are usually defined by their ability to make successful singles, however, (females especially), I think her level of success is over-rated by many. I hate to break it to you, Beyonce fans, but most of the non-fan's knowledge of Beyonce doesn't go beyond Crazy In Love, Halo and Single Ladies. I just fail to see how someone who can't produce a hit single can be called slaying. Yes, her albums sell, but for the fans. Most people don't buy albums, therefore, singles have higher impact than albums. If Beyonce isn't selling singles, she therefore, has limited impact.

[TEANUS 11,175]

Already passed the BTW Ball gross...

Because of the long ass US+Oceania legs. It still doesn't show that she's as powerful as Gaga was during her peak in Asia, South America, and Europe. 

I'm not saying PRISM or 1989 aren't huge eras, because they are. However, as big as they are in the US, in terms of impact, buzz, and overall popularity, they still have yet to reach the size Gaga was during her peak, especially worldwide

[Kacey Elizabeth 900]

Because of the long ass US+Oceania legs. It still doesn't show that she's as powerful as Gaga was during her peak in Asia, South America, and Europe. 

I'm not saying PRISM or 1989 aren't huge eras, because they are. However, as big as they are in the US, in terms of impact, buzz, and overall popularity, they still have yet to reach the size Gaga was during her peak, especially worldwide

Why The PRISMATIC World Tour had so many dates though? Because of it's high demand. I'm not saying that The Born This Way Ball Tour did not have high demand, cause it had. Not to mention that The PWT's tickets were not as expensive as The BTWB Tour's tickets were.  

Katy has been and still is just as big as Gaga was at her peak, if not bigger, in Asia and South America.  

[Kacey Elizabeth 900]

This. NO ONE has had the size peak Gaga had. 2009-2012 she could sell out arenas, then stadiums, her singles and albums went #1 all over the world. Her debut album sold more than 15 million copies, Born This Way sold 2 million copies first week, The Monster Ball Tour remains the highest grossing tour by a debut headlining artist, the Born This Way Ball SOLD OUT stadiums all over Europe, Asia, and South America, and she did 17 dates in Oceania. 

Katy Perry is at her peak right now and she barely sold out arenas in Europe and Asia. Yes, she's huge in Oceania, but that's one region. Taylor Swift is the same way, she's huge in America and can sell our stadiums here, but, oversees she struggles a bit in some places.

The only person I can see being as successful as Gaga in recent memory is Beyoncé

LOL, Katy's tickets for The PWT sold out within minutes in Asia, and that leg of her tour was sold out. Most of her European dates were sold out to, or were near to being sold out. 

Oh, and The BTWB Tour did not sell out entirely in South America.