Gaga: The Commercial Performance Artist

[MrJakeNathane 90]

Performance Art: An art form that combines visual art with dramatic performance

 

Gaga can sing, dance, play and act however many other musicians can do that. However she has a talent in which very few musicians have, number one, she knows how to shock.

Number 2 she is a performance artist. Everywhere she went the world and fans experienced something with her, her outfits, her aura and what she did had an emotional effect, some people got angry, others loved it and some thought it was pretentious(because they didn't understand the form). However, the world always waited to see what she did next. This incorporation of music and performance art made her an icon. Example: Paparazzi @ VMA's, The vessel @ the Grammys, Meat dress @ the VMA's.

I think that is what ARTPOP was about, being able to be commercial but not sacrificing the art. Make sure that the art was centre stage. #reversewarholian

However after that era I feel that people (Media and Industry) have made the idea seem inaccessible because of that she now just wants to concentrate on the music and leave the art, which is fine I have always loved the music, however, the music industry is not that. Her artistry was, unfortunately, something that the music industry exploited.

Look at all her eras, from ARTPOP to C2C things have become extremely toned down, natural looks and high fashion. 

 

Do you think that gaga should just be a musician or be a performance artist that uses, fashion, theatre and music?

[Chic 20,830]

I'm not sure I really agree with the terminological basis of what you're saying. Yes, she excels at what she does, but it irks me when people start to talk about how she should be labeled differently.

Bottom line, a painter is a painter. Just because they're very good at painting or can do multiple types of painting does not mean the "painter" title gets dropped and suddenly they should be exclusively called "ŁË ÃRTÌŠTĖĘĒÊÈÉË". She can be described as both a singer and a performance artist. She does not transcend musician status simply because she is multi-talented.

She is not a performance artist that uses aspects of musicianship and fashion. She is a musician that uses aspects of performance art and fashion. Yes, she is a performance artist in her own right, but to imply that her music is not the forefront of her career is baseless.

She doesn't have to change who she is to fit into a mold that embodies the antithesis of what higher-ups in the music industry think of her. That's assimilation in its own right.

She's able to express performance art better as a musician than she would be able to express music as a performance artist, that's for sure. Music makes money and that fuels her career and allows her to express performance art. Also, that art is an extended expression of her music anyway, so it's better that she remain a musician who uses performance art and fashion.

[Brooke Candy 3,970]

12 minutes ago, MrJakeNathane said:

 

Do you think that gaga should just be a musician or be a performance artist that uses, fashion, theatre and music?

Both, like she's always been since the beginning of her career. 

[Kayla 7,595]

16 minutes ago, Chic said:

She's able to express performance art better as a musician than she would be able to express music as a performance artist, that's for sure.

That's a really interesting and great way to put it! 

Perhaps Gaga herself could be categorized as a musician who uses performance art and fashion, but some of her individual endeavors could be put into their own categories. I think that's where it can become confusing when we think of how to 'label' Gaga- we have a lot to go off of, and she's taken pieces from a number of places. She is a fashion icon, a performance artist, a writer, a producer, etc. etc. - But first and foremost, she is a musician. (And ultimately even above musician she is an "artist," but "artist" is really the umbrella term; she specifically is a musician.)

[Bambino 24,303]

I think she can be both, a musician and a performance artist. In fact, she was doing so during TFM era. The music was commercial and successful and her performances were all about her artistry and creativity. Imo when she made that into a concept for ARTPOP, it didn't work like she wanted because she failed to give each side of the concept what it actually deserved. The music wasn't commercial or artistic enough, and her artistic image wasn't really that impressive and it didn't even meet the hype and the description she gave to ARTPOP.

[Chump 1,094]

I'm sorry, but you must be blind if you didn't find fashion, theatre and music in Cheek to Cheek. Fashion is not all about outrageous outfits (even though she did wear those during CtC), and so is theatre

[nativenewyorker 1,190]

I think Gaga's always acted as a filter or funnel for performance art and fine art to saturate the mainstream commercial world. She's done this since The Fame with her ideas about fame being a lifestyle/attitude you possess instead of an achievement or something the world bestows upon you. It wasn't just an album, it was a presentation of her ideas about pop culture at that point in time.

Then exploring fashion as lifestyle, fantasy vs. reality, surrealism, shock, liberation through surrender and exposure of hidden personal vices and fears, challenging of traditional standards of beauty...etc. More and more concepts that are expressed through music and live performance as opposed to paintings or sculptures in a museum.

 

She's also a good trend spotter. She takes underground trends in the worlds of music, fashion, and technology, creates something that is an evolution of where other artists have taken these ideas in the past, filters it through a commercial pop lense, and then presents it to the mainstream. 

She is the one who brings the underground above-ground, becoming a living representation of these movements and ideas she wants to express through her fashion, performance, music..etc. It's the dedication she possesses that makes her something other than a musician or celebrity. It's not just a song. It's a concept, an idea, a conversation sparked by her performance.

So yes, you could call her a pop performance artist, as she's been calling herself since 2008.