Gaga's Receipts (and their influence on LG5)

[ReidOne 12,427]

This thought has been going through my mind for months... "If I were Lady Gaga, what direction would I head with LG5?" 

And I've really found myself struggling to identify where I would go. I would imagine Gaga is in a similar place. While many folks are quick to judge, implying that her creative well has run dry or that she's simply disinterested, I would imagine that she is looking for a way to deliver a project that will be worthy of standing beside her past accomplishments. 

So with that, consider all that Gaga has accomplished. 

 

Social commentary

The thing that really cemented Gaga's early relevance among music fans and critics alike was that 'The Fame' album was a perfect commentary on the TMZ & Perez Hilton-fueled "socialite bad girl" phenomenon that was taking place in the media with Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc... Not only that, but Gaga (despite having no "fame" herself upon its release) was actually qualified to speak on the subject: she went to the same high school as Paris Hilton and she had written songs for Britney Spears. It was quite compelling that she was able to, at once, be a part of the scene and win at the same games everyone else is playing, while also positioning herself as an outsider from it, an observer. And that position propelled her to even greater fame than those she was singing about. 

And for her follow-up, she delivered 'Born This Way' right at the peak of the United States shift toward equal rights for the LGBTQ community. While the overall project was unable to repeat the success of 'The Fame', she had undeniably made lightning strike twice in releasing music with a message that spoke to the most compelling issues of the day. 

 

Creating music trends

As we all know, before "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" dance music was not being played at all on Top 40 radio in the United States. The EDM scene had yet to find a place on Top 40 radio. Established artists like Black Eyed Peas and Usher were simultaneously having dance hits on the radio, but Gaga was the only artist with dance hits on the radio who had no other music out before that. She literally helped create the trend that is still active nearly 10 years later. In short, there was no blueprint to follow, her music was entirely her own --- and it had impact.

 

Reviving the music video as an art form

With MTV no longer playing videos and YouTube still in its infancy, the music video art form was dead in the water before Gaga. Record labels had drastically cut budgets for music video production. It's apparent in the quality of music videos from the mid-2000's. By using her own money (and not being afraid of product placements), Gaga's videos reminded everyone just how powerful videos can be in selling an artist. She also had the good fortune of releasing them right as high-speed internet was becoming the norm across the United States (not just for rich folks, but even low income households now had high-speed internet and were able to stream HD video online). 

 

Record deals

Before Gaga, the media was littered with articles about how it is nearly impossible for a new artist to prove profitability for all involved (the record label and the artist themselves). Record companies were losing money hand over fist and new artists were making nothing. But Gaga was the first artist to show the power of the 360 record deal --- where profits from tours and merchandise are shared between the artist and the record label. Gaga absolutely revolutionized how record labels find profitability in launching new artists. 

 

Social media

It's easy to forget this today, but back in 2009 during Gaga's ascent, she was the queen of Twitter. The stars aligned, and Gaga and Twitter skyrocketed to prominence at the exact same time. And her heavy use of the platform provided a blueprint for all celebrities to show how powerful social media can be in cultivating an NEW audience of fans. Again, Gaga was the blueprint. 

 

Fashion

This one is obvious, but we all know that no one in the music industry was wearing anything interesting in the years before Gaga. But her devotion to interruptive fashion was an inextricable element in her early success. And it was copied by absolutely everyone in pop music after her. Not only that, but her style wasn't just shocking, it was actually modeled after the most cutting-edge fashion designs of the day, and as she became more successful, she was actually wearing the works of the biggest names in fashion.

 

Success across all demographics

One of the things most thrilling about Gaga's early success was that people of all ages were obsessed with her. It was not just the "usual" crowd of pop music fans. Sure, Britney Spears before her had an impact on audiences of all ages, but no one over age 40 was actually listening to Britney Spears and taking her seriously. But when Gaga hit, people of all ages weren't just talking about her, they were enjoying the music. 

 

Credibility

Shifting closer to present day, with her Tony Bennett collaborations, Oscars 'Sound of Music' performance, and Super Bowl national anthem, Gaga delivered undeniable proof of her credibility as a musician and vocalist. An incredibly rare feat for an artist who found fame singing dance hits with autotune. 

 

So what does it all mean? 

When you have achieved so much, and been responsible for some of the largest shifts popular culture has seen in the last 20 years, what do you do next? You've just won the respect of the entire globe with your recent credible success, you have all the money, fame and resources you could ever need at your disposal. And most importantly, you know you have the talent to deliver something that will be capable of doing it all again. But how do you find the stillness in yourself to let that creativity flow through you when there is this much pressure and a massive legacy of trailblazing relevance casting a shadow on you? 

I cannot imagine what must be going through her mind  right now as she works on this new project. 

[FGGrayson 9,670]

[Johnikan 602]

Well damn 

@ReidOne came in like:

[Marina Braxton 71]

we aint lady gaga so we can't share whats on her mind

[ReidOne 12,427]

4 minutes ago, Johnikan said:

Well damn 

@ReidOne came in like:

[AnglerfishbraBENUS 5,734]

She needs to start a new trend (probably incorporating Jazz elements back into pop music) - this is necessary because music is not as clever, and flirty, and romantic anymore and it could even change culture back into more of a dating/slow dance kind of culture. 

She needs to boom on social media again

And she needs to get cool with the urban/RnB demographic again.

[Johnikan 602]

Just now, ReidOne said:

Real talk though, you did an awesome job laying it all out there.

I dont think many people relaize the true standing IMPACT Gaga will have on pop culture as a whole.

[Denys 848]

Well put together 

i swear I see no lies 

[Marina Braxton 71]

receipts always go in the bin

[Mr Judas 4,106]

I loved the ARTPOP shade 

No a word mentioned 

[Killa 17,481]

I'd say she has come to the conclusion that she can only think of so little at a time. Mostly after the confusion that was ARTPOP project. A project that would be a Lifetime of work.

So i don't think it is that hard. She has but 2 or 3 big options (to start):

Continues to expand the ideas she has built upon her world. She basically has a whole Gaga mythology.

Denies everything about her past work and doesn't try to fit the Era in her body of Work. Well kinda like Bowie ditching Ziggy Stardust and going on a new direction. She can simply expand her world, using her receipts and tyong it all together somehow. After all she's Gaga but she's also Lady .

Just go for what is cool, or might be cool next and put a little Gaga into it. Focusing more on the music.

 

I don't remember which interview, but she said Lady Gaga would always be the same. She's very different than Madonna, for example, that every new album is so different, because she is the kind of artist that constructs upon a solely great idea. She has a premises, and it'll always be around that.

 

-----------------------------------------

I'm going to simulate a possible scenario.

She focus on a single aspect of her inffluences and what Lady Gaga is about. So, she can propose herself to make the next albums, like 3, with just exploring in each one a certain thing that makes Gaga who she is.

So she can isolate 2 of her infflluences. So she's inffluenced by Disco music and art pop artists.

She doesn't have to do an electronic dance record now, but rather, go to the roots of her inffluences. And have a certain author or book she liked, or movie, make it more specific.

And then, next record do another side of her.

 

Or just develop some of the concepts of ARTPOP. Cause she had some ideas about art and all, but it was all so vague and incomplete, when it could all generate many academic thesis.