the new Gaga realities

[giskardsb 12,565]

I think there are certain things we all need to understand about Gaga these days, if you want to have a "healthy" fan experience with her rather than a negative one.  You don't have to accept or like these things but it doesn't change that they exist and are necessary to understanding her current state of mind.  Obviously I don't know her personally, but to me this is all self-evident.  Most of these add up to one thing that we can be sure of..... the amount of time she spends between pop releases will increase.  She's not going to be on the hard core pop star schedule, and fans should just get used to that or you will be miserable constantly.

TL/DR summary: Gaga is human, she has had many experiences that have changed her opinion on what it means to be successful, and she has opportunities she didn't have before. 

1. When she first came into the public consciousness, her only goal was becoming successful in music.  She was willing to pay basically any price necessary to do so.  She promised Interscope she wanted to become the top pop star, and she did.  In the process she drove herself into mental and physical burnout.  I know fans of her from that period admired her drive and single minded dedication to the one goal of being a pop star, but that goal is no longer primary in her mind.

2.  As she became famous it became necessary for her to use her voice to help enact change when she could.  She feels social responsibility and that isn't going to change.  So if you want her to quit trumpeting causes, forget it. I remember an interview on Houston Radio where she said that she realized that putting out an album like BTW was risky and probably "too early in her career", but that she felt she had to use the hype for a positive reason and not just to sell pop records.  She knew she was "doing it wrong" but did it anyway.

3. She no longer needs to be "on" 24/7.  While she maintained that ideal for many years, it eventually was part of the burnout.   Fans may decry the loss of many of her "ideals" during  that heady period, "never see me take out the trash in sweats" or "never see me without heels" or wearing couture at every appearance, but no doubt it eventually became draining.  We see a lot more "Stefani" than ever before.  She isn't playing the Gaga pop star role continuously, because she needs Balance.

4. "Balance" is very important to her now.  The mental and physical breakdown taught her that if she wants to be around for the long haul, she needs to balance the insanity with peace.  Hence getting a place in Malibu where she can be alone in her own little preserve.  Hence not slaving away 24/7 like some of you want her to.  Taking time to allow her mind to recharge.  Keep in mind that just because you don't see her working doesn't mean she isn't.    However, she is not going to keep cycling a relentless breakneck 2 year album release and tour schedule.

5.  She is wildly successful and has more than enough money to be comfortable the rest of her life.  She has growing connections in the music and entertainment industries.  Because of her success and the work she's done over the last couple of years, she is able to start to explore more aspects of her creative expression, including of course taking opportunities to work with people like Tony Bennet, and taking on acting roles.   She can do these things now because people respond to her and her talent is evident to many, and a lot of people want to work with her. We know Gaga's interests are wide ranging between not only music genres, but acting and stage.   It's a mistake to think of Gaga as a "pop star" only.  She is a multi-media entertainer now that works in multiple genres.   She doesn't feel the need to try to be HBIC of pop music anymore.  Her long term plans for her career include multiple avenues of expression.

6.  She's getting married, she wants kids.  Part of the burn out made her realize she needs stable relationships to help her cope.  No doubt she will want to be pretty hands on as a mom.  She will be taking time off for these things, I have no doubt.

7.  There are parts of the music industry that she absolutely hates.  It almost turned her away from it completely.  She got burned by former mentors and partners.  She knows how poorly the industry treats the talent.   She hates the bottom line mentality and the power struggles and having to fight for your creative voice.  She hates some of the things she felt forced into in order to be successful.   When you wonder why she might be driving so hard for "authenticity" and to be known as a "real" musician, it's a reaction to a lot of this kind of stuff.  Above all, she just wants to be respected, and for a long time she had to fight to get to that point because it was all about the image for most people for the early part of her career.  I don't think this means the end of "CrazyGa", but it won't be the dominant force, and Shock Value won't be a main attention getting device for her anymore.

 

[venusfly 17,879]

I agree with all of these points, and I like how they can all be compiled into one.

1. She's human

[giskardsb 12,565]

4 minutes ago, LG said:

I agree with all of these points, and I like how they can all be compiled into one.

1. She's human

now, Taylor Swift I'm convinced is a pop android.

 

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

Spot on  Sometimes I find myself missing moments from the fame era to the born this way era but I could always revisit those eras by watching music videos and performances from those eras. I already even miss the cheek to cheek era as well. All in all I would rather Gaga keep changing and evolving than sticking to a certain trademark defined by the public. As for grueling promotion schedules I wouldn't mind Gaga just performing at award shows and maybe 1 or 2 tv shows. The Fame Monster era schedule would be great since all she did during that era was perform at award shows and perform on very few tv shows. I love the obsessive promotion she did for The Fame and Born This Way but it can grueling for her especially flying around to many different countries and preparing for a world tour. 

[Wenli 826]

Your posts are always on point.

[ReidOne 12,427]

Brilliant post. Couldn't agree more. 

[Kayla 7,595]

So spot on and thank you for writing this. I hope many fans read and seriously take note. 

I can't relate to Gaga on a huge level (really, not many people can), but I can relate to being burnt out and the realization that you do need to balance your life. 

Back when I was working 70+ hours per week for 4+ years straight I convinced myself that WOW it feels GREAT to be working like this and doing so many things that are important to me and I'm NEVER going to slow down and - well, it was unrealistic. 

When you're IN IT and going hard on these things it's easy to not realize just how much of a toll it's taking on you. As Gaga was building up her work schedule her fanbase was also growing, adding emotional and mental stress to the already growing stresses she was placing on herself as she built her career. 

Also note she was doing this in her early 20s, which is the time most of us are freaking out and wondering what we're going to do with our lives and if we need to move back in with our parents after college. This is the time we're meeting our spouse and getting engaged, the time we're planning at what age we might want to have a kid. Gaga was touring the world and having people tell her that she gave them the inspiration to not ****ing kill themselves- that's stressful. 

No matter how much you love your job and believe in what you're doing, going at it so hard for so long can damage you. Everyone needs a balance, and Gaga learned that after her fans were already so latched on to her that they wouldn't be able to handle realizing that she's a human being.

I hope that as she continues to grow and find balance that her fans will learn to do the same, for their own sake and for Gaga's. 

[Miel 15,009]

It's true. While I miss her intense ambition from even just a few years ago, everything from 2013 and on was a big wake up call for me as a fan- she can't keep pushing herself like that, and we as fans can't keep wanting her to do that.

[Robo Ga 14,672]

LOVE this post. I needed to hear this. It's important to be reminded of these things to keep our fan experience positive.  

[Adakam 2]

Not to mention that that excesive work and promo and stuff not only broke her down, but burned her hype and momentum for the GP, which doomed ARTPOP before it was even born, shell be more succesful if she takes the time, and the hype and people's reaction will be better

[doja scat 14,418]

3 hours ago, giskardsb said:

I think there are certain things we all need to understand about Gaga these days, if you want to have a "healthy" fan experience with her rather than a negative one.  You don't have to accept or like these things but it doesn't change that they exist and are necessary to understanding her current state of mind.  Obviously I don't know her personally, but to me this is all self-evident.  Most of these add up to one thing that we can be sure of..... the amount of time she spends between pop releases will increase.  She's not going to be on the hard core pop star schedule, and fans should just get used to that or you will be miserable constantly.

TL/DR summary: Gaga is human, she has had many experiences that have changed her opinion on what it means to be successful, and she has opportunities she didn't have before. 

1. When she first came into the public consciousness, her only goal was becoming successful in music.  She was willing to pay basically any price necessary to do so.  She promised Interscope she wanted to become the top pop star, and she did.  In the process she drove herself into mental and physical burnout.  I know fans of her from that period admired her drive and single minded dedication to the one goal of being a pop star, but that goal is no longer primary in her mind.

2.  As she became famous it became necessary for her to use her voice to help enact change when she could.  She feels social responsibility and that isn't going to change.  So if you want her to quit trumpeting causes, forget it. I remember an interview on Houston Radio where she said that she realized that putting out an album like BTW was risky and probably "too early in her career", but that she felt she had to use the hype for a positive reason and not just to sell pop records.  She knew she was "doing it wrong" but did it anyway.

3. She no longer needs to be "on" 24/7.  While she maintained that ideal for many years, it eventually was part of the burnout.   Fans may decry the loss of many of her "ideals" during  that heady period, "never see me take out the trash in sweats" or "never see me without heels" or wearing couture at every appearance, but no doubt it eventually became draining.  We see a lot more "Stefani" than ever before.  She isn't playing the Gaga pop star role continuously, because she needs Balance.

4. "Balance" is very important to her now.  The mental and physical breakdown taught her that if she wants to be around for the long haul, she needs to balance the insanity with peace.  Hence getting a place in Malibu where she can be alone in her own little preserve.  Hence not slaving away 24/7 like some of you want her to.  Taking time to allow her mind to recharge.  Keep in mind that just because you don't see her working doesn't mean she isn't.    However, she is not going to keep cycling a relentless breakneck 2 year album release and tour schedule.

5.  She is wildly successful and has more than enough money to be comfortable the rest of her life.  She has growing connections in the music and entertainment industries.  Because of her success and the work she's done over the last couple of years, she is able to start to explore more aspects of her creative expression, including of course taking opportunities to work with people like Tony Bennet, and taking on acting roles.   She can do these things now because people respond to her and her talent is evident to many, and a lot of people want to work with her. We know Gaga's interests are wide ranging between not only music genres, but acting and stage.   It's a mistake to think of Gaga as a "pop star" only.  She is a multi-media entertainer now that works in multiple genres.   She doesn't feel the need to try to be HBIC of pop music anymore.  Her long term plans for her career include multiple avenues of expression.

6.  She's getting married, she wants kids.  Part of the burn out made her realize she needs stable relationships to help her cope.  No doubt she will want to be pretty hands on as a mom.  She will be taking time off for these things, I have no doubt.

7.  There are parts of the music industry that she absolutely hates.  It almost turned her away from it completely.  She got burned by former mentors and partners.  She knows how poorly the industry treats the talent.   She hates the bottom line mentality and the power struggles and having to fight for your creative voice.  She hates some of the things she felt forced into in order to be successful.   When you wonder why she might be driving so hard for "authenticity" and to be known as a "real" musician, it's a reaction to a lot of this kind of stuff.  Above all, she just wants to be respected, and for a long time she had to fight to get to that point because it was all about the image for most people for the early part of her career.  I don't think this means the end of "CrazyGa", but it won't be the dominant force, and Shock Value won't be a main attention getting device for her anymore.

 

Spot on!!