Gaga's motivational shifts

[giskardsb 12,565]

TF/TFM - Gaga trying to find her way in the industry and yes, get Famous.  She promised the label she'd be the top pop star and that was her only motivation.  She achieved this goal and worked her butt off to get there.

BTW - Gaga was famous.  However, on the road and with fans she saw the struggles that many of her LGBT fans were going through.  Her motivation changed from fame for it's own sake, to using her platform to the benefit of LGBT fans.   And then she physically broke down from the demands she had placed on herself due to her physical touring and promotion.

ARTPOP - Gaga realizes during her recovery period that to many in her label and team she is looked at as nothing more than a money making machine.  She's overdoing drugs to cope with the mental and physical realities of being famous.  Her relationships are breaking down.   The entire ARTPOP album era is a reaction to being used, being abused and trying to escape.  Gaga's motivation and drives change again.. to find a way out of the mess and find a balanced life with stronger interpersonal relationships, time for herself, and her need to be considered a true musical artist and not just a flashy plastic pop star with extravagant clothes and visuals.   She literally is pleading for people to see the true her underneath it all.  At this point, being ultra famous is no longer any part of her motivation.   Finding a way to a long term balanced life and career is.

C2C - A complete break from pop to traditional vocal jazz, with Tony.  Her motivations here are nothing more than having an opportunity to showcase music she loves and to really be able to show her vocal abilities to the world without all the pop trappings.   Gaga want's people to know that her breadth of musical understanding goes wide and beyond modern pop.  It works... people finally really understand the capability she has as a vocalist.

Joanne - Gaga's motivations are now to firmly establish herself as her own person and her own artist.    Shes done the fame thing, played the pop games, nearly destroyed herself.   Part of that turmoil she realizes is the family issues that pushed her Dad to be the way he is, and affected how this approached his relationship with herself.  All that has taken a toll on her mentally and physically and she is still dealing with it.   Joanne is an exploration of these ideas.   Because she is no longer worried about playing all the top 40 games or driving to be #1 all the time, she allows herself to do music that is not current in top 40 trends and work with Mark in a very organic way.   It's still part of her motivation of exploring her roots and herself as an artist.

 

She pleaded with people during ARTPOP "do you want to see underneath?"  Unfortunately, many fans have said "nope.  We want the driven Gaga that had fame as her only motivations back."   Frankly, if you are a fan and still crying out for Gaga to return to the drive and determination to be the #1 pop girl, you have a big disconnect with Gaga's current frame of mind. She's not going back to the type of activity that helped cause her current problems with physical health.  That's not to say she doesn't still want to be a force in the pop world, or that she won't do electronic pop again.  You just can't expect her to return to the "I'm only here for the fame, I need to be the top girl, mentality."  That isn't her anymore, she has made it plain.  If that is what you need as a fan, then Gaga is unlikely to deliver it to that level anymore.

Gaga as an artist has always been driven by her current life.   Her themes reflect that on all her albums.   This is what makes her an actual artist, verses someone who looks at pop music like a job.  She has fame and fortune.  Shes looking for balance, she's looking for a way out of her physical pain, she's looking for family, she's looking to produce music that she needs to  on her own terms, she's looking to expand into acting, she's looking for a long term sustainable career.  She's definitely not looking to put herself into a box... if you are looking for one Gaga motivation that has been constant through her career, it's that.  Gaga, more than anything, needs to be true to herself at any given time in her career and life, and doesn't just exist to meet the expectations of others.

I am a Gaga fan because of her voice and musicianship, and her willingness to explore her own life through her music.   All the other stuff, the visual artistry, the fashion artistry, Choreo and dance, all the outer trappings of "Lady Gaga, pop star" are cool things and have enhanced certain periods of her work, but for me they are not necessary and not the primary driver of why I am a Gaga fan.   Gaga's performance of "You've got a friend" is for me the essence, the sublime example of a talented vocalist, a master musical interpreter.   I watch that, and I see that she still has even greater potential musically than what she has achieved so far.  I for one am looking forward to her continued growth as a musician, irrespective of whether than translates into commercial success.   Gaga just needs to do what she needs to do IMO.  Sometimes she may resonate with commercial audiences, sometimes not.  But thats ok, and thats what happens with real artists.  And I hope she can get to a mental and physical balance that allows her to work and be happy, and explore all that she has to offer free of mental and physical pain.

 

 

 

[slayo 7,664]

Ok

[BeyerJ 2,170]

4 minutes ago, slayo said:

Ok

imagine if you had spent the time to write something up like this. Don't be rude.

[The Bling 12,253]

2 minutes ago, BeyerJ said:

imagine if you had spent the time to write something up like this. Don't be rude.

He just wanted to LMAO his rep up sis don't take it too seriously 

[Earthling 3,692]

7 minutes ago, slayo said:

Ok

I love seeing this example of meaningful contribution to the discussion. 

 

 

[DoremonLove 8,147]

From all the posts analysing gagas career this one is my favourite and i agree

[Earthling 3,692]

- OP -

That was a really refreshing and positive post to read. 

I agree with you entirely, fans need to accept that Gaga is a dynamic artist who isn't going to have the same static motivations for her entire career.

It doesn't mean she's going to stop being avant garde or not release bops, but the way she goes about it or the reasons why will change.

We just have to enjoy going along on her artistic journey with her and stop trying to micro-manage her career.

[djBuffoon 12,125]

Loved reading this, thank you!

And I agree 100%, what sets Gaga apart from many pop stars is that her perspective is so immediate and specific, and it always feels necessary. No one else could have possibly written these songs because, as you said, they stem from her motivation at that point in her life and career. Even at her most general, her lyrics and messages feel alive and genuine in a way that many others do not.

[Raccoon 1,047]

This is great. This is what some here needed to read tbh. Thank you so much & I totally 100% agree with you.

The real reasons we stan Gaga f*cking rock 

I'll always love & follow her no matter what, joining her music journey til the end. 

[TheQueenLG 2,469]

Great analysis. I feel like you understand Gaga much better than most little monsters, tbh. 

[JohnnyVersace 9,029]

I agree with everything aside from the "you have a big disconnect with Gaga's current frame of mind" bit. Perhaps true if you don't understand Joanne, or her motives right now. BUT, as you also said, her career reflects her personal life. 

None of us know what is going to happen with her managers, her boyfriend, her family, which will obviously mirror her career choices. It's inevitable she'll one day do another complete 180, and take a completely different path than what she's on now. That's the beauty of Gaga, there's honestly an era, a genre, a song, a video, a project, etc., for everyone. She's so multi-faceted and has so many interests that not all fans are going to dig everything she does, but all of us have something we're obsessed with. 

As Gaga fans, I think we all need to be prepared for the uncertainty of her future, and the type of art she creates. It's ever-changing and wild. 

[djBuffoon 12,125]

27 minutes ago, JohnnyVersace said:

None of us know what is going to happen with her managers, her boyfriend, her family, which will obviously mirror her career choices. It's inevitable she'll one day do another complete 180, and take a completely different path than what she's on now. That's the beauty of Gaga, there's honestly an era, a genre, a song, a video, a project, etc., for everyone. She's so multi-faceted and has so many interests that not all fans are going to dig everything she does, but all of us have something we're obsessed with. 

 

  This. She is more than just bops. She is a true musical chameleon, which is so extremely rare, and more fans should respect that.

[Sailor 3,321]

You're my favourite user on this cult site, TBH. You always seem to appreciate her artistry more than most people.

[giskardsb 12,565]

2 hours ago, djBuffoon said:

Loved reading this, thank you!

And I agree 100%, what sets Gaga apart from many pop stars is that her perspective is so immediate and specific, and it always feels necessary. No one else could have possibly written these songs because, as you said, they stem from her motivation at that point in her life and career. Even at her most general, her lyrics and messages feel alive and genuine in a way that many others do not.

It's funny, once in a while somebody will still say something like "Gaga is like all other pop stars, a label produced machine with tons of co-writers."   My answer is always, "clearly, you haven't actually listened to her lyrics."  For better and sometimes worse, it's generally obvious that Gaga is the primary writer.   Especially on BTW and ARTPOP, she embodied that "respect your vomit" mentality that sometimes resulted in odd lyric choices, but quintessentially Gaga, that nobody would make if they were writing for another artist.  Joanne tempered that to some degree, but it doesn't bother me because Joanne is still a very personal album, and she still "respects the vomit", she just decided to clean it up a little.

 

[djBuffoon 12,125]

43 minutes ago, giskardsb said:

It's funny, once in a while somebody will still say something like "Gaga is like all other pop stars, a label produced machine with tons of co-writers."   My answer is always, "clearly, you haven't actually listened to her lyrics."  For better and sometimes worse, it's generally obvious that Gaga is the primary writer.   Especially on BTW and ARTPOP, she embodied that "respect your vomit" mentality that sometimes resulted in odd lyric choices, but quintessentially Gaga, that nobody would make if they were writing for another artist.  Joanne tempered that to some degree, but it doesn't bother me because Joanne is still a very personal album, and she still "respects the vomit", she just decided to clean it up a little.

2

Precisely! Gaga's primary strength has always been crafting melodies that flow beautifully. And I respect that although she seems to understand her limitations as a lyricist, she puts her points across in ways that no one else would. And while, yes, the grammar or metaphors can be dopey, her words are alive in a way that your typical "writing camp" lyrics are not. She is interested in bigger ideas than sex and clubbing, yet even when she dabbles in those topics, she does so in a witty and unique way ("Sexxx Dreams" for instance).