5 Years On: Gaga's Masterplan...

[Economy 44,046]

We all agree everything AFTER ARTPOP has been good to detox her image of desperate weird artist and she'd gained more respect but it's hard to say what was planned and what wasn't we can only guess. Nice analysis tho

 

What's nice too is that now that everyone knows she's talented and she's lasted over a decade, if she went back to being "weird" her respect probably wouldn't drop as low as it was when she was new and seen as a new star trying to get attention

 

[WORLDofGAGA 2,274]

3 hours ago, Wixson said:

Well, did you really think she (or literally anyone else in the entertainment industry) would go on national television and say: "I'm doing this to branch out and secure a legacy."  Of course it's a career move - everything is, you just can't say it out loud. It's simply the way things work. 

I’m not saying that nor disagreeing, I was was just saying something I rembered her saying in an interview that contrasted with this topic 

[Bolkins 3,831]

The dates also line up pretty well with your thoughts. Beyoncé was officially out of the project by March 2016, the first pictures of Gaga and Bradley on his bike were a month later. She already said that it took her 6 months to make Joanne which lines up with that first meeting on the bike. 

It makes sense that the role influenced how the album came out, I don’t think any of us expected country inspired soft rock for LG5. Now the film is here it does almost feel like precursor. I feel like Gaga would of already of had the part of Ally before Joanne came out, so making it solely for the purpose of getting the role or needing to prove something is unlikely. It was probably more that she became so involved in the character that her music for LG5 aligned with what she was doing during that time. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Miel 15,009]

Interesting analysis. While I do think there was a long range plan with her team, I don't know if it was this meticulous. I feel like some happened by coincidence, but just so happened to complement her journey forward thankfully).

For example, Cheek to Cheek all began when Tony saw Gaga sing a jazz standard way back during the BTW era in 2011. After their The Lady Is a Tramp duet, their joint album was planned for years, only to be delayed constantly. I think its creation, after the initial ARTPOP "debacle", came as both an "image cleanse" but also something to get Gaga away from what was bothering her, and just do that while having fun finishing the artRave. From there on, it opened more doors and opportunities for her and her team to grab.

I think the scrapping of whatever was planned for the 2016 Grammy Awards (possibly the :original LG5") was definitely in part due to Bowie's death, which is possibly what shifted Gaga's gears towards Joanne as a passion project. The possibility of ASIB probably collided similarly.

5 hours ago, OMonster said:

I think everything Gaga has ever done has an organic and authentic motive behind it. I don't think Gaga would ever do something solely to motivate a career peak or career transition... but I do think a lot of her decisions are taken with her career and her authenticity/enjoyment in mind.

It is clear that Gaga believes in Cheek to Cheek, Joanne, ASIB - she certainly didn't work on those projects only to elevate her own career, but whether it be directly or indirectly, they definitely all compliment the same purpose of getting her ready to return to the top again. 

Absolutely.

[OMonster 14,213]

Thanks for all the nice comments, guys - it's always so interesting to analyse and discuss Gaga's career, right?

She is such an exciting, intelligent and considered artist 

[Gagally 775]

I admire your analysis and you laying it out for us so well. One thing I have come to realize over the last few weeks is how brilliant Gaga is. Brill-Yant!

[OMonster 14,213]

2 hours ago, Gagally said:

I admire your analysis and you laying it out for us so well. One thing I have come to realize over the last few weeks is how brilliant Gaga is. Brill-Yant!

Thank you! 

[TheSlash 14,539]

I first was like

with another stan theory. But this analysis is well written and well-thought that it just has to be true    . I so hope this to be true

[Rio 5,088]

14 hours ago, JohnnyVersace said:

I've been thinking the same thing lately. I think once ARTPOP went down the way it did, and she turned to jazz, she really started thinking differently. She could easily have kept on releasing Gaga/pop records, but today I honestly think she would have spiraled a bit and would not be as respected. 

Seeing the movie, it's clear that Joanne was influenced by the role and the themes of the film, as you said. It's almost as if she released the album to prove to Bradley and company that she could strip back, and be raw. It's kind of like her biggest performance art piece in a way, taking on this dead aunt country persona to essentially audition for the film and prepare for the role of Ally. (Though as you said, this album was inevitable and she personally had to strip back as well)

Wish people would stop saying “dead aunt” all the time. It’s so dark

[Schizophonic 5,196]

can i add something?

i´m pretty sure the whole tonygaga thing is rooted in freddie mercury. his work with the recently late opera singer wich name i cant spell (haha sorry) is one of unice puzzlepieces that made him a legend and i think we have the same idea here behind her work with tony.

and i am pretty sure there will be an opera part with andrea bocelli coming at some point as well.

 

besides that i think another thing on her masterplan will be a big charity thing. something like "we are the world" or "do they know its christmas". she will lead such a big multistar charitything at some point, i´m really sure.

 

 

[zakariah 11,556]

this analysis made me really happy for some reason idky, but you did a really fantastic job analysing  

[TMM90 2,800]

18 hours ago, OMonster said:

Buckle-up, this might be pretty lengthily 

With it being confirmed that Gaga had consciously planned to bag the lead role in ASIB - and with their being some suggestion that she has wanted this role for more than just the past two years - I think it's quite clear that Gaga and her team have a masterplan, and have been working according to it for the past five years. A plan to put her back at the very top of the entertainment business. A plan that, I think, is going to ultimately redefine Gaga's career and lead her to a substantial re-peak. 

To understand this plan, we first have to go back to the era of ARTPOP. Amid commercial backlash, a messy, managerial break-up and a far-from-recovered body, it was towards the end of 2013 where Gaga and her team, I believe, sat down and spoke about the next five years ahead. I think we all know that Gaga wanted to 'cleanse' and 'detox' her image - she wanted to be known for her talent, no longer her 'gimmicks'. A great vehicle for this was Cheek to Cheek which, without question, provided the framework and foundation for everything that has happened, and is happening even today, in Gaga's career.

On the back of Cheek to Cheek, Gaga's authentic talent really came to the forefront. As a result, she was asked to tribute the Sound of Music at the 2015 Oscar Awards. Again, this was a defining moment in her 'new', 'reimagined' career. Personally, I think Gaga accepted this tribute to A) showcase her raw talent and B) begin to build a working relationship with the Academy - as we know she has always wanted to act. It might be a bit of a reach, but I would even go as far to say that 2015 is when she possibly began to really focus her attention on A Star is Born; hence wanting a connection to the Academy. We know the role had been on her radar throughout her relationship with Taylor, and so this would make some sense. 

Throughout 2015, we had a lot of hints, clues and suggestions that Gaga was going to be releasing a new pop album sometime soon. In early 2016, we were getting as close to confirmation of this as we could get; from direct interviews with RedOne, and from the 'original' Grammy performance concept / promo. So, why did this all change? Why did she instead choose to release the folksy, 'alternative' (but still legendary), Joanne record? Having established a good relationship with the Academy (in both 2015 and 2016), I believe it is because the opportunity finally arose for her to star in ASIB - and it came at a time when it could really work for her. 

Having won a Golden Globe for her acting debut in AHS: Hotel, and with a favourable Academy consensus; 2016 was the year that Gaga decided to change everything and commit to becoming a respected actress. I'm not completely sure how the dates all align as such but I think, essentially, Gaga 'dropped' the 'pop' LG5 to 'appeal' to Warner Brothers and Bradley Cooper. She wanted to present herself in a light that would shine her as an artist who could convincingly pull off the story of ASIB. A typical, Gaga pop record (boundary-breaking and unconventional) would not have done this. As such, Gaga, in early 2016, decided to 'scrap' her work with RedOne and began to plan for what eventually became 'Joanne'. 

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Whilst I do think what drove the initial reasoning for Joanne is her involvement in ASIB, I absolutely do not think that it is what defines the record. We know that Joanne is an album that Gaga had to make, and an album she was always going to make - I just think that ASIB provided the perfect opportunity for her to finally do it in a context where she could reap the rewards from something so left-field. The reward: ASIB. 

 As an opportunity to 'appease' pop-loving Little Monsters, I think Gaga took the half time gig as a moment to bring back her pop persona and to remind the world who she really is, in preparation for her eventual pop return. I mean, it was a surprising time for Gaga to do the half time show - on the back of such a folksy, less-than-mainstream record. But, in many ways, the timing made a lot of 'backwards' sense, as it ensured that Gaga was still the artist we all knew and loved; even in times of such transition. 

Now, as soon as ASIB was wrapped, we got signs that PopGa was going make a return. And I think that is no coincidence. Gaga is now ready to return to pop music. On the back of a grammy award-winning Jazz album, a golden-globe winning acting debut, a grammy-nominated 'folksy' album, a record-breaking half time show and a likely Oscar-winning film premiere... Gaga could not be in a stronger position to dominate pop culture once more. And this was all, certainly, deliberate. The world of Hollywood is not a world of coincidence - it is a world of calculation, motivation and drive. 

So, what's next for Gaga in this plan? Firstly, we know Gaga is headed for her Vegas residency, which we know is going to be a pop 'spectacle'. She is then going to release a Gaga-esque pop record (which I think has already had considerable time spent on it) on the back of said residency and her impending - and almost inevitable - Oscar win. With an Oscar to her name and a smashing, pop-record I next think Gaga is going to take on an acting role that perfectly blends together her love of pop and her new-found, film glory. I expect the role to be bold, fun and light-hearted. I think, in the middle of a pop era, she will want a role that reflects the aura of that - just as ASIB reflected the feelings and attitude of Joanne. 

Again, call it a reach, but I do wonder if she has already signed on for The Little Mermaid as Ursula. We know Gaga absolutely loves the film, and she has made frequent reference to it over the past year or so. She has wore mermaid necklaces, used mermaid emojis, tweeted about Ursula and even recently had a sea-themed photoshoot. I think Gaga's next pop album is going to have some link to oceans/water/mermaids... and I think it's all planned that the role of Ursula will perfectly complement this. I think it is too much of a coincidence that A) Gaga is going to release a pop album, B) said pop album has known links to water/mermaids/oceans and C) the role of Ursula is 'available' and rumoured to be Gaga's to lose.  

And, what's more? It has been announced that Gaga is the co-chair of 2019's 'Camp' Met Gala. Not only does this further indicate a return to pop music (pop is notoriously camp... Lady Gaga's pop especially so), but it also links in to the role of Ursula; just as the expected ocean theme of her next pop record does. And, what's camper than Ursula?

If there's one thing we know about Gaga... everything is planned. And it has been right from the very start. Vegas, Met Gala, pop album and Ursula... here we go. 

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I write this topic as a lover of rock/ballad/alternative Gaga. I am not deluding myself into thinking that a pop return is coming... it's just that all the signs are there and it's almost inevitable now. Everything has been leading to a pop comeback and, of course, a career as an established actress - which I think her pop work is going to compliment in the near future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally agree with everything in here. Five Foot Two fits perfectly in everything you said. What are you thoughts on that... is there some reason you didn't include it in your analyses?

[OMonster 14,213]

1 hour ago, TMM90 said:

Totally agree with everything in here. Five Foot Two fits perfectly in everything you said. What are you thoughts on that... is there some reason you didn't include it in your analyses?

To be honest, I was cautious not to write too much and I think 5F2 perfectly encapsulates everything, you're right. 

I think a lot of what I wrote can probably be evidenced by 5F2. It was clear that ASIB and Joanne had a strong cross-over (even more so than the documentary suggests, since she obviously wasn't immediately casted), and it's interesting that - despite the country/folksy direction of both of these projects - she kept the half time show very pop-focused, which again was evidenced in 5F2. 

Throughout the documentary, Gaga made a lot of reference to her pop-self. She explained multiple times that she loves the high-fashion, the avant-garde performances and the like, but knew it was important to strip back. Again, this confirms that Joanne/ASIB (and Cheek To Cheek, too) were very deliberately constructed to be understated; ready for an eventual pop return that feels fresher and new. 

 

 

[Ziggy 10,363]

19 hours ago, ChrisC said:

Good post but gaga has said so many times that she doesn't care for commercial success and stuff. So it's hard to believe that she spent the last 5 years in preparation to dominate the pop landscape again. She could have smashed just as hard with a pop album after C2C, the oscars, the national anthem, etc but instead we're still waiting. I think she just wants to focus more on her voice and explore new projects than just get back into pop. But we'll see I guess. Also, don't forget that the woman is going on 33 and said in recent interview the only thing missing for her was a family. I wouldn't be surprised if after vegas when she'll be 35 she'' take like 3 years off and focus on her family. 

But she's also crazy ambitious. I think, though, this was less about commercial success and more about professional stability. She couldn't take a break if she was at a career low and not to mention the stress involved in that. She needed to do something to secure her status and pave a lane for herself that feasibly not many would be able to encroach upon so she could take her well-deserved break. I do agree she wants to try out new things, only natural since she has nowhere else to go in pop, really, but I think a lot of these past few years have been about finding stability, not domination.

[Killa 14,411]

yeap

my thread and its impact

Yes, it's a well thought out plan, and i truly thought about it during Joanne. She put way too much effort in trying to show how she changed and her other talents. The old burn in they're minds my image, my concepts etc.

The oscar performances came through NY connections, tbh the gays made her career and paved her return. She's very powerful, and the duo with Tony came from an honest place but girl fully knew that it was a perfect idea

And im sure she has much better she didnt include in the soundtrack cause she has a pop vision to fullfill

However she met Bradley in 2016, that's when she sang on the cancer benefit. Though ofc the label and management understood, she should keep calm or let's say make a compromise

Tbh, it might have been more cause they knew there was vacant place for Superbowl and the american image would help, than anything else.

She plans ahead but Gaga also improvises as hell