"How Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ changed the face of pop" - I-D

[Brie Candy 18,641]

10 years on from its initial release, the impact of this seminal release is still reverberating.

10 years ago, the pop landscape changed forever. After 18 months of persistent graft and waving disco sticks in people’s faces, a then-23-year-old Lady Gaga was about to revolutionise her own career and pop at large with the release of “Bad Romance”. Taken from a re-release of her debut album, The Fame Monster – an eight song addition – the song cemented her artistry. No longer having to convince the public to pay attention, she instead commanded an already-captivated audience to relish in an avant-garde theatricality sorely missing in pop.

To appreciate the magnitude of the single’s impact, it’s important to understand the role haute couture played in its success. After sending late designer Alexander McQueen an early version of “Bad Romance” to debut during his final runway show, he sent Gaga the collection to wear in the music video before anyone else. 

The song itself also reintroduced her as an entirely different artist to the one many had met just nine months prior, one who was creating on a different level -- and at a different speed -- than her peers. The lyric “I’m a free bitch, baby” was more of a mission statement for the entire release, as she delivered her most unrestrained, almost demented, vocal performance with a music video that played out more like a fashion show and feature-length movie hybrid. Each performance peered through another window of the Haus of Gaga from the golden-clad bathroom on The X Factor to the smokey piano room at The Ellen Show. Whether it was a family talent show or daytime fodder, every opportunity was a moment to push her creativity and narrative forward. For this same reason, she redesigned her debut arena tour with weeks to go to complement the new twisted addition to her album.

The legacy of “Bad Romance” is, like Gaga herself, layered. Her creative partnership with McQueen completely transformed the relationship between music and fashion. The fearless storytelling of the video invigorated the music industry to take risks again, highlighting the importance of unique artistry as opposed to a singular aesthetic across the board. Everyone from Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry to Bebe Rexha and Ava Max have battled to out-quirk one another with clownish costumes, while unnecessarily long music videos with tumbleweed intros became popstars’ go-to (and desperate) attempt to convey their own deep artistry. Her influence travelled well beyond aesthetics, too, as the single and The Fame Monster brought a grittiness and raw transparency to pop’s booming but empty and inane EDM craze. By killing herself onstage with the last performance of The Fame era and rebirthing at the beginning of the “Bad Romance” video, she hit refresh on her career after only 18 months and went full on pop art.

Arguably, the championing of Lady Gaga’s creative freedom laid the groundwork for similar artists to confidently realise their own visions throughout the subsequent decade. We have witnessed some stumble as they looked to Gaga for too much inspiration, while others flourished as they pushed their own boundaries without compromise. Even Gaga herself got lost in the pressures of ARTPOP, her own vision stunted by the impossible expectations she set with The Fame Monster.

At the time, though, the industry got caught up in the elaborate nature of "Bad Romance” and its visual extravaganza. But really, its magic lay in the fact that it wasn’t simply dress-up for dress-up’s sake. The clothes and aesthetics were her armour and the video her fantasy, giving her a chance to be vulnerable and reveal her past traumas through her art. It put purpose and intention back into the charts, even if it took the rest of us longer to understand that industry-shifting pop music is more than just performative. Instead, it’s exposing and unfiltered; bonkers but brilliant.

Source: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/wjwbjn/lady-gaga-bad-romance-10-years

 

[Brie Candy 18,641]

STREAM THE PIECE OF ART THAT CHANGED POP CULTURE 

 

[SeasonOfTheWitch 3,789]

“News”

[LG6boy 747]

[Versace 7,876]

10 years 

I feel old. I remember it being that bish, like it was yesterday.

[ear condom 964]

me for the last 10 years :

 

[Rio 5,088]

6 minutes ago, Brie Candy said:

10 years on from its initial release, the impact of this seminal release is still reverberating.

10 years ago, the pop landscape changed forever. After 18 months of persistent graft and waving disco sticks in people’s faces, a then-23-year-old Lady Gaga was about to revolutionise her own career and pop at large with the release of “Bad Romance”. Taken from a re-release of her debut album, The Fame Monster – an eight song addition – the song cemented her artistry. No longer having to convince the public to pay attention, she instead commanded an already-captivated audience to relish in an avant-garde theatricality sorely missing in pop.

To appreciate the magnitude of the single’s impact, it’s important to understand the role haute couture played in its success. After sending late designer Alexander McQueen an early version of “Bad Romance” to debut during his final runway show, he sent Gaga the collection to wear in the music video before anyone else. 

The song itself also reintroduced her as an entirely different artist to the one many had met just nine months prior, one who was creating on a different level -- and at a different speed -- than her peers. The lyric “I’m a free bitch, baby” was more of a mission statement for the entire release, as she delivered her most unrestrained, almost demented, vocal performance with a music video that played out more like a fashion show and feature-length movie hybrid. Each performance peered through another window of the Haus of Gaga from the golden-clad bathroom on The X Factor to the smokey piano room at The Ellen Show. Whether it was a family talent show or daytime fodder, every opportunity was a moment to push her creativity and narrative forward. For this same reason, she redesigned her debut arena tour with weeks to go to complement the new twisted addition to her album.

The legacy of “Bad Romance” is, like Gaga herself, layered. Her creative partnership with McQueen completely transformed the relationship between music and fashion. The fearless storytelling of the video invigorated the music industry to take risks again, highlighting the importance of unique artistry as opposed to a singular aesthetic across the board. Everyone from Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry to Bebe Rexha and Ava Max have battled to out-quirk one another with clownish costumes, while unnecessarily long music videos with tumbleweed intros became popstars’ go-to (and desperate) attempt to convey their own deep artistry. Her influence travelled well beyond aesthetics, too, as the single and The Fame Monster brought a grittiness and raw transparency to pop’s booming but empty and inane EDM craze. By killing herself onstage with the last performance of The Fame era and rebirthing at the beginning of the “Bad Romance” video, she hit refresh on her career after only 18 months and went full on pop art.

Arguably, the championing of Lady Gaga’s creative freedom laid the groundwork for similar artists to confidently realise their own visions throughout the subsequent decade. We have witnessed some stumble as they looked to Gaga for too much inspiration, while others flourished as they pushed their own boundaries without compromise. Even Gaga herself got lost in the pressures of ARTPOP, her own vision stunted by the impossible expectations she set with The Fame Monster.

At the time, though, the industry got caught up in the elaborate nature of "Bad Romance” and its visual extravaganza. But really, its magic lay in the fact that it wasn’t simply dress-up for dress-up’s sake. The clothes and aesthetics were her armour and the video her fantasy, giving her a chance to be vulnerable and reveal her past traumas through her art. It put purpose and intention back into the charts, even if it took the rest of us longer to understand that industry-shifting pop music is more than just performative. Instead, it’s exposing and unfiltered; bonkers but brilliant.

Source: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/wjwbjn/lady-gaga-bad-romance-10-years

 

they also have another amazing article from a few years about about gaga's imperial phase, her peak and her drop in popularity and things like that. very interesting, non biased read about careers in music

[Brie Candy 18,641]

13 minutes ago, SeasonOfTheWitch said:

“News”

changed to achievement 

[Katharine Hepburn 4,607]

Literally a legend 

[Mitchey 873]

It’s always so nice reading about the recognition that is beyond deserved. Pop music changed, music videos changed, and fashion changed. Our girl DID THAT. 

[Guest Adarsh]

She got Alexander McQueen to do THAT just two years into her career. Name one person who can compare? Yes no one!!!

[Brie Candy 18,641]

28 minutes ago, Rio said:

they also have another amazing article from a few years about about gaga's imperial phase, her peak and her drop in popularity and things like that. very interesting, non biased read about careers in music

can u send me a link?

[JazzGa 14,476]

unnecessarily long music videos with tumbleweed intros became popstars’ go-to (and desperate) attempt to convey their own deep artistry

omg the Chamomile Cabela's shade

[bxr 1,016]

2 minutes ago, Brie Candy said:

can u send me a link?

Not sure if this is the article in reference, but a worthwhile read nonetheless

https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/gygz74/why-the-return-of-lady-gaga-matters

 

OP:

[Brie Candy 18,641]

1 minute ago, bxr said:

Not sure if this is the article in reference, but a worthwhile read nonetheless

https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/gygz74/why-the-return-of-lady-gaga-matters

 

OP:

Thank you so much