Do you think Gaga isn't reviewed fairly when it comes to her music?

[DiskoBaby 1,929]

This has always been something that bothered me. Everyone at this point would say she's a great performer and has a great voice but when it comes to her music, I think she's judged more harshly than her peers.

I won't deny she doesn't get good reviews by some publications, but a lot of reviews I read when Gaga releases an album feels like they're judging her as a person more than the actual music. They always bring up how shocking she tries to be with her outfits and question her authenticity of her message or sound she's going for or compare it to her past hits instead of doing a fair critical analysis on her music, this was especially true for her albums Born This Way and ARTPOP, and her authenticity being questioned with her truly being a voice for misfits and the disadfranchised or if her 'country' phase was authentic with her minimalism instead of you know just telling us if the music is good or not. And every lead single she releases is constantly being compared to Bad Romance instead of being judged on its own. 

Also I'm a bit dissapointed how she isn't considered important when it comes to pop music. The second half of the 2010s decade went through a poptimism phase with critics kind of bypass her. They would bring up how important The Fame Monster was and it's impact but they paid Born This Way the dust at the end of the decade lists along with ARTPOP and Joanne. I hate to see her not get the critical love as her other pop peers even though she's just as talented but still seen as a crazy pop star who relies on gimmicks.

I hope Chromatica, critics would look at her in a different light and do fair reviews on her and give her the praise she deserves. She tries so hard to make different music and it isn't until years after they're released that people realize how groundbreaking they were.

[chun li 2,915]

this is my personal view:
what you just stated is what used to be in the past.

Since around the Super Ball things have swapped, kind of? Right now I feel like critics praise her in general (everybody loved stupid love) and we are the ones to criticize her new content.

[GAGAVENUS 591]

I completely agree. I think that some critics like the ones at pitchfork really like when an artist sticks to one thing and get better at it which is why they're always comparing her music to her earlier hits. Also because her songwriting is more theatrical people don't think she's authentic and that she's putting on an act which is such bs, especially when they said that about Joanne. I think Chromatica will be different because everyone is saying that it is her "return to form" so they'll be more optimistic about it, but who knows

[Chromatica Island 8,517]

I do think this will be her best album to the GP and monsters alike tbh. I mean c'mon this is her return to her roots as a popstar! 

[MANiCURE 6 10,295]

They simply don't accept that Gaga is God. 

[Maleficent 6]

She is held on too high a pedestal by her fans, making critics/casual listeners seem too harsh in comparison. But idk if y'all are ready for that convo 

 

[RRR 3,996]

Yes it is frustrating when somebody doesn't know how to review your fav on their artistry properly

[DiskoBaby 1,929]

15 minutes ago, Maleficent said:

She is held on too high a pedestal by her fans, making critics/casual listeners seem too harsh in comparison. But idk if y'all are ready for that convo 

 

Let's go

[LilyLark 10,104]

24 minutes ago, Maleficent said:

She is held on too high a pedestal by her fans, making critics/casual listeners seem too harsh in comparison. But idk if y'all are ready for that convo 

 

While this applies to some fans, you also have fans acting like the collective opinion is that Enigma and SL are terrible—when in fact both are critically acclaimed. I'm not even that crazy about SL (I like, but don't love it), but it seems bizarre than fans rely on randos on twitter versus actual reviews when it comes to a "consensus." SL was also a decent sized hit, but again you have fans going "flop".....

[gumzy3000 7,348]

I agree. I think critics place Gaga on a higher standard and expect a lot from her. In a way, I do think it’s a compliment because it shows how groundbreaking she was when she first came out in 2008. From The Fame to Born This Way, she achieved so much and was the definition of pop music. Unfortunately, I think most critics will always hold her against that time period. It’s not about her genre shifting, but her recent releases, while amazing as they sound, have not come close to her music from 2008 to 2011. It’s simply them judging if she has improved musically from when she was at the top of her game.

Personally, I think it’s hard to improve when you were at the top like Gaga. When your so high, there is nowhere else to go but down and I think that’s why her recent releases don’t get rated so highly by critics.

[River 117,245]

It's just easy to talk sh-t about her for views.

Most of the reviews talks about her and not about the music.

[LilyLark 10,104]

I semi-agree. However, I believe the main issue is critics used to be way harsher on pop music. Every single positive element of a review of an album by one of the main pop girls used to be countered with "and yet." Also, there was always someone who would give a very low score, or a zero, to a pop album (usually Pitchfork).

For example, Adele's never had an album in the 80s on metacritic—I'd have to check, but I think even Gaga has received a higher score than Adele's highest score. Anti was critically acclaimed, but there were a handful of low scores that pushed it down into the low 70s. Taylors never broken into the 80s on Metacritic, either.

Unless it was "alternative" pop (and even then, Lana used to get unfairly dragged by some critics for her persona...and not her vocals (( love Lana, but occasionally her vocals are weak and that would be a legit criticism)), critics used to mostly look down on pop. Of course, there were a few exceptions. It may be because the audience is usually seen as club goers, teenage girls, suburban moms, and gay men or it may be because pop wasn't seen as "serious." However, it's changed recently.

*Critics also used to be way harsher on most rap/hip hop

[derpmonster 22,412]

Yes. There's a weird standard with her where she has to prove herself. It's a higher standard too now because more is expected of her. Unfair compared to others.

Unfortunately image factors a lot in reviews, whether or not people admit it.

[LilyLark 10,104]

7 minutes ago, derpmonster said:

Unfortunately image factors a lot in reviews, whether or not people admit it.

This is true, especially for women.

I remember reading some interviews for Anti back in the day and being shocked at the casual misogyny and odd judgement of Rihanna as a person by a few critics. It's like they expected her to only, or mostly, come up with not so serious club bangers and to be sexy, so when she started tackling serious topics more, became more involved with writing/producing, and had more complex lyrics ....they decided she was "inauthentic." Granted, not all critics went down that road by there were more than I expected...

[DiskoBaby 1,929]

35 minutes ago, LilyLark said:

I semi-agree. However, I believe the main issue is critics used to be way harsher on pop music. Every single positive element of a review of an album by one of the main pop girls used to be countered with "and yet." Also, there was always someone who would give a very low score, or a zero, to a pop album (usually Pitchfork).

For example, Adele's never had an album in the 80s on metacritic—I'd have to check, but I think even Gaga has received a higher score than Adele's highest score. Anti was critically acclaimed, but there were a handful of low scores that pushed it down into the low 70s. Taylors never broken into the 80s on Metacritic, either.

Unless it was "alternative" pop (and even then, Lana used to get unfairly dragged by some critics for her persona...and not her vocals (( love Lana, but occasionally her vocals are weak and that would be a legit criticism)), critics used to mostly look down on pop. Of course, there were a few exceptions. It may be because the audience is usually seen as club goers, teenage girls, suburban moms, and gay men or it may be because pop wasn't seen as "serious." However, it's changed recently.

*Critics also used to be way harsher on most rap/hip hop

This is true but now rap is taken more seriously among critics now that it's the biggest genre in music. We now see rap albums getting even more acclaim then indie rock bands and I think it's because Kanye West raised the bar with his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that made rappers become more experimental and the fact that music blogs need more hits by catering to rap now that it's become more popular and culturally dominant overthrowing rock. 

But we also seen the same for pop called poptimism. Pop singers have more adventurous and daring. Indie went pop and pop went indie with unsigned artists embracing pop music and mainstream singers becoming more experimental demanding more critical praise. 

Beyonce released some of her best music and became a force, Taylor Swift got taken more seriously. Lorde was writing good music, Lana Del Rey and Rihanna last albums was more daring. And Robyn, Grimes, Janelle Monae was making good pop despite not having big hits.

Lady Gaga made dance music more popular with The Fame and The Fame Monster and had every pop singer dressing up more eccentric. While Joanne ended that and marked the beginning of the toned down songwriter phase with Miley, Kesha, Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue following that trend the following year. Those albums really had impact.