On The Future of Chromatica

[Dayman 5,924]

   I keep seeing a lot of discussion of people saying they think Gaga will drop Chromatica now that she has let it take backseat for better causes a second time. They say they doubt she will relaunch the era and things of the sort. I disagree with that sentiment and truly believe it is all just beginning and that's because COVID and Black Lives Matter all actually are extremely relevant to the themes and messages of Chromatica.

   I want to start by talking about the established story we have being told in the videos. We literally have a plot line of divided groups of people at war and fighting for dominance and freedom against a government of some kind. We see in the SL the Freedom Fighters and Government Officials fighting it out as the rest of the tribes watch and as the Kindness Punks try to find peace and reunite the people of Chromatica. Literally something that is happening in our own streets everyday right now in real life.

   We also have the Rain On Me video which shows seemingly split between two realities one with a much darker tone and one that has a much brighter and joyful appearance. There's a lot to unpack in the RoM video that isn't as on the nose as Stupid Love - but the sentiment of the song and video is about keeping fighting with a message of "as long as I'm alive I will keep going." which once again is important and relevant to times now.

   The discussion of the albums storytelling through its act can also be applied.

   ACT 1 we have a kind of middle ground neither optimistic or pessimistic. Alice opens the album with her acknowledging she is not in a fairy tale but she'll keep looking for that happiness. A sentiment held through that first act with the desire for love, a will to live, reclaiming of her self and also the admittance of problems being real even when trying to ignore them in an attempt to feel cheerful and have fun. "Could you pull me out of this alive" the very first line we hear is both a way of acknowledging things are bad - but there is the potential to get better.

   ACT 2 is is darker in tone and is about accepting and validating the reality of the bad things instead of just trying to run or put a band aid on them hoping they go away. 911, Sour Candy, Plastic Doll, Enigma and Replay all heavily delve into this. We deal with an over all theme of mental health here as it pertains to Gaga specifically but it is still relevant to the world at large. In order we deal with medicating for a mental disorder, having emotional barriers, dealing with being objectified, the struggle of dealing with the public image of yourself versus the private version of yourself and then the topic of PTSD. There is no running or ignoring the problems at hand. We then lead into ACT 3

   ACT 3 is a resolution of sorts - it's not about saying things are fixed - just that they can get better and improve. We only reach this point once we have gone through some serious insight into the problems that existed. "Sine From Above" is about how in Gagas case she felt music was what allowed her to heal. "1000 Doves" is about accepting that you can't always conquer problems on your own - you need support to actually get somewhere - much like how the only reason change has a chance of happening now is because people are finally rallying so strongly together. "Babylon" is then there to close the album in an optimistic light with hope for the future and in Gagas case a chance to reject the gossip and world around her that feels so very life controlling.

   These themes while not directly about what our world faces right now DO harbor strong parallels to HOW we deal with these problems - even more so when we have them meet all together in the visual story telling of Chromatica. We have more room for serious insight and commentary about the world and the fights we face in the form of other mediums like music videos and performances for Chromatica. I don't think this album will be dropped because quite frankly it is all so already in line with what is going on today. Even the delay from Corona virus or the hault to support Black Lives Matter - it ALL has a stage a place to be explored and commented on in future Chromatica projects. There is no need to drop an album that is doing well numbers wise and still has so much to offer artistically and can be used as a platform for important issues we face. Gaga said it herself - Chromatica is neither utopian or dystopian, it's just how she makes sense of the world. Well now it is still there waiting as a canvas to further express ideals that we are all discussing already and KEEP the focus on them through art and media.

   Thanks for taking the time to read this!