Gaga Was Forced To Make Chromatica

[HIM820 1,594]

Whose reactions were lukewarm/ generic? 
 

Also I think Gaga’s music is boosted by her visuals. Whether that be music videos or live performances. Even ARTPOP lacked mvs but at least had tv performances. It fully rounds out the music and what her vision of it is. That’s what is different his time around. I think it’s distorting the perception that she just doesn’t care for it the same way. 
 

I also don’t think we can expect her to constantly push boundaries. If we do then she will probably become a full time actress and we won’t hear an album until 2030. True, she probably doesn’t like to do the same thing twice but that can mean in the creative process. She said she never made an album in this way before, where tons of producers collaborated and added their own spin to the songs. 

[MonsterofFame 1,758]

I think Gaga forced herself to release Chromatica. She wanted to give us a "proper" pop album after years of diversions.

I think she was excited until the rollout completely got destroyed.. first by the leaks, then by the pandemic.

[rasclautmangos 2,740]

Cliffs? 

I don't think anyone can "force" Gaga to do anything she doesn't want to do artistically. She isn't some new vulnerable teenaged artists. Not much someone can threaten her with. 

But to add my own probably incorrect conspiracy theory:

I think Chromatica was meant to help Gaga promote Haus Labs. The name of the album, naming products after songs, etc. was the goal from the start. This era was supposed to be one big promotion and everything was supposed to be tied together. Then Covid-19 came along and messed everything up.

[OMonster 14,213]

1 hour ago, ApplauseftAdele said:

Also did Gaga even ever explain why everything on Chromatica is specifically PINK? 

Ignore the negative comments. 

Your post was respectfully put and well thought-out. 

I always find it odd why Gaga fans on a Gaga forum don't have the time or 'energy' to read anything more than a quick line or two about something Gaga-related. It's unfair for you to be branded as 'sad' for contributing to this forum in a more thorough way than others. Most (some?) people on here don't like critically engaging with Gaga debates. 

Anyway. 

To answer the question quoted: yes, she did actually. She said it was because it was the colour of the womb, and Chromatica was her re-birth as woman, as she was able to come to terms with her pain in making it. 

In response to your overall post: I agree in some ways, disagree in others.

I think she was initially forced to make the album - we know that from BloodPop. I think she likes the album and is proud of it, but doesn't have the energy to promote it because it's not a deeply-rooted project to her in the way that every other album has been - even ASIB. 

I don't think she was particularly creative with this project, either, besides maybe a handful of songs (911, Replay, Enigma, Babylon) - and that's being generous. Visually, SL and ROM were great but lacked the Gaga flair. The 911 MV, however, was classic Gaga to me and on par with the very best output of her career... if not, the best, which shows she still has that spark in her.  

So, all in all, I think Chromatica is a mixed bag.

It's a great album with some real gems. In fact, I think it's my favourite Gaga album.

But it's definitely lacking something. You're right in that the looks and visuals were great but empty. I think that's what it is - the overall project lacks intellectual depth. Aside from the 911 MV, it doesn't feel like Gaga was really saying much at all about herself or the world. 

That's it... she didn't *say* much with Chromatica. That's my take on it. 

[dynamite 50,362]

36 minutes ago, Illuminati said:

Nobodys gonna read that I feel like if anyone was forcing her to record anything it would be a similarly sounding follow up to ASIB to capitalize on its success, she may have lost interest in promoting it but I doubt anyone pushed her to choose that sound

Don't be so disrespectful! You may not have read it, and I also didn't read it, but someone, somewhere in the depths of the internet might ()

[Jose P 23,341]

13 minutes ago, JohnnyVersace said:

Well we don't know anything about the imagery or its meaning because she gave like on real interview for the era 

 

She actually gave like 4 IIRC. Paper Magazine, Instyle (I think that was an interview I actually don’t remember) Zane Lowe, Billboard. And then you have the GagaRadio episodes, the short clips she made for Spotify (Manifestos of Chromatica), and the short explanations for each song also on Spotify. She did actually explain and dissect the album quite a few times. Ofc not as much as she usually does but she did it.

[El Greco 190]

I kinda agree. I mean, even before Stupid Love leaked/ came out she was nowhere to be found unless you count the social experiments every three months Unlike other albums when she teased lyrics or stuff, she didn’t while recording this album. It’s 2021 and I still don’t get what is the concept of Chromatica. Is it a lifestyle? Because at this point she has done more paid partnerships than actual content this era. I hope she can come back someday in a different light... Wish her the best!

[Chromatican 4,046]

She was definitely not forced. Was she maybe less passionate about it? Sure. Was the era sabotaged by circumstance? Yes. But to say she was forced is patently ridiculous. She made a decision to make a pop album partially out of branding, the Lady Gaga brand needed more new pop music after a more jazz/folk detour post-ARTPOP. Saying Interscope/Bloodpop/the gays forced her to do anything is offensive though, she is free to do what she wants. 

2 minutes ago, Jose P said:

She actually gave like 4 IIRC. Paper Magazine, Instyle (I think that was an interview I actually don’t remember) Zane Lowe, Billboard. And then you have the GagaRadio episodes, the short clips she made for Spotify (Manifestos of Chromatica), and the short explanations for each song also on Spotify. She did actually explain and dissect the album quite a few times.

People are legit downplaying what Chromatica era actually was. 

[OMonster 14,213]

7 minutes ago, MonsterofFame said:

I think Gaga forced herself to release Chromatica. She wanted to give us a "proper" pop album after years of diversions.

I think she was excited until the rollout completely got destroyed.. first by the leaks, then by the pandemic.

I agree with this, too. I think she made Chromatica for the fans and was disappointed by all the leaks. I think it soured her towards 'returning to pop', as she couldn't do it on her terms and maximise hype with timed reveals and drip-feeding teases. Then, COVID topped it off. I think it made her realise that there are more important things in the world than pop music - most likely after feeling quite depressed about all the leaks. It gave her some perspective, imo. 

I can understand why the leaks most likely soured things, too. She probably planned for the release of Stupid Love to be hugely exciting and eventful for the fans... and it just wasn't because we already had heard the song and seen clips from the MV. I definitely think it changed her perspective on the era. 

[Alvaro Moreno Ullrich 1,535]

Yes. By the voices in her head

[Chromatican 4,046]

Just now, El Greco said:

I kinda agree. I mean, even before Stupid Love leaked/ came out she was nowhere to be found unless you count the social experiments every three months Unlike other albums when she teased lyrics or stuff, she didn’t while recording this album. It’s 2021 and I still don’t get what is the concept of Chromatica. Is it a lifestyle? Because at this point she has done more paid partnerships than actual content this era. I hope she can come back someday in a different light... Wish her the best!

She explained the concept of Chromatica a ton? She explained it as a state of mind and an alternate planet/realm. She went into detail about the colors representing her different experiences, the different tribes being different factions of society. The whole album is one of Gaga’s most conceptual, with the opening track being about going to a different world, the rabbit hole design and portal to Chromatica, 911 mv being Gaga’s hallucination, ROM mv and SL mv being set on the planet itself. The album WAS conceptual. It might not be as high-minded as ARTPOP’s reverse warholian expedition, but it is a fully fleshed out concept. 

[OMonster 14,213]

29 minutes ago, El Greco said:

I kinda agree. I mean, even before Stupid Love leaked/ came out she was nowhere to be found unless you count the social experiments every three months Unlike other albums when she teased lyrics or stuff, she didn’t while recording this album. It’s 2021 and I still don’t get what is the concept of Chromatica. Is it a lifestyle? Because at this point she has done more paid partnerships than actual content this era. I hope she can come back someday in a different light... Wish her the best!

The concept is that 'Chromatica' is a positive state of mind that can only be reached by healing and finding peace with yourself. It's like living on your own planet (called 'Chromatica') where you can overcome your problems.

The album tells this story right from Alice (where Gaga tries to find 'Chromatica'/'Wonderland'/peace) to Babylon, where she shakes off the 'gossip' (the 'noise' in her life) and battles on. 

In the middle, we learn about Gaga's troubles with fame, mental health and her past. She conquers them, in the end, when she hears a 'sine from above' - or, when she realises that music will save her.

That's the concept - and it's great... just poorly communicated, in my opinion. 

Spoiler

She calls it 'Chromatica' in reference to how different colours in the chromatic colour charge can be mixed together to make new colours. It is also in reference to the chromatic scale in music, which encompasses multiple pitches. Combined, this links into the idea of embracing and loving every part of ourselves (every 'colour', every 'pitch'), including what has previously upset us. 

The Chromatica logo has a sine in it, as the sine (which is the scientific symbol for sound) tells us that it is sound (or music) that helped Gaga to achieve the above - to embrace every part of herself and find peace... or, to find Chromatica. 

 

[tyler k 3,010]

23 minutes ago, PEZ said:

We all know how bullheaded, stubborn, subversive, and rebellious Gaga can be, and she's told us as much many times. "Don't tell me to do ____ because you know I'm not gonna do it." "Don't tell me to dress up sexy, I'll subvert that by being weird as hell." For that reason, I sincerely doubt she could be -forced- into putting out an entire album that she didn't fully approve of.

I appreciate that she and the producers she worked with dug into the classic house roots of modern dance-pop. To me, it was a way of honoring where we came from and how we got here. Classic house can indeed sound safe to many at this point, but I don't think it's not genuine in its use on Chromatica.

THANK YOU. I absolutely, whole-heartedly agree! AND pairing that classic house with her vulnerable lyricism is what makes Chromatica so special. 

[dzox 552]

Honestly that kind of make sense at some point. But chromatica is a great move for her career

[Chromatican 4,046]

5 minutes ago, OMonster said:

The concept is that 'Chromatica' is a positive state of mind that can only be reached by healing and finding peace with yourself. It's like living on your own planet (called 'Chromatica') where you can overcome your problems.

The album tells this story right from Alice (where Gaga tries to find 'Chromatica'/'Wonderland'/peace) to Babylon, where she shakes off the 'gossip' (the 'noise' in her life) and battles on. 

In the middle, we learn about Gaga's troubles with fame, mental health and her past. She conquers them, in the end, when she hears a 'sine from above' - or, when she realises that music will save her.

That's the concept - and it's great... just poorly communicated, in my opinion. 

THIS. It’s pretty straight forward. Sine From Above also is a Chromatica creation myth.