My observation with Gaga's discography.

[DISZKO 640]

I've been following Gaga for years, literally since the beginning so all this comes from a place of love and just my observation as a fan and a person who grew since and have some different perspectives aligned throughout the years.

I think I am starting to pinpoint why recent years I have been drifting a bit away from my obsession with her.

Of course its always easier to critique and say what someone should or should not do so please don't take this as an attack, I just feel like I want to share my honest opinion on her when it comes to her music.

I think Lady Gaga is an extraordinary musician, as much as I appreciate her more raw organic sound like Red and Blue, Joanne, C2C I think it doesn't necessarily align with what ''Lady Gaga'' the persona represented.

I feel like our community is very mixed because she has made so many different albums and we all like her for different reasons and this causes a clash.

Personally I loved the original Gaga (not to be annoying here) by that I mean the alter ego of the doll who is alien like, who makes you question reality, beauty. I think Gaga redefined sexy in many ways, the way she presented broke the norm, I think thats why many of us gays are obsessed with her.

I can clearly see alignment of her evolution from the unreleased demos when she worked with Rob Fusari, to her albums The Fame, The Fame Monster, BTW and Chromatica.

This dark gritty punky pop star who is using weird symbolism and grotesque and camp lyrics, shedding light to the dark pits of our unconscious, alien visions dream like topics about darkness and fear. Using eurotrance beats, techno inspired songs with heavy 80s synths and processed vocals. Its an act, but its a great dramatic epic act. Theatrical, wigs, makeup, studs. Its dark but there was always an element of playfulness. To me personally thats the Gaga I really really enjoy because I find it so bad ass and reckless.

I think creating personas can really help us tell narratives.

Ofcourse I cant even fathom the immense amount of negative feedback that a star has to endure simply for being recklessly creative and have no chronic pain to really understand how much this impacts one life, but I do know I have mental breakdowns even if paparazzi is not chasing me so that must be a terrifying way to live a life 

I think theres a lot of pressure for artists to always reinvent themselves and I see Gaga's struggle of having to constantly reinvent. But to be honest  she doesnt really need to, personally if she released another album like BTW or The Fame Monster I think it could still work today. Maybe use different topics but similar approach to albums. I feel like her journey sometimes lacks consistency which is I think related to her mental health but I am no one to psychoanalyse people (although I always do lol)

To me things started to really change with ARTPOP, I feel like being famous has taken a huge toll on her and smoking weed to cope, being surrounded by weird people definietely did not help her. In general the sound of ARTPOP and the lyrics to me just dont really resonate as much as her previous albums. I personally am not a big fan of ARTPOP. I had big expectation of experimental sounds and alien beats but we got a lot of already made beats by popular EDM DJs that were reused, it felt rushed and honestly that was a let down for me. I dont hate the album but its definietly not my favorite. I think its clear Gaga had a lot going on also the reason why I am not really following the ARTPOP 2 act hype as even the leaked demos just sound all over the place (Halleluja )

With Joanne I felt she was trying to get away from Gaga out of fear and I think it was a cry from Stefani to be more present as I feel ''Gaga' might have overtook her life way too much. This all relates I guess to family trauma, also nature of life that sometimes things feel like they are worn out and we need to change. I just dont really see it fitting to her discography as much.

With Chromatica and TCB I felt we got a little wink from the old Gaga that its still there somehow. I really wish she would do something maybe less likeable by the general public but more for the nostalgia and to rule over this little queendom she created. I wish she didnt focus as much to be liked by so many people in the general public and to succeed everywhere, all these award shows for movies, and everything to receive approval and doing makeup and all these product makes me feel like she is selling herself out.

This might feel a bit rambling but I have a lot on mind when it comes to her, she has been a huge figure in my life and a big inspiration and I want her to feel comfortable with what she represented but anxiety, pain and depression can fog our cognition when it comes to how we perceive ourselves. I appreciate her being open about how she feels as it shows strength to me and to me thats an aspect I love about her, writing lyrics about mania and depression to high energy beats I think its great.

Dont get me wrong, I love Gaga very much but I came to realize some things as time went by and I have different perspective on the pop industry and music in general so I while I am trying to reignite this big passion for her I also have these aspects that I cant ignore.

Does anyone have similar feelings?

[AnglerfishbraBENUS 5,426]

i think you’re overthinking.  Gaga has given us some of her best performances and art in less than 12 months and it’s only going to get better. she said something along the lines of ‘when you say you know who Lady Gaga is, i’m going to show you that you don’t.’ 

In 10 years we are going to be stanning a completely different artist and if you’re not along for the ride, well…. that kind of goes against her thesis as an artist 

[DISZKO 640]

1 minute ago, AnglerfishbraBENUS said:

i think you’re overthinking.  Gaga has given us some of her best performances and art in less than 12 months and it’s only going to get better. she said something along the lines of ‘when you say you know who Lady Gaga is, i’m going to show you that you don’t.’ 

In 10 years we are going to be stanning a completely different artist and if you’re not along for the ride, well…. that kind of goes against her thesis as an artist 

Do you mean she gave us her best performances and art in the past 12 months? I dont really understand that part. 

What I was trying to aim at was more of her sound and aesthetic as an artist and the things she was digesting through music. Maybe it was just more relatable personally as the darkness resonated more with me as a teenager.

[monstrosity 3,844]

so basically you're just saying you miss the 'gimmicks' (not saying this in a negative way at all) of TF TFM BTW? 

Also (not exactly your point tho) but I don't get the narrative according to which TF-BTW was gaga playing a persona / being gimmicky; and that this way she had to make art stopped during/right after ARTPOP; and now she doesn't create these anymore, she's grounded on Earth (being for some, somewhat boring). To me her most gimmicky (again, not deragatory) and theatrical eras have been Joanne (by far) and ASIB.

So for me people saying they miss the old gaga (ie. the one that lived between theatre and reality) just don't get that she still does live halfway between fantasy and reality, the fantasy is just not the same.

In any case, as you pointed out, artists create fantasies like that for multiple reasons (mental health or marketing being two of the most obvious of the). But one thing is sure: fantasies don't have to (cannot?) be set in stones (thank god, otherwise they'd be as boring as reality). 

It's also ok to have a preference for either one of the fantasies she created (the 'old' one or the 'new' one).

[DISZKO 640]

6 minutes ago, monstrosity said:

so basically you're just saying you miss the 'gimmicks' (not saying this in a negative way at all) of TF TFM BTW? 

Also (not exactly your point tho) but I don't get the narrative according to which TF-BTW was gaga playing a persona / being gimmicky; and that this way she had to make art stopped during/right after ARTPOP; and now she doesn't create these anymore, she's grounded on Earth (being for some, somewhat boring). To me her most gimmicky (again, not deragatory) and theatrical eras have been Joanne (by far) and ASIB.

So for me people saying they miss the old gaga (ie. the one that lived between theatre and reality) just don't get that she still does live halfway between fantasy and reality, the fantasy is just not the same.

In any case, as you pointed out, artists create fantasies like that for multiple reasons (mental health or marketing being two of the most obvious of the). But one thing is sure: fantasies don't have to (cannot?) be set in stones (thank god, otherwise they'd be as boring as reality). 

It's also ok to have a preference for either one of the fantasies she created (the 'old' one or the 'new' one).

Not me trying to make a point then ending up sounding like ''I miss the old Gaga''  that wasnt my intention at all lol.

I see and I do agree with the things you are saying. I guess it just shows more that maybe there was more to me liking her than it being solely Gaga and shows what I enjoy personally in music and artists. 

[Maxine Puth 9,052]

At the end of the day this is very much an old Gaga vs new Gaga debate, even though you tried not to make it like that  But I honestly understand. I think the problem now is that since she’s been acting (aka AHS) she’s had the ability to separate a lot of the performance art from her music which is kinda disappointing for us as fans of that. We know now that when she goes to the studio, or gets coffee, etc. she’s not in an “era” anymore, she’s Stefani. Which I’m sure is great mentally for her, because it’s hard to expect someone to constantly be reinventing their personal lives, especially when we know she wants to settle down. But it’s also been very clear in her music (sans ASIB, since that was for an actual movie role) that the passion and dedication to a theme is just not there like it was for her first albums. 

[spector 1,902]

i think your perspective is the most commonly shared one among us, monsters. it’s a (meta)narrative that explains “lady gaga,” her personas, her mental health journey in a seemingly linear, logical manner. so much so that i also opted to cling to it when i felt that i was being emotionally distanced from gaga. linearity and logic, however, are human inventions, especially when applied retrospectively.

the turning point came when she posted that vulnerable video on ig prior to debuting the chromatica ball. then, attending that ball in person, bearing witness to all her pain—sung, choreographed, and visualized to perfection—i’m not exaggerating when i say that it changed something. she was, once more, a revelation, a recognition: to both herself and me. that is, she proved that lady gaga has never danced away. burnt by fire, performing in flames, inside and out, she’ll always be there—unscathed in terms of her “essence.” 

i kept looking at her dancing body, listening to her powerful vocals, and i was thinking to myself: those pumping little veins on her hand? on that superstar’s hand? that’s my lady gaga. a bit older, wiser, and—in her shiny, purple alien bodysuit—more human than ever. and (that’s why) i love her. 🖤

[AnglerfishbraBENUS 5,426]

1 hour ago, DISZKO said:

Do you mean she gave us her best performances and art in the past 12 months? I dont really understand that part. 

What I was trying to aim at was more of her sound and aesthetic as an artist and the things she was digesting through music. Maybe it was just more relatable personally as the darkness resonated more with me as a teenager.

She is dark just in different ways. The chromatica ball might be the darkest thing she’s ever done. 

i think she’s more focused on darkness in the sense of personal darkness and bringing it to the light like how Chromatica is about Mental Health. 

[Head Empty 24,221]

Up to ARTPOP, she was a rebel in every aspect of her work. I don't think it was a persona in the traditional sense of the word, but moreso an artistic amplification of her feelings and ambitions. Her inner rebel was always "on".

2013 broke her in multiple ways, and ever since she has been much more protective of herself. She's much more calculated about when to be loud and attention-grabbing and when to take a step back. That makes the risks of her career relatively manageable for her, but also makes some of her (creative and cultural) choices less exciting.

[DISZKO 640]

1 hour ago, AnglerfishbraBENUS said:

She is dark just in different ways. The chromatica ball might be the darkest thing she’s ever done. 

i think she’s more focused on darkness in the sense of personal darkness and bringing it to the light like how Chromatica is about Mental Health. 

I loved Chromatica and the ball was far by the best with set design since the Monster ball, i even mentioned in my original posft that Chromatica was very Gaga in my eyes

[DISZKO 640]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It gave me some perspective 

[Gen Z artRAVE 246]

I agree with you, i was born around 00 so i grew up with gaga, I didn't become a huge fan until 2019 and when i "re-discovered" all her eras... ARTPOP i love because for me that was the last era of art in ger, she gave it all so she could stop with her "Gaganess" she gave all the ideas so she could fit the mainstream, also i do think interacope has made her change due to there view on gaga, reads her contract...like they felt she flopped after 2013 and didn't give her the same promotion, gaga "fell" of (she never did) because interscope marked her like she was done....then later se became "mainstream" and suddenly she was Oscars worthy, a lady, glam and so on....like haus las, today it was good and a great brand..but if it was in 2010 it would be gaga negative etc...she switched her attention, and we love acting gaga but now she acts...and not in music.

[Ultimecia 6,022]

I totally get your point, I used to (and still partially do) share the same point of view, starting from the Joanne era until very recently.

The Chromatica Ball revived my passion and love for her. It felt like the reawakening of "Gaga", I think she even said it herself on Twitter, something along the lines of "I've been asleep for so long, I missed you." - and she stated multiple times during the shows that she herself, did not know if she could ever be "Lady Gaga" again...

But here she was again, on stage. And as present, as brilliant, passionate, poetic, cryptic, and symbolic as ever.

[TimotheeChalamet 4,627]

When artists set a bar so high like she did in the early days it's impossible even for themselves to be on par with every future project. Long story short: she has always been there, but a lot happened in her life (pain, trauma etc) so it seemed like she was not passionate enough, but she'll always be passionate about music and art and everything that made her break into the industry. She's just growing up 

[holy scheisse 21,514]

so much of what you shared resonates with me too and my "relationship" with who/what "Gaga" is. I'd explain why more deeply but you literally sum it all up perfectly. I will always love Gaga and it sure has been a wild ride being a day 1 fan and seeing how much she has changed! But I too miss when she was stranger, riskier, more polarizing and controversial. That's the Gaga that was awe inspiring. I understand tho at the end of the day, she decides who she is -- not us. And so with age I've just had to let go of any effort to hold onto who I think she is and instead listen to who she says she is