Artists Who Abandoned Their Fanbases

[monstertoronto 8,748]

9 hours ago, OMonster said:

I think you've either misread my post(s) or are just looking to be offended for whatever reason. You're talking as though I dared to criticise Gaga. Where? Because most of the 'quotes' you attribute to me in this comment were never written by me, so I'm not sure where they came from.

I literally never said she "abandoned" her fanbase. I very intentionally didn't use that word because... I don't think she did. I said she deprioritised her core fanbase, which she objectively has. I also never said I didn't/don't enjoy her non-pop music projects. I do. I loved Joanne, ASIB and HOG. But all three of these 'projects' are objectively evidence of her switching things up and not following what her core fan base wanted to see (ie: pop music). 

"It’s ridiculous to claim she abandoned anyone just because you want to put her in a single box of things you personally like and expect her to stay there." - I mean, where did I say that? I don't want her to be put in any box. In fact, all I've done is recognise that she no longer (and not for a long time) has sat in any one box... and in her doing so, she's actively listened less and less to what her fans want, by design. 

And you can call me entitled (which I think is pretty personal) for 'talking on behalf of her core fan base' but, ultimately, it's a fact that Gaga's core fan base didn't ask for the majority of her work since AP (minus Chromatica). Her fanbase has since evolved and lots of fans have dropped off along the way... as demonstrated by her objectively declining (in no way declined) commercial success as a pop artist... but new fans have also come along for the ride too... all as a direct result of - to bring this argument full circle - her deprioritising the demands of her fans. I fail to see how there's anything shocking or negative in that statement. It's just... a fact?

Taylor Swift is an artist who pretty much only does what her fans want. And as a result of that, she has a huge fan base that's not only grown but grown consistently in the same direction. Gaga is an artist who will (mostly) do whatever she wants, regardless of what her fans want. She is, I think, one of the least fan-centred pop artists in the mainstream market today... which is ironic, given how she started out. But ultimately, I think her being less and less focused on delivering fan service is what saved her career after AP. Strategically, her decision to expand her fan base, and deprioritise the demands of a very large (and original) segment of it, was a very good one. I don't think she'd be where she is now - one of the most respected and acclaimed talents in history - without doing that.

I just don’t agree with your take and I do think your post (now both of your posts) makes a lot of assumptions on behalf of her “core fanbase”.  
 

You literally say:  “it's a fact that Gaga's core fan base didn't ask for the majority of her work since AP (minus Chromatica).”  Um how is this is “fact”. This is how you happen to feel and maybe your friends, but you certainly don’t speak for me and many other core Gaga fans I know. 
 

And you say “she’s actively listened less and less to hat her fans want”, and “deprioritizing the demands of her fans. It’s just …a fact?”  Again you’re so confident to just declare your opinions are facts you’re even being sarcastic about how much of a fact it is. News flash. It’s not “a fact”. It’s just your opinion. Gaga fans are excited by her work in different genres and thrilled she’s showing the world she’s an amazing actress too. 

[Lady Adga 8,664]

[Jack3257 638]

If Shawn pulls off an album like Subtract, doing something more mature to demonstrate he’s grown up like his fans and advanced his songwriting skills, then I think he could regain public interest.

[Tyler1992 2,121]

2 hours ago, monstertoronto said:

I just don’t agree with your take and I do think your post (now both of your posts) makes a lot of assumptions on behalf of her “core fanbase”.  
 

You literally say:  “it's a fact that Gaga's core fan base didn't ask for the majority of her work since AP (minus Chromatica).”  Um how is this is “fact”. This is how you happen to feel and maybe your friends, but you certainly don’t speak for me and many other core Gaga fans I know. 
 

And you say “she’s actively listened less and less to hat her fans want”, and “deprioritizing the demands of her fans. It’s just …a fact?”  Again you’re so confident to just declare your opinions are facts you’re even being sarcastic about how much of a fact it is. News flash. It’s not “a fact”. It’s just your opinion. Gaga fans are excited by her work in different genres and thrilled she’s showing the world she’s an amazing actress too. 

Essentially, the other poster is saying AHS, C2C and Joanne, ASIB, LFS, HOG weren’t what fans wanted- which I don’t think is correct either.  

Gagas core fan base has always wanted her to diversify her sound and branch into other avenues of entertainment. It’s evident by her box office sales that Monsters want more than just music (ASIB and HOG we’re both super successful). At the core, I think Gagas fan base has always wanted to explore more of her theatrical side.

Likewise, Gagas fan base isn’t really declining, it’s grown. She just had her most successful tour of her career, as well the most successful residency in Vegas.

[PunkTheFunk 123,508]

17 hours ago, OMonster said:

There is no question that the Gaga of TF-AP was absolutely driven by a desire to please her fans. But since then... no. For her own mental health and artistic integrity, she mostly refuses to do what her fans crave from her... for better or worse.

Some of my favorite Gaga projects happened after she made this decision...Honestly, good for her.

[KindnessPunk 1,760]

19 hours ago, OMonster said:

I think that Gaga is an obvious omission from the list. "Abandoned" is an overly emotional word but she certainly - and very consciously so - deprioritised her core fanbase with C2C, Joanne and ASIB. And whilst Chromatica was obvious fan-service (and I would say to the detriment of her own genuine investment), since then, she's continued to not follow or listen to what her fans want... with all of Haus Labs, L4S and Joker. There is no question that the Gaga of TF-AP was absolutely driven by a desire to please her fans. But since then... no. For her own mental health and artistic integrity, she mostly refuses to do what her fans crave from her... for better or worse. I mean, compare her output to Taylor's and the difference is night and day. One artist sometimes seems to make it their mission to actively avoid fan service whilst the other has climbed to the top by doing exactly that. 

 I wouldn’t say early Gaga was driven by a desire to please her fans (besides BTW) but more so that Gaga has always been excited about each concept behind the albums or each project she does, and it just so happened that the fans were into what she was making from the start. But I wouldn’t say Gaga catered her work for us, more so we loved what she was giving us and that obviously inspired her to keep creating. That all changed during/after ARTPOP, as we all know, when many “fans” started questioning her new endeavors and decisions.
 

But I think one thing has always remained: whatever Gaga chooses to do always comes a genuine place of interest or inspiration. Because of that she’s not initially thinking “oh but what about what my fans want”, atleast I doubt thats her first thought. And in a way, I respect Gaga so much more for that. I might even argue that when an artist is always thinking about the fans, the stuff they put out, the decisions they make, all of that can start to feel formulaic. It’s like that “pop girl” machine that i think Gaga has always wanted to avoid throughout her career.

[Better Day 5,766]

7 hours ago, dubstep111 said:

Gaga for sure! I mean she literally laughs at her previous work

That’s how she still performs deep cuts on her tours and performs minor hits (LoveGame). 

[nATAH 42,381]

8 hours ago, Delulu Rogers said:

It’s great if gaga wants to venture in other areas but she has ditched her fans to some extent. It has nothing to do with her meeting the demands of fans, but when was the last time she even referred to us or surprised us with something? Especially when you think about certain fans around the world. For fans in Brazil, I bet for sure they feel like she abandoned them. 

she was meant to surprise us with a coachella set in 2020 but... yeah

edit: actually wasn't the 911 video a surprise too? she also had John Wayne and Joanne (Piano) as surprises in 2017 too

[Smother Em Eh 6,956]

Rihanna is the only right answer. Anti feels like a lifetime ago at this point 

[RAMROD 104,195]

6 minutes ago, Smother Em Eh said:

Rihanna is the only right answer. Anti feels like a lifetime ago at this point 

It actually is.

It was released in January 2016, that's 7 years ago! Navys well been dry for a minute 

[Sugar Baby 758]

Shawn Mendes is 100% over 

her fans moved on and he lost his teen boy appeal cause he is an adult now 

 

and yeah Rihanna is the queen of this, she clearly doesn’t give a **** about her fans 

[Delulu Rogers 6,925]

7 hours ago, NATAH said:

she was meant to surprise us with a coachella set in 2020 but... yeah

edit: actually wasn't the 911 video a surprise too? she also had John Wayne and Joanne (Piano) as surprises in 2017 too

Idk I don’t consider music videos and performance during album cycles as a surprise as those are expected. To me a surprise would be something unexpected while not in an album cycle. For example chromatica ball dvd or rock in Rio 

[Ziggy 10,734]

On 6/2/2023 at 9:16 AM, monstertoronto said:

I’m sorry but I think this is a very selfish, selfcentred take. Your personal interests do not represent “her core fanbase”. You do not get to speak for her core fanbase and determine when some things she has made “aren’t designed to please her core fanbase”.  These statements are so entitled.  “How dare she not create something that’s “designed” specifically to “please my expectations”.  Also, who are you to say that everybody project that your personally did not enjoy means she’s “abandoned” her fanbase because you feel it didn’t cater to you.  I am def one of her core fanbase, been stanning her since the verb beginning, and part of what I love about her is seeing her range and supporting all her different endeavours.  I was thrilled she did ASIB and could expland her fanbase, and I loved seeing her blossom into an acclaimed actesss as well as out out the biggest hit of her career as well as an amazing album. Your inclusion of that era as evidence that she abandoned her fanbase is absurd. And tons of people likes Joanne. Artists are free to explore different sounds and projects. It’s ridiculous to claim she abandoned anyone just because you want to put her in a single box of things you personally like and expect her to stay there. 

Look, the difference in fan engagement is night and day. I’m not even faulting her for it but she’s definitely pivoted to more mass appeal. That’s more her strategy now and good for her! Hell, even Joanne brought on bloodpop to *make it more mass appeal pop*. Again, that’s cool, and abandon is not really the right word but Gaga’s focus is def not core fans anymore. That’s fine! But let’s also not delude ourselves that she’s just as monster focused as ever when that’s really not the case lol she pivoted bc monsters stick around. A lot of artists have done that in recent years! The only ones doing the opposite I’d say are Beyoncé and t swift. They appeal squarely to their fans and their own whims lmao.

 

im not saying she doesn’t care at all I just mean her priorities have shifted a little over time to be more mass appeal. She clearly didn’t give two figs during, say, BTW and ARTPOP about the GP thinking that she would get them to follow the monsters as they had before.

[monstertoronto 8,748]

55 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

Look, the difference in fan engagement is night and day. I’m not even faulting her for it but she’s definitely pivoted to more mass appeal. That’s more her strategy now and good for her! Hell, even Joanne brought on bloodpop to *make it more mass appeal pop*. Again, that’s cool, and abandon is not really the right word but Gaga’s focus is def not core fans anymore. That’s fine! But let’s also not delude ourselves that she’s just as monster focused as ever when that’s really not the case lol she pivoted bc monsters stick around. A lot of artists have done that in recent years! The only ones doing the opposite I’d say are Beyoncé and t swift. They appeal squarely to their fans and their own whims lmao.

 

im not saying she doesn’t care at all I just mean her priorities have shifted a little over time to be more mass appeal. She clearly didn’t give two figs during, say, BTW and ARTPOP about the GP thinking that she would get them to follow the monsters as they had before.

Honestly, y’all can’t be satisfied. Whenever an artist continues to deliver the same material that originally made them popular album after album, they get DRAGGED with “she doesn’t evolve”, “real artists show growth not the same old thing all the time”, like Katy Perry. When an artist like Gaga keeps making art to suit how she feels at the time and produces a diverse body of work it’s all “she doesn’t care about her core fans”. Gurl please. She can’t win.  And a lot of core fans genuinely enjoy the different eras. 

[nATAH 42,381]

1 hour ago, Delulu Rogers said:

Idk I don’t consider music videos and performance during album cycles as a surprise as those are expected. To me a surprise would be something unexpected while not in an album cycle. For example chromatica ball dvd or rock in Rio 

but the coachella set was literally a surprise and a tour dvd would be more expected than a surprise tbh