Lady Gaga defends Harlequin (but not ARTPOP, Joanne & Chromatica) on TikTok

[A Hybrid 11,049]

3 hours ago, Juniper said:

Social media logic.
Person: “I like pancakes.”
The reply: ”So you hate waffles?” 

more like

A: "You completely hate crepes, waffles, macarons and pancakes!"

B: "No, I love pancakes 🖤"

[Anderson123 39,900]

29 minutes ago, A Hybrid said:

Here's how Happy Mistake can still replace How Bad Do U Want Me

I think she's going to cut a couple songs from Mayhem to add old hits for Copacabana but can definitely see her doing the whole standard album for Mayhem Ball and hopefully even Happy Mistake.

[SimonBaetens 8,899]

she is unintentionally messy haha

[South Blonde 6,333]

The only reason I don't enjoy Harlequin (a great record) as much as I should is because I immediately associate it with Joker 2 which was actually quite bad... Sorry Gagz

[Starmie25 20,337]

4 hours ago, HairBow said:

third of the album has some highs in it, but I find that the majority of it is dated EDM (not "ahead of its time," IMO

Hot take: I think some of it was weirdly ahead of its time, not all but some.

I give her and producers credit for not trying to replicate the edm/electronic sounds in the mainstream (2011-2014).

ARTPOP actually had a lot of sub genres intertwined with a ridiculous amount of character and flavour.

"Applause" itself with that 8-bit electronic sound was ridiculous but it works  and the hard, but sensual beats of "sexxx dreams" were sublime! The trap outro for MANICURE, psychedelic trance thumper (AURA) like it deserves a bit more credit.

 

[HairBow 602]

6 minutes ago, Starmie25 said:

Hot take: I think some of it was weirdly ahead of its time, not all but some.

I give her and producers credit for not trying to replicate the edm/electronic sounds in the mainstream (2011-2014).

ARTPOP actually had a lot of sub genres intertwined with a ridiculous amount of character and flavour.

"Applause" itself with that 8-bit electronic sound was ridiculous but it works  and the hard, but sensual beats of "sexxx dreams" were sublime! The trap outro for MANICURE, psychedelic trance thumper (AURA) like it deserves a bit more credit.

 

I like what the album was going for.  I think that Mayhem succeeds at what ARTPOP tried to accomplish with the mixing of the genres and whatnot, personally.

ARTPOP does have some really good pop songs though-- Sexxx Dreams has not aged a bit (it's probably the song that has aged the best of the entire album), Venus is so campy and bonkers that it's delightful, Aura has great production quality, Applause also has great production quality and has a permanent spot on my "cardio playlist," and Fashion! is right out of the 1970's.

And had it not been for you-know-who, Do What U Want could have easily gone down as one of Gaga's best songs, too

The rest of the songs, unfortunately, don't do a thing for me.  I find the rest of the album to be overproduced and messy in many places, and I flat-out cringe at Jewels N Drugs, Donatella, Dope, and Gypsy.

[LOVEDRUG 10,972]

10 hours ago, Emvee said:

Nah the shade is getting borderline annoying lol 
 

It’s the way ARTPOP, Joanne, and Chromatica LITERALLY encompass an entire decade (the majority) of her career if you count the lead up to ARTPOP and the end of the Chromatica ball. If we’re really gonna start labeling them as “inconsistent” or “lackluster”… like, damn sis spent 10 years on that.   

 

I kinda agree. Like when we're talking about the Mayhem setlist I haven't seen anyone really acknowledging the fact that she only performed one song released between 2011 and 2024 (Shallow). That's thirteen years of her career (which included god knows how many Grammy wins and number ones) completely unrepresented in any way.

[metalguru 1,554]

There’s nothing to defend—it’s simply a fantastic project. One of her finest productions, with crystal-clear sound, organic arrangements, and soaring vocals.

[uglysexy 186]

I will never stand for the Chromatica slander I knew Gaga before but this record made me dive deeper into her discography and I became an actual fan. I get that it wasn't her usual sound (but neither were Joanne or ARTPOP) and she wasn't fully there for there era but I still think it had some genius elements. Her grand soaring vocals, the synths, the space she leaves for the dance house instrumentals, all of that often introduced by beautiful orchestra pieces (seriously, I still think the orchestra works so well with the dance pieces and retro futuristic/cyberpunk pink/purple/black visuals) paints such a wonderful picture of the world she wanted to convey. It's really too bad that it was such a difficult time in general and it couldn't properly shine.

But she's right, Harlequin is also amazing. Her voice is great and I hope she can make something similar in the future without being tied to some movie. I actually don't think the Joker movie was that bad, but the album deserved to stand on its own and not as a companion piece.

The truth is that the other albums don't need defending No need to mention them when it's obvious they're great.

[Controversiaga 12,334]

I believe her. She’s been open that she was not in a good place for any of her last 3 studio albums.  …after the fact though- of course.  During the album cycle she’ll say she’s finally in a good place and the album is about her healing process. but then she’ll look back and say how she was not in a good place . So idk 

 

regardless - I think she is genuinely most proud of harlequin , out of those albums mentioned 

[Controversiaga 12,334]

11 hours ago, Emvee said:

Nah the shade is getting borderline annoying lol 
 

It’s the way ARTPOP, Joanne, and Chromatica LITERALLY encompass an entire decade (the majority) of her career if you count the lead up to ARTPOP and the end of the Chromatica ball. If we’re really gonna start labeling them as “inconsistent” or “lackluster”… like, damn sis spent 10 years on that.   

 

Those 10 years were pretty rough..ngl

nothing can mirror the zest of 2008-2011/12.

Abracadabra alone EATS everything she’s done since 2012

[27monster27 14,531]

9 hours ago, HairBow said:

I'm one of the people who has enjoyed ARTPOP less as time goes on-- a third of the album has some highs in it, but I find that the majority of it is dated EDM (not "ahead of its time," IMO), and it doesn't feel cohesive to me at all.  I also think it has some of Gaga's worst lyrics ever.

I really liked Joanne when it first came out, but I've found that once again I only like a few songs on it as time goes on, and it's really just the precursor to the vastly superior "A Star is Born" soundtrack.

Chromatica, production-wise, feels incomplete.  Most of the songs aside from "Replay" are very linear, and I feel that once you think a song is about to go somewhere, it ends. I'm sure that Chromatica is a banger in the clubs, but when it comes to sitting at home with headphones, it's kind of a snooze for me ... Aside from "Replay" of course.  "Rain on Me" is a really good and cute pop song, but it just misses the mark of being a great pop song because they inexplicably held Ariana Grande's vocals back when they should have been larger than life.

Harlequin sonically all works together, it has some of Gaga's best vocals ever, and the original songs are great.  "Happy Mistake" is one of her best ballads, and I really hope that it's on the Mayhem Ball setlist.

ARTPOP is ahead of its time because, and admittedly I myself took awhile to realize this, but because of the anti-capitalist and anti-corporate critiques. I personally find that enjoyable in today's world.

[dit 46,651]

it's a covers album. I dont care if Mother is offended sorry miss Gagz  

[Blackout19 13,241]

I feel so bad for Chromatica 

[HairBow 602]

1 hour ago, dit said:

it's a covers album. I dont care if Mother is offended sorry miss Gagz  

A covers album of songs that are better than the other albums in question here.