Why MAYHEM special?

[ANVEEROY 61,899]

Here are some questions for all of you: What makes MAYHEM so special to you, and why do you think it has a universal appeal since Born This Way? Why do Little Monsters and others feel that MAYHEM is an album you can listen to from beginning to end? Why doesn't it make you exhausted? What is the "IT" factor?

[NUTELLA 14,271]

6 minutes ago, ANVEEROY said:

why do you think it has a universal appeal since Born This Way

Because it's her first solid album since then

[ANVEEROY 61,899]

Just now, NUTELLA said:

Because it's her first solid album since then

Why didn't Chromatica succeed? People say it's a very safe and generalized route... ok, it didn't connect with LMs; why not with the general public?

[NUTELLA 14,271]

Just now, ANVEEROY said:

Why didn't Chromatica succeed? People say it's a very safe and generalized route... ok, it didn't connect with LMs; why not with the general public?

Because it was the flat soda of music

[bylukapekic 1,026]

Because she delivered the most amazing sound since BTW, a lot of different genres, and it’s not like any other album she ever did. 

Same goes for the era promo.

[Ladle Ghoulash 30,549]

While I think she’s made great music since BTW, I think MAYHEM feels like the first time since then that she’s been firing on all cylinders (if not perhaps performing at a higher level than before). It’s hooks on hooks, grooves on grooves, phenomenal vocals, stellar instrumental work, excellent visuals + concepts for the live performances. Perhaps my fave era (or at least neck and neck with BTW). 

[ANVEEROY 61,899]

9 minutes ago, NUTELLA said:

Because it was the flat soda of music

but the chart is full of soda of music, why Chroma then failed? 

[ANVEEROY 61,899]

37 minutes ago, bylukapekic said:

Because she delivered the most amazing sound since BTW, a lot of different genres, and it’s not like any other album she ever did. 

Same goes for the era promo.

 

34 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

While I think she’s made great music since BTW, I think MAYHEM feels like the first time since then that she’s been firing on all cylinders (if not perhaps performing at a higher level than before). It’s hooks on hooks, grooves on grooves, phenomenal vocals, stellar instrumental work, excellent visuals + concepts for the live performances. Perhaps my fave era (or at least neck and neck with BTW). 

Quality + Promotion = works?

[Ladle Ghoulash 30,549]

21 hours ago, ANVEEROY said:

 

Quality + Promotion = works?

I think it’s quality + promotion, but the era also feels like Gaga’s “getting her flowers” moment, too. I think, leading up to MAYHEM, Gaga’s impact on pop was more heavily appreciated and I think there was a lot of latent appetite for a “return to form” bombastic pop record, so the timing was kind of perfect for album like MAYHEM. MAYHEM feels like the culmination of so much of the work she’s done building up goodwill among the GP, establishing broader credibility as a musician, exploring different sides of her creator persona, and finally mastering them both functionally and commercially through her commitment to the success and visibility of the album, so I think she also did a good job job of making the soil fertile for a really dynamic large scale “comeback.” 

Edited 5 hours ago by Ladle Ghoulash

[dynamite 61,624]

1 hour ago, ANVEEROY said:

Why didn't Chromatica succeed? People say it's a very safe and generalized route... ok, it didn't connect with LMs; why not with the general public?

The lacklustre first single and video

And COVID destroying the era 

[4th Time Around 4,733]

The production on Mayhem is incredible. I'm always going back and discovering new details that I didn't notice before. 

[4th Time Around 4,733]

1 hour ago, ANVEEROY said:

Why didn't Chromatica succeed? People say it's a very safe and generalized route... ok, it didn't connect with LMs; why not with the general public?

The thing people need to understand about Chromatica era is that she was in a very different place when it was first released as opposed to when TCB concluded. Stupid Love was an underwhelming lead single with a bad video and Gaga was very detatched from the creative process. That had started to change by the time 911 was released as a single because the music video was a flash of her old brilliance and the tour was a big success that seemed to light a fire under her again. We also got a pretty creative remix album that featured a lot of exciting figures in the alternative music scene. As for Chromatica itself, while the album does have it's highlights like 911, Rain On Me and Replay, the production was too watered down and safe by her standards even though the lyrics and melodies are generally strong. Chromatica is far from a bad album, she's just capable of so much more and proved that big time on Mayhem. 

Edited yesterday at 02:10 AM by 4th Time Around

[zevthepaparazzo 872]

I decided I wasn’t gonna kill myself last year and then it came out but then I got sad again but since it was out I could like use it as a one way therapist yk

[nATAH 51,954]

6 hours ago, ANVEEROY said:

but the chart is full of soda of music, why Chroma then failed? 

why are we branding chromatica as a flop now?

[MOT 3,280]

It's just the sheer quality of the songs. Mayhem sounds more like a greatest hits collection than a themed album. Each song stands on its own, not just because it sounds different from the last one but also because it reaches out and grabs you straightaway. And then that voice of hers is so good, so weighty, coming in and elevating a bunch of songs that didn't need a lot of elevating in the first place.