Gaga has become too safe.

[Bronco 25,423]

2 minutes ago, PartySick said:

I kinda want some of y'all to define what "experimental" is  or provide examples.

'Cause I've never thought of Gaga as someone who reinvents the wheel with her music, just an artist that does what she does better than anyone else conceivably could.

If she came up in here with some drunk Bjork sounding stuff idk how I'd feel

Ngl most of the time it always strikes me that they just have a very narrow experience with pop music and so the use of external genres in a pop song feels way more experimental & new than it does to anyone who listens to other big genres. 

[SavetheEarthNow 117]

2 hours ago, Bronco said:

I don't think she's become musically safe tbh.

She's never been a massive risk taker musically. Its just that her sound was a bit more "new" than others and now the world has caught up. 

The biggest risks she ever took were fashion based and for the most part the risks relied on shock factor. That only works for so long before it turns into the expected & now Gaga is still turning out avant garde haute couture looks but its less risky primarily because we expect it. 

Like 2 tours in a row we've had looks inspired by her hip surgery. All great pieces of fashion, all symbolic and part demonic or part gore. But like...its not risky for Gaga to be dressed exotically performing on operating tables anymore lol

"Never been a massive risk taker"? Are you kidding me? Were you even here from the beginning? Everything she did has been a risk. She had to beg radio stations to play Just Dance because it was different from everything else. And then the Fame Monster was another risk, again, a change from anything on the radio at the time, different from anything other popstars were doing, Europop exited from the mainstream for several years because of people like Britney Spears who made music become too bubblegum and it was that era of bubble gum domination and Gaga crashed through that changing the game with both the Fame and the Fame Monster. With Born This Way, it was another major risk, an entire album dedicated to her gay Monsters and other kids struggling with identity. It was a double edge sword, so many embraced her for that album but so many also were angered by it and her stance on the gay community. Then when she was suffering with a hip with a hole it in that broke on stage, she was still working on new music, on ARTPOP, another major risk musically. The ARTPOP backlash was ridiculous, first she was praised for Applause, everyone loved her new look, the aesthetic of the Applause video, everyone loved Venus, Do What U Want, etc, there was so much hype, but then almost instantly it was like someone flipped a switch and out of no where there was so much hate towards the album, people were tearing Gaga and the music apart. And behind the scenes, she was betrayed by someone she thought had her back but instead he was just holding a knife waiting to stab her in the back after he decided she was "no longer profitable", all this going on just after she had her hip replaced and lay in the hospital not being visited by people she thought were her friends. After everything with ARTPOP, she found comfort with an actual friend, Tony Bennett. And then another risk was taken - making Cheek to Cheek, a full pivot from pop to jazz. Then she pivoted again, and another risk, working with Mark Ronson on Joanne, another completely different sound from what was popular. Simultaneously another risk, A Star is Born and with that another pivot to more R&B sounding music for the soundtrack. Next, Chromatica, another risk, going back to pop still partially reeling from what went on years prior with ARTPOP, and she gave more control to the producers on the album, something that wasn't commonplace for her to do. Then came House of Gucci, a risk because who she was portraying and the scrutiny that could come with comparisons to her acting in A Star is Born. Then, Joker, another risk, knowing how big the franchise is, but Gaga took the risk to play Harlequin. Then recently, Mayhem, also a risk embracing her previous work and sound and straying from the something different every album, she actually even commented about how she previously felt she always had to do something different with every album. So in short, maybe it might not seem risky to you, but Gaga is writing from deeply personal places, and doing things that may seem risky to her, knowing what she knows and what she's been through. 

[AlvaroMU96 71]

No

[Juanlittlem 49,462]

She's always been safe in her music, while she's put a foot on "experimental" for a regular pop girl she's always kept it on a song or two on every album.

I would say Mayhem Requiem is her most experimental work and even there she's still playing it safe besides one or two performances.

I wouldnt mind her going that way or even further for the next album.

[timdrake 1,999]

1 hour ago, fashii0n said:

Y’all need to stop acting like Gaga was ever on some experimental, avant-garde music level. She’s never been that unsafe or experimental when it comes to her music (ARTPOP was basic EDM) 

Gaga’s image was weird. Her fashion was weird. Her performances were weird. But the actual music was usually very radio friendly, commercial, accessible, and relatively safe.

This is what I was thinking. Since the beginning, she made pop hits, but presented them in unusual and fresh ways with her performances, videos, and fashion- championing the public perception of what pop music is. I don't need her warbling like Yoko Ono to think "ahh yes this is sophisticated art". 

I love what she does, and there were more than a handful of moments in the Mayhem era that surprised me, I don't find her predictable or "safe" in the boring sense

[Bronco 25,423]

4 minutes ago, SavetheEarthNow said:

"Never been a massive risk taker"? Are you kidding me? Were you even here from the beginning? Everything she did has been a risk. She had to beg radio stations to play Just Dance because it was different from everything else. And then the Fame Monster was another risk, again, a change from anything on the radio at the time, different from anything other popstars were doing, Europop exited from the mainstream for several years because of people like Britney Spears who made music become too bubblegum and it was that era of bubble gum domination and Gaga crashed through that changing the game with both the Fame and the Fame Monster. With Born This Way, it was another major risk, an entire album dedicated to her gay Monsters and other kids struggling with identity. It was a double edge sword, so many embraced her for that album but so many also were angered by it and her stance on the gay community. Then when she was suffering with a hip with a hole it in that broke on stage, she was still working on new music, on ARTPOP, another major risk musically. The ARTPOP backlash was ridiculous, first she was praised for Applause, everyone loved her new look, the aesthetic of the Applause video, everyone loved Venus, Do What U Want, etc, there was so much hype, but then almost instantly it was like someone flipped a switch and out of no where there was so much hate towards the album, people were tearing Gaga and the music apart. And behind the scenes, she was betrayed by someone she thought had her back but instead he was just holding a knife waiting to stab her in the back after he decided she was "no longer profitable", all this going on just after she had her hip replaced and lay in the hospital not being visited by people she thought were her friends. After everything with ARTPOP, she found comfort with an actual friend, Tony Bennett. And then another risk was taken - making Cheek to Cheek, a full pivot from pop to jazz. Then she pivoted again, and another risk, working with Mark Ronson on Joanne, another completely different sound from what was popular. Simultaneously another risk, A Star is Born and with that another pivot to more R&B sounding music for the soundtrack. Next, Chromatica, another risk, going back to pop still partially reeling from what went on years prior with ARTPOP, and she gave more control to the producers on the album, something that wasn't commonplace for her to do. Then came House of Gucci, a risk because who she was portraying and the scrutiny that could come with comparisons to her acting in A Star is Born. Then, Joker, another risk, knowing how big the franchise is, but Gaga took the risk to play Harlequin. Then recently, Mayhem, also a risk embracing her previous work and sound and straying from the something different every album, she actually even commented about how she previously felt she always had to do something different with every album. So in short, maybe it might not seem risky to you, but Gaga is writing from deeply personal places, and doing things that may seem risky to her, knowing what she knows and what she's been through. 

We have different definitions of risk. 

Making a Europop album in the early days may be seen as risky by yanks, but for me it was literally my child hood music I'd been listening to for a decade before Gaga turned up. 

Collaborating with a music industry legend with massive stores of good media PR credit built up over decades at a time when your own personal stocks with the GP media machine have cratered due to stunt performances isn't a risk. 

Working with Mark Ronson once he's already an established producer who by then had industry awards, numerous hits and had worked with Bob Dylan isn't a risk. 

Making films aren't musical risks. 

ASIB's soundtrack is the perfect adult contemporary soundtrack, it's not risky. 

Calling Chromatica musical risk taking is laughable. 

[anton 174]

Mayhem was not that safe. She always does something different. She always tries to change her approach, and to dig for her personality.. Like, she is refining her craft and also doing cool stiff in the meantime. 

I think when you have a lot of fans anyway nothing you can do can be safe.... 

 

 

[pynkri 418]

I think people forget to realize that at the end of the day she is a MAINSTREAM, BIG LABEL ARTIST. She is never gonna be like Bjork, Arca, Fiona Apple etc. Maybe one day she will release full of experimental songs who knows. But as a mainstream artist she'll keep writing catchy hit songs.

What makes Gaga interesting tho, for a mainstream artist her music is DIFFERENT. You can not hear songs like Aura, Heavy Metal Lover, Disease, Abracadabra, Bad Romance etc from other mainstream pop artists. That is why she is still here. Because even tho she's a mainstream artist she tries to be authentic and different in her music. She will never sound like everyone. Yes she will release an EDM album for example (ARTPOP) But is it an avarage EDM album? No. It is her version of EDM.

And NO, I disagree. She is not safe. A safe artist would not release song like Disease as her lead single. 

If we consider Taylor Swift, Adele, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry safe for example, is Gaga really safe?

Edited 23 minutes ago by pynkri

[Cherry Blues 357]

32 minutes ago, Bronco said:

It's definitely heavy for pop music, but I'd definitely argue about it being experiemental. She's not playing with genres or sounds that are in any way a new contribution to industrial-dance pop or reinventing the wheel.
At best, its new for a mainstream pop girl to do it. 
As for its structure it's - intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus in place of bridge, chorus, post-chorus. Doesn't really break song writing conventions imo despite it being an amazing song. 

 

I meant that the structure of disease is filled with strange fractures. The verses sound very harsh musically, almost lifeless and dreary and the chorus is then full of destructive force. 

The melody of the bridge has a peculiar catchiness. I don't think any Lady Gaga song sounds like Disease. 

[fashii0n 66]

23 minutes ago, Bronco said:

Ngl most of the time it always strikes me that they just have a very narrow experience with pop music and so the use of external genres in a pop song feels way more experimental & new than it does to anyone who listens to other big genres. 

 

27 minutes ago, PartySick said:

I kinda want some of y'all to define what "experimental" is  or provide examples.

'Cause I've never thought of Gaga as someone who reinvents the wheel with her music, just an artist that does what she does better than anyone else conceivably could.

If she came up in here with some drunk Bjork sounding stuff idk how I'd feel

For me, one of Gaga’s weirdest and most experimental songs is probably Aura especially that guitar intro and the way she sings on it and also Disease is pretty unusual too compared to what’s mainstream right now. But even then, a lot of what makes Disease sound different is just the heavy electroclash influence, which was actually huge in Europe in the 2000s but never really took off in the US

There are also a few weirder album tracks on Born This Way, but overall, most of Gaga’s biggest songs are still very radiofriendly. She’s not really an artist like FKA twigs, Björk etc who will fully commit to something abrasive or genuinely leftfield. Gaga is more in the Madonna or Britney tradition, she is a mainstream pop star who likes borrowing from experimental, underground or more “artsy” inspo/sounds, but usually shapes them into something accessible enough to still sell. I don’t think she’d ever make something completely alienating.

[timdrake 1,999]

4 hours ago, LGAte said:

Also side note I am still kind of mad she has not rebuked the Zionist allegations (I don’t think she is) but how hard is it for her to say Free Palestine and **** ICE? And why is the excuse always “it doesn’t matter if she does or not”. I was under the assumption Lady Gaga was a bold person who said things because they were right, not because they were popular.

No snark or sarcasm from me when I say this, but it's probably because it's online folks trying to draw conclusions that Gaga would ever support a genocide. I doubt anyone has or would present these accusations to her face.

And idk, this is the first era in like 15 years where she wasn't actively in a "bad place" mentally, so maybe she's just trying to protect her peace by not becoming the face of the debate about this? OR maybe she just isn't as educated about the history of the conflict, and doesn't want to look like an idiot by speaking on something she doesn't know about? It's possible, but at the end of the day we don't know, and after 17 years I feel like I know her heart.

 

PS she did talk about ICE when she was in concert in Japan, and that got mainstream attention. She also talks about how the government has been treating trans people all the time, the same way she would speak about gays early in her career. So she's not incapable of speaking about social issues. But I think that she tries not to be so impulsive with what she says these days, and that may just come from growing up. 

Edited 19 minutes ago by timdrake

[NemoMyName 2,204]

All I will say is, There's a lot of experimental and more daring artist our there that will love the support... 

Spoiler

I hate f**s that always live in the next album era

 

Edited 18 minutes ago by NemoMyName

[LGAte 857]

3 hours ago, monketsharona said:

Has anyone else released Disease or Abracadabra-esque type of singles lately. Because if it's been being safe, I'd like all the industry to push that safe energy

Honestly Brat, Slayyter, Kim Petras, Adela 

[Cherry Blues 357]

27 minutes ago, Bronco said:

ASIB's soundtrack is the perfect adult contemporary soundtrack, it's not risky. 

Calling Chromatica musical risk taking is laughable. 

After she was so popular with the masses with A Star Is Born and the soundtrack, she brought a bright synthwave song like Stupid Love, i know that many casual listener found that very unlogical. 

At that time Pop has already changed, but she shot a fancy freak video to introduce Chromatica. She could have made it a lot easier for herself after A Star Is Born. The masses thought they now had a new ballad queen ala Adele - but Lady Gaga had her own vision. Chromatica showed that she is loyal to her fanbase and does not focus on mass diva/ballad queen Image - to release dance-pop again, for the masses felt soulless, but she stuck to her DNA. I find it was a brave decision. 

Edited 11 minutes ago by Cherry Blues

[LGAte 857]

4 minutes ago, NemoMyName said:

 

  Hide contents

I hate f**s that always live in the next album era

 

Okay ummmm….gettin a little loose with that. That’s actually homophobic in that context. And I don’t care if you are one, but like….when you mean to use that slur in that negative of a way it reinforces a super eery and bad aura for some of us gays.

 

lets back off of that.