Leaderboard

My Abracadabra Fan Video Experience

Oh my goddddd…let me just start with that. I have loved Gaga since I was 7 years old when I first heard Just Dance and Poker Face, and I have lurked GagaDaily for over a decade. This was genuinely a once in a lifetime experience that I never thought would happen, and I still can’t believe it actually happened. Now that that’s out of the way, detailssss. My bestie and I woke up at 3 AM EST to fly out to LA from Atlanta, and we got to WERK as soon as we got there. We did interviews for Mastercard and fittings first. All of our costumes were pieces from the original video (wth I know), and they had Gaga’s huge white cape hanging over a rack in the fitting room for us to gag over. I talked to this really sweet girl for about 15 minutes while I was waiting who has been on Gaga’s stylist team for a short period, and she kept giving me hints that I was going to be so excited for the shoot tomorrow. We then go and rehearse for like 4 hours with Parris Goebel…literally terrifying, but she is so genuine and excited about her craft and was so excited about working with us. Such star power energy but very humble and grounded. Loved her! Next day, we have to be on set early and get another round of interviews done and then glammed. The artists and stylists were all so talented, funny, kind, and just a joy to be around. My hair and makeup were so sick. They gave me an amped-up version of Honey Balenciaga’s hair from the video (gag I know). At this point, everyone was antsy wondering if Gaga was coming to set at all because we had seen tweets that she was still in NYC, but when I went over to put my costume on, I saw her 10 inch pleasers on the table hehe. When I say this woman has tiny feet…oh my god they had to be like a 5 1/2 or 6. Her red bedazzled cane from the video was also on the table, so I was like “yeah she’s gotta be coming today.” Now, it’s time to go on set and film. We’re literally thrown to the wolves and have to do solos in front of Parris right off the bat. I have never really danced professionally, and I was the third person in line to go. Let’s just say I was terrified, but when that camera locked on me, Gaga literally possessed me or something. I served face like y’all wouldn’t believe haha. It was electrifying. We shoot for a few more hours and get the chorus filmed, and then it’s like 6 PM at this point. Parris walks out in front of us and says, “You guys look great, but I feel like something is missing…” and we’re all like, “Yeah SOMEONE is missing!” Parris is like “What do you guys think is missing then?” My bestie back behind me yells, “MOTHERRRRR!!!” And here comes Gaga out from behind the curtain in this skin-tight red latex dress with horns on the nipples, a huge velvet hat and her cane, and she goes, “Oh, hi” in her little babygirl voice…like girl don’t play with me right now haha. I was just in shock, like the woman I have admired since childhood is right in front of me, and I’m on set of her music video and IN IT with her. I thought I would be sobbing, but my jaw was just on the floor… like I couldn’t process anything. She then starts telling us how she can’t believe how incredible we look and how we literally look just like the music video when we’re dancing. She said she was so inspired by us and was so excited we were all getting to do this. Then, up she goes on her platform off to the side to START FILMING WITH US… girl I was about to puke. I’m in my leaned back position for the 1000th time that day trying to get into character to start the takes for the opening scene, and I’ve got my emotions together for now. Then, when Gaga started the take, she said something so monumental that it genuinely shook me to my core. She starts off the video saying, “The category is fans or die. Little Monsters, my stage is yours.” Y’all when those words left her mouth I just started sobbing. Like how much more full-circle of a moment in life can you have? I grew up in a really small, rural town with no one to turn to about my sexuality growing up, but I always had Gaga and her message. This was like the most surreal moment, and little 7 to 14 year old Caleb felt so seen and nurtured in that moment. My idol just handed her stage over to me and the incredibly talented friends I had made. I couldn’t hold the tears back, so if I look crazy in that opening scene (I mean I already have the huge spiky hair anyway lmao), don’t judge haha. We did like 6 takes with her doing that, and I was just crying and bent over between every take while still trying to get a look at her every chance I could. She kept looking over at me smiling bc she knew I was so emotional, and between one of the takes, she looked at me and said “You guys are killing it.” Then, they had all the dancers move off to the side of the stage, and Gaga performed the song all the way through in one take. My best friend from home and I were in the front and sobbing so hard because we just couldn’t believe we were experiencing this in person. They had to get us a box of tissues because we were literally a mess y’all lol. My poor makeup lmao. Gaga is so sweet and calm when you’re talking to her, but when that camera gets on her, she literally turns into someone else. Like GAGA takes over her. It was the most insane thing I have ever seen. We wrap up on set with her, and she gives us another group pep talk telling us she loves us and is so proud of us and how she didn’t want to be the center of attention in this video because it’s OUR video. That’s why she’s not in the center of the floor dancing with us and instead to the side of us. She such an angel, seriously. Then off she goes to get ready for Club Mayhem. We rush to get ready and changed for Club Mayhem, and when we get there, the people from Mastercard ask us if we want to do a flash mob to Abra when Gaga comes out. Obviously, we say yes lol. Gaga comes out and gives her speech with Parris, and then the Mastercard people clear a spot on the dance floor. It’s dance or die time b*tch. We work the cameras for the first 2 verses and choruses, and then I turn around and Gaga has her phone right in my face filming me…I’m literally like what is life right now haha. She is right there with us dancing and says, “I love you guys. Put your hands up!” (of course lmao). We dance with her for a little bit longer, and then she’s on her way. Such a surreal experience. Also, I had written a letter to give to her and didn’t have the chance to, but I found one of the guys on her stylist team at the bar and asked him if he could give her my letter. He was very genuine and said he would definitely get it to her somehow. He was so kind about how amazing we looked in the video and how we should be so proud of ourselves. Everyone on her team was just so genuine and so happy to be there with us. It was amazing. I also have made some amazing friends because the dancers were obviously true monsters, and we were all so proud of each other and so happy to be there. We all still have a group chat together and talk basically everyday. We’re going to try and meet up at the MAYHEM BALL in New York if we get tickets <3. It was such a mind-boggling experience, and I will never forget it. Literally no other artists do things like this for their fans. Gaga is one of a kind.

March 30

47 points

HBDUWM gets a dot on Apple Music 💅

The People’s Princess, “How Bad Do U Want Me,” is one of 5 tracks on Mayhem that has the cutie patootie dot on Apple Music. A dot is given to songs AM considers popular based on user’s listening habits. The others are: Abracadabra (another beloved track), Garden of Eden (the first “new” song on the album), Vanish Into You (the slightly promoted track on the packaging), and Die With A Smash. She did it with no promo, tricks, or nepotism. Pure talent! (Zombieboy and Killah stans found dead in a ditch)