After a hitting a minor bump that left fans and critics confused and disappointed, Mother Monster is back with her most personal album yet.
By DJ Marc J. Cubs
JOANNE, LADY GAGA’s 5TH STUDIO ALBUM is slated for release on the 21st, and it’s no surprise that the album is being hyped as one of the most anticipated albums this year.
For now, there are no more meat dresses, portable egg ships and muppet dresses. Lady Gaga wants us to get to know Joanne – the good girl. That’s Gaga’s real middle name, and it’s also the Italian restaurant that her parent’s owned in New York. Most importantly, though, it’s the name of her dad’s sister who passed away at the age of 19 from lupus complications. Lady Gaga wasn’t born until 12 years after the tragic passing, but it still affects her family to this day.
Lady Gaga’s given name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta, which is an inversion of her late aunt’s name Joanne Stefani. Even though the two never physically met, Gaga states that they share a bond like no other. The singer even has the date of her aunt passing tattooed on her to forever remind her of the incredibly “good woman” that she was.
The date is also important, because it wasn’t until Gaga turned the same age that Joanne was at her passing that Lady Gaga really started to hustle and try to make it big. Playing at every open mic night that she could and performing in dive bars all around New York, she really wanted to make sure she made it to honor Joanne. Fast forward 11 years, and Lady Gaga is one of the biggest artist in the world – thanks to Joanne.
BEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST ACTS in the world comes with a shit-ton of pressure to always succeed. Gotta stay No. 1. Gotta sell the most records. Gotta stay relevant. And lezbehonest, unfortunately ARTPOP was a misstep that she openly admits. Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters stayed loyal, but a lot of her other “fans” quickly left the singer faster than Trump’s toupee in a hurricane. The critics weren’t all that supportive of her either.
Lady Gaga has been quoted that the backlash from the album was “hurtful at times. … It doesn’t feel good when you put that much time and work and effort into things, and people make fun of them, or shame you for things you’ve created.”
But all wasn’t lost. She decided to do some pretty savvy things – following in the steps of her idol David Bowie – and did a complete 180. She released a jazz album with Tony Bennett that earned her a Grammy, jumped into more acting with American Horror Story: Hotel and earned a Golden Globe), plus she got an Oscar nomination for an original song about college campus sexual assault. So yeah, I think she did OK despite this “setback.”
LADY GAGA’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN to pop music began with Joanne’s debut song “Perfect Illusion” last month. It was quickly met with lots of … “dafuqs” and “Thoughts and Prayers.” People felt like this wasn’t the real Lady Gaga. But you know what, this is.
She does what she wants, unapologetically. And if she wants to make a dance-rock lead single from her album, she’s going to do it. It’s definitely not a huge hit like “Bad Romance” or “Born This Way,” but damnit, it’s a great track nonetheless. There is also zero pitch correction on the track, so what you hear is 100 percent Gaga.
Just because her first song and music video from the album is a lot less past-Gaga doesn’t mean that there won’t be any of the showman we love to come. There definitely will be some sparks and pizzaz and crazyass costumes. In case you’ve been disconnected from everything digital and living in your step mom’s basement (no judgement), Lady Gaga is set to headline next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, so we can all expect there will be some old-school Gaga in the very near future.
The album will feature numerous hit makers and uber-talented musicians like Beck, Florence Welch, Father John Misty, Mark Ronson, Josh Homme, and more. So you know it’s going to be good. And despite all the feedback from her lead single and first impressions, it really comes back to Joanne and how Lady Gaga would want her late aunt to feel about what she’s created.
“I thought if she was still here, what would she have to say? And the truth is, she wouldn’t be on her cell phone and she wouldn’t be worried about what anybody thought of her, or on the internet all day. She would be looking around at life because she didn’t get to live it. The spirit of Joanne came through me in every song, so that’s what this album is about. It’s a lot about human connection and you can hear it through the music.”
We are all ready to connect with you, Lady Gaga.