With its pulsating electronic beat and avant-garde fashions (that archival Olivier Theyskens!
), the song had Little Monsters putting their paws up in awe.
Of course, true fans know that Gaga never really went awayshe only evolved.
Photo: Frank Lebon
We are all asked to define who we are and explain ourselves.
Ive had a really hard time with that in my career, she says.
Ive found it really hard to answer those question.
So, I allowed myself to be lots of contradictory things.
(Im going to give it everything Ive got, she teases.)
Why did that approach seem right?
Lady Gaga:I really wanted to have a very free experience.
I didnt want to box myself in.
I wanted to do something that embraced my earliest memories with music and my signature approach to pop.
I had been really afraid to do that for a long time.
It was almost like saying hi to an old friendand it was total mayhem.
How did that story come together?
That was part of the mayhem.
Theres moments where life is putting pressure on you, and you gotta rise to the occasion.
Theres moments about temptation and adrenaline; about anger and fame.
Then theres peak confidence, where Im just feeling the best I could possibly feel at a party.
But ultimately, I wanted the chaos and the mayhem to end.
You still get this feeling that theres something unresolved.
But by the end, with Die with a Smile, I think Ive truly found some peace.
I guess you need both in life!
Were all of it.
Human beings are all of it.
We are all asked to define who we are and explain ourselves.
Ive had a really hard time with that in my career.
Ive found it really hard to answer those questions, or maybe not wanting to answer those questions.
So I allowed myself to be lots of contradictory things, and I think thats real.
But Im definitely the same person and I definitely have both of those feelings.
Talk to me about the production of the album.
I recently watched yourmaking-of videofor Disease and was fascinated by how intricate the audio layering was.
How was the studio process different forMayhemcompared to other albums youve made?
Every record Ive ever made, I always have my fingerprints on everything.
I was relentless in the studio, and I worked with some great collaborators.
Cirkut is an incredible producer, Gesaffelstein is absolutely amazing, and Andrew [Watt] as well.
I played piano and do synth work on it.
Whatever we needed to happen at any given moment, we could make happen.
We had so much gear and we just had a blast.
I wanted to ask about the track Perfect Celebrity.
Its not often we get a pop song thats so self-aware and so meta.
I was really nervous to put that song on the record.
In a way, I was nervous to write it.
Its an angry song; Im angry at myself.
Im still nervous for people to hear it.
[My relationship with fame] has changed.
When I was younger, I was on a mission.
Now, as Ive gotten older, I value my artistry before fame.
I felt myself judging myself while I was writing, but then I was like,nopejust be honest!
Because I really wantedMayhemto be honest in all of its craziness.
Songs like Garden of Eden and The Beastthese are songs that are undeniable dance hits.
Was that something you thought of, bringing levity to your fans?
I never could have anticipated what has happened in the world, even since my last two records.
There was a global pandemic during my last record [Chromatica], and now were here.
I dont think it was something that I planned.
My personal mission became making the public smile as much as possible.
Because the world is chaotic.
Its only natural that we sometimes feel out of control.
Youve always used fashion in a really interesting way, as a form of storytelling.
How do you think youll use it during theMayhemera?
I cannot say anything!
But I am honored to play Coachella.
I will be bringingMayhemto the desert!
I want to give you all a dream.
Lastly, what do you hope Little Monsters will take away from this album now that it is out?
I hope that you take away from this album that nobody can define you but you.
you’re free to simply be who you are, and be proud of it.
