Stefani Germanotta aka Lady Gaga. The native Italo-New Yorker from a privileged house is reflected in business in 2025. Her now seventh studio album Mayhem, so to speak, brings the sheet back to “Pokerface” and “Paparazzi”, but the artist’s gaze to this first mega success is an old age, almost wistful. In 2008 her first record came out and struck so hard that one had to fear that the number could only be damaged. And maybe it was. The artist had caught up too much in disguises, alter egos and shock moments. The expectation of them was too great to continue to screw the spiral of the sensations. After the meat dress, nothing more could come.
And yet she had done something with the firstling The Fame. She had caused generations to hear the same thing. Adults like children. The stammed and stuttered syllables, the crazy dances – all of this worked on levels that could be understood and liked by everyone. You have to do that first. But after a few years and other albums of similar style, it was shown that the wind suddenly blows out of the front, unless Fresh is regularly added. Keep the pace. Sharpen the performance. Always new and show the body. All of this finally left Gaga behind to indulge in her actual passion, jazz singing and text work. Full exploitation, of course – the divine singer Tony Bennett was on hand and recorded an album with her, she was able to show and recover her sensitive, unaffected page in various film roles, because she tortured a number of malaises and chronic diseases. Hold out. Continue. A effort.
Nothing is sweet to Gaga
Whatever was there: Gaga’s fantastic voice, which often hid behind Sounds and Beats. This has a dark color that sometimes sounds threatening, sometimes complaining and, contrary to the opinion of some critics: inside, nothing in common, with Madonna’s squeaky. Nothing is sweet to Gaga. Nothing really bewitchingly innocent or something. It is rather bulky and brittle, does not shy away from the left -hand effects in singing. Leave. Roar. Screech. You can not be sure of your pieces with your pieces, and be so poppy, that the fright does not immediately drive into your limbs. But unfortunately: Whenever you think, great piece, the chorus comes. And then it always gets a bit arbitrary. Because he should smooth the strenuous stanza again and make you pleasing. Changes in harmony and happiness often find its way to flatter the radio in general and the ears in the car or office. Compulsory offers for the market. Well, Superstar may not be different.
Gaga now wants to get back to the beginning of her career
Gaga now wants to go back to the beginning of her career. This is known from many artists: inside. After the first big bämm, there were always plates on which you wanted to constantly reinvent yourself and change directions so as not to be bored. Prince, Madonna or the Beatles could sing a song if they were not partially dead. New sounds, new topics and looks. An insane pressure probably also urged. Repetition is the downfall unless you are Coldplay. There’s something true. On Mayhem, Gaga triggers feelings that their teen fans must have had from the very beginning when they roared “popopopopoker face” against their poster wall in the children’s room.
Today it is “Abracadabra” and is just as much fun. Flanked by fantastic, elaborate dance videos (choreo: Parris Goebbels), the new tracks wind themselves into Spotify lists and department store speakers, returns Gaga-Pop, but with patina, although the artist is only 38. “The With A Smile”, her duet with Bruno Mars, which could be a modern Todd-Rundgren piece, is also a little bold, because both of them can sing, we already know. In the open “Disease” opener, the rhythm is created by breaking glass. One could almost think that gaga trapped vigorously over broken vases. At “Killah” she works with the French producer Gesaffelstein, which explains the discoid influence and benefits the track.
A crazy mix of children’s song and madness
In “Zombiebay” we finally arrive at Weiland daft punk. But then it becomes desolate. “Love Drug” is irrelevant party pop, “Don’t Call Tonight” wants to fall and seems ironed. “The Beast” is a little reminiscent of the funny and slightly ironic gay of Meat Loaf, which is somehow very funny and “Blade of Grass” is finally the big, exuberant ballad that is so that you have to think about the huge LED wall in the background, on the channel, bloody tears. As I said: All of this worked super well 17 years ago.
And then of course “Abracadabra”. This track just inspires. A crazy mix of children’s song and madness. Not to be surpassed in catchy tune. It remains to be seen what the next step will be on the way of Lady Gaga. Maybe the setting of Rilke poems? Or a separate stories? After all, a tattooed Rilke quote is emblazoned on your arm: “Check whether he extends his roots in the deepest point of your heart, you confess whether you would have to die if you failed to write. This above all: ask yourself during the breastfeeding hour of your night: do I have to write? ”. Take a look.
This review appears in the ME 5/2025.