Based on this evidence, Polanski’s advice was spot on. Although Disease is something of a musical throwback, its dramatic, devil-may-care attitude doesn’t feel out of place in the current musical climate. This year’s hottest pop stars, queer anthem-maker Chappell Lorne, essential punchline merchant Sabrina Carpenter, and edgy agenda-setter Charli XCX, all prioritize personality as much as pop hooks. and rose to the top. Gaga is a playful performer whose 2008 chart-topping song “Poker Face” featured the lyric “bluffing with a muffin,” and she’s continued to do so throughout her career.
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At 38 years old, Gaga has crossed the threshold where female artists have their opportunities limited by a toxic combination of misogyny and ageism. Over the summer, this certainly had an impact on Katy Perry’s failed attempt to regain chart supremacy in the early 2010s, but Perry’s comeback was largely due to her subpar material and the album’s disastrous was sunk by a clumsy attempt to blend an unconvincing feminist message into lead single “Woman’s World”.
But considering she’s currently topping the charts with her duet with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile,” it seems traditional artist status hasn’t beckoned yet. . Importantly, Gaga never bases her appeal on being “relatable,” so Gen Z music fans, along with her older followers who have been invested in her from the beginning, have embraced her bold, brilliant pop music. There’s no reason why you can’t support a brand of maximalism. When she sings, “Tonight could be your antidote,” on “Sick,” it feels like a declaration that Gaga is back and that her bland demeanor is gone.
‘Disease’ is out now and a new album will be released in February
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