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Lady Gaga in Paper mag, talks "Stupid Love" and Chromatica


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I know the world feels like it's imploding right now, so Lady Gaga in Paper magazine is welcome distraction.

Her photoshoot for the issue is insane. She's an alien android chopped up into bits and pieces. 

Gaga also opens up about "Stupid Love" and Chromatica.

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Gaga is well aware that "Stupid Love" leaked in January, long before she'd even filmed its video or planned for anyone to hear it. She jokes that when hackers typically find her material, they'll leak their favorite, which validated her decision to make the track open the Chromatica era. Many fans figured she'd rush it out, but Gaga wasn't interested in releasing anything half-baked. "There was a minute where me and my manager, Bobby, were talking, 'Do we change the single?' We'd just spent months and months developing this video and choreography. And I said, 'Nope!' You know why? Because the song, when it's mixed, mastered and finished with the visuals, and everything I have to say about it — when all those things come together at once, that will be the art piece I'm making. Not a leak."

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One such message led Gaga to collaborate with a fellow female pop star, who has similarly experienced immense trauma while in the public eye. Their song together is a monster of a dance tune, but its message is about submitting yourself to devastation ("It's coming down on me, water like misery") — a flawless dance floor crier as a "celebration of all the tears," Gaga describes. "I sat with her and we talked about our lives. It's two women having a conversation about how to keep going and how to be grateful for what you do." Without being prompted, Gaga raises the inevitable criticism that celebrities face when they say "it's hard to be famous." She knows that "75% of the world rolls their eyes," but Gaga counters: "Yeah, you can be in a mansion, but you can still be six feet under in one."

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Elsewhere in Chromatica, Gaga explores topics like her antipsychotic medication ("My biggest enemy is me, pop a 911") and the undeniable force of femininity ("I'm not nothing without a steady hand"), the latter of which acknowledges both her own strength as well as that of the community who has "cheer[ed] her on" and helped her "become a woman." Specifically, she calls out trans women and gay men for helping her cope with PTSD and move past any spirals associated with reliving her pain. "In 2020, what does it mean to be a free woman?" Gaga questions, prompting a song that answers this question and sees her challenging the need to be with a man — or anyone at all — in order to survive. "Can I feel free on my own? Do I need to be loved in order to feel like I've conquered it all?" Speaking to the track's origin, Gaga says, "It came from thinking on some days I was going to die. I was like, 'I'm going to die soon, so I better say something important.' Now I listen to it and know that I'm going to live."

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All of the musicians involved — BURNS, Axwell, Rami Yacoub, Benjamin Rice, Tchami and more — would work on Chromatica as an equal group effort, which is rare considering how so many producers "can get very territorial" based on Gaga's previous experience. "It was a very fluid process with no ego," she says. "Every single thing you hear on Chromatica was passed around and things would get removed, changed or altered. Everyone here heard it or touched it." That's why songs like "Stupid Love" sound notably soulful and complex. "It's easy to go into a computer and find a cool loop, but the producers I work with don't work this way. When they're inspired, they embroider things."

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"The human spirit is more ******* powerful than anything," she says. "I think Chromatica is the most honest thing I could've ever created, and I'll never forget making this record. It's been one of the most special and hard times in my life." As if to drive home her points at the end of our meeting, Gaga picks up a giant, green crystal on the coffee table, surrounded by speakers, microphones and mixers. "Do you know crystals have been around for billions of years?" she asks, smiling. "The past is incredible. Look what we've done without technology. Look how we've survived without it. Look how we've kept going."

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18 minutes ago, jordeezy said:

Annoying that she is going toward transhumanism instead of sticking with the vibe of the "Stupid Love" video.  

Honestly I wish she would’ve just scrapped the song and video all together. It’s weak and not memorable, it’s just basic and that’s not her.

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2 hours ago, JordanMiller said:

"...the song, when it's mixed, mastered and finished with the visuals, and everything I have to say about it — when all those things come together at once, that will be the art piece I'm making. Not a leak."

Girl, it was THE SAME THING. No seriously, what is she talking about?

The new pictures obviously look amazing but I don't know what they mean or what they have to do with the new era aside from looking spectacular, so I don't care much about them.

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26 minutes ago, bitbitboi said:

Girl, it was THE SAME THING. No seriously, what is she talking about?

The new pictures obviously look amazing but I don't know what they mean or what they have to do with the new era aside from looking spectacular, so I don't care much about them.

Lol I thought this too but whatevs. Queen of mixing and mastering 

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6 hours ago, jordeezy said:

Basic?  I don't think so - it felt retro sci fi which I think is cool. 

I’m not impressed with both the song and video. I’m hoping she has better tracks and more to come as the album release gets near

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GaGa is the best. But obviously as cool fun and amazing as Supid Love is, I’m sure she has many Bops and/or Jams and Anthems waiting to be enjoyed on Cromatica. I live for her music & art and I can not wait. I hope she has something similar to Heavy Metal Lover or kind robotic tramp future techno experimental pop. I love when she gets kinda artsy fartsy.  :pieceofwhat:  :awkblink:   :orly:

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7 hours ago, MissSpearsSaysSo said:

GaGa is the best. But obviously as cool fun and amazing as Supid Love is, I’m sure she has many Bops and/or Jams and Anthems waiting to be enjoyed on Cromatica. I live for her music & art and I can not wait. I hope she has something similar to Heavy Metal Lover or kind robotic tramp future techno experimental pop. I love when she gets kinda artsy fartsy.  :pieceofwhat:  :awkblink:   :orly:

Yeah just because I am not thrilled about Stupid Love doesn’t meant I’m not excited for the album!

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