ABOVE: Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album, “Chromatica,” is available now. Photo via Mighty Real Agency.
Lady Gaga’s highly-anticipated new album “Chromatica” has officially arrived.
The album, which serves as Gaga’s sixth studio effort and the follow-up to her 2016 album “Joanne,” was originally slated for release in April. However, following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Gaga decided to push back the release to focus on her philanthropy.
The outcome was “One World: Together at Home”, a televised virtual concert special curated by Gaga herself and online platform Global Citizen to promote social distancing and support the World Health Organization in its COVID-19 prevention efforts. The special featured musical performances by Billie Eilish and Finneas, Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Gaga herself and many other artists.
The televised special helped raise nearly $128 million for the World Health Organization and broke two Guinness world records: most musical acts to perform at a remote music festival and most money raised for charity by a remote music festival.
“I wanted to do something to help the world, that was very focused,” Gaga told Beats 1’s Zane Lowe in a recent interview. “And working with the World Health Organization and Global Citizen was a way for me to talk about kindness, and the things that I believe in, in a very focused way, as opposed to a more abstract way, which for me, is what Chromatica is.”
As a concept, “Chromatica” has been described by Gaga as a perspective that honors inclusivity by embracing the diversity of people.
“I think that we’re actually operating on a completely rudimentary level where we square things off into very simplified colors when actually we’re all extremely different in a vast variety of ways,” Gaga said in a Beats 1 interview.
The album was also inspired by the healing effects of music that Gaga discovered through the writing and recording of the album.
“The symbol for Chromatica has a sine wave in it, which is the mathematical symbol for sound, and it’s from what all sound is made from,” Gaga said. “[A]nd, for me, sound is what healed me in my life period, and it healed me again making this record, and that is really what Chromatica is all about. It’s about healing and it’s about bravery…”
“Stupid Love,” the lead single off “Chromatica,” was leaked online in January and officially released in late February. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March, becoming her 16th Top 10 hit on the chart. The music video for the song, shot entirely on iPhone, depicts the singer as head of the Kindness Punks, a vigilante group dedicated to keeping the peace between warring tribes. The video has amassed over 86 million views on YouTube since its initial release.
“Rain on Me,” the second single from the album, was released last week and is a collaboration with Ariana Grande. The song has been described by Gaga as being a “celebration of all the tears” and speaks to a broader theme of resilience in the face of personal adversity. The single peaked this week at No. 34 on Billboard’s US Mainstream Top 40 chart and its music video, directed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, shows Gaga and Grande in various dance sequences.
“Sour Candy,” a collaboration with K-pop group BLACKPINK, was released May 28 following the song’s leak on the social media platform Twitter. The video for the song’s official audio has garnered over 23 million views since its initial posting.
“Chromatica” is predominantly a dance-pop album and features production by the likes of BloodPop, BURNS, Tchami, Max Martin and Skrillex. Paper Magazine’s Justin Moran has described the album’s sound as being a “fearless electronic tapestry, weaving in unruly breakbeat outros, emotional power-pop melodies that send a dopamine rush through the brain and tons of slick, shiny synths.”
The Chromatica Ball, Gaga’s six-date concert tour in support of “Chromatica,” is currently set to kick off in Paris, France on July 24 and will visit the North American cities of Boston, Toronto, Chicago and East Rutherford. Despite the general uncertainty over the future of large public gatherings, there haven’t been any announcements made on Gaga’s official website to date regarding possible cancellations or postponements of these shows.
Little monsters – i.e. Gaga’s die-hard fans – have been rejoicing since the album’s release and sharing their excitement online.
Twitter user Leandro posted a video of a socially-distanced album release party they put together in their home.
We are already prepared to enter the world of #Chromatica ⚔️⛈ pic.twitter.com/uE3JIs2Oqh
— Leandro ⚡️ (@leandromj97) May 28, 2020
Another user, Tade, praised “Chromatica” as being a strong contender for album of the year.
THERES 0 BAD SONGS ON CHROMATICA, AOTY COMING I FEAR pic.twitter.com/kPBsPbBwgu
— tade ~ 〄 (@blondeheeled) May 29, 2020
EnigmaticGaga highlighted the strength of the album’s songs.
I literally liked all the songs on #Chromatica from the first listen, this has never happened before. with these interludes, it’s a whole new experience.
— (@EnigmaticGaga) May 29, 2020
“Chromatica” is now available for streaming, download and purchase across various retailers.
