Lady Gaga’s much anticipated sixth album, Chromatica, has arrived and it is a return to the singer’s dance-pop roots.
The album was first introduced by the singles “Stupid Love” and more recently “Rain On Me” featuring Ariana Grande, which is expected to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts next week. The music video for the track is a dance-heavy performance and had over 60 million views within its first week of release.
The 16-track album comes four years after Gaga’s studio album, Joanne, and one year after the critically acclaimed soundtrack from A Star Is Born. The set is comprised of cuts that are reminiscent of the star’s earlier eras of music, a sound her fans have long been waiting to hear. Structured into 3 acts, the album features 3 collaborations with pop icon Elton John (“Sing From Above”), Korean girl group, BLACKPINK (“Sour Candy”), and Ariana Grande (“Rain On Me”).
The album’s interludes (“Chromatica I”, “Chromatica II”, “Chromatica III”) serve as transitions that precede tracks (“Alice”, “911” and “Sine From Above”) and are beautiful string orchestra productions. Other stand-out cuts from the album include the infectious “Plastic Doll”, the 80’s vogue-esqe anthem “Babylon” and the ’uplifting “1000 Doves”. Together, the sequencing of songs is the perfect curation to dance through the sadness and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has created, a hope the singer has expressed.
The star recently sat down with Zane Lowe for an interview with Beats1 where she discussed the album’s production, the stories behind the songs, and her decision to delay the album from its initial April release date.
“We stopped the drop of the record and everything that we were doing because I really wanted to be more specific at one point,” she said.
“I hope that they listen to this record and go on,” she continued. “Not only my personal journey with me and dance through all the pain but also go through their own journey and dance through all their pain. “