Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ and the Art of Pop Nonconformity
Five years after pandemic lockdowns disrupted the rollout of Chromatica, Lady Gaga has blessed our ears with her gigantic, return-to-form seventh studio album: Mayhem. The past years for the star have been action-packed with everything but giving us another pop album. She finally embarked on a postponed tour, released a remix album and a second jazz collaboration album with Tony Bennett, and honed her acting craft in the underrated House of Gucci and Joker: Folie à Deux. At last, Mother Monster is back on the radio in a true return-to-form.
From the opening lead single “Disease,” the crazy, dark, and genre-defying Gaga is back in full force. Her loud, aggressive vocals blast over heavy-hitting, industrial beats, setting the record straight — despite her Oscar-nominated acting career and highly successful beauty brand, Lady Gaga is, first and foremost, a pop music tour de force. A natural risk-taker herself, Gaga makes it clear straight out the door: She’s ready to make the giant strides in music evolution and trendsetting seen most prominently with her first 3 albums.
The second track and latest single, “Abracadabra,” continues the in-your-face energy of Mayhem‘s opener, this time with the slick electro-pop production that made “Bad Romance” and “Judas” instant classics. Gaga then doubles down with “Garden of Eden” and “Perfect Celebrity,” delivering one club anthem after another. On “Perfect Celebrity,” she reflects on her social status and relationship with fame — evolving from the wide-eyed hunger of her debut The Fame into something more jaded and outright angry. If the point isn’t clear by track 3, the Gaga we all first fell in love with hasn’t simply faded off into the city of angels, the land of gods and monsters.
From this moment on, Mayhem becomes a shape-shifting spectacle, at times sounding like an intentional mimicry of beloved hits from David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, and more. Whether she’s flexing her songwriting, vocal and production muscle on pop contemporaries, or paying tribute to literal legends, Gaga seeks not only to reassert herself but also to chart new ground.
“Vanish Into You” and “Killah” (featuring Gesaffelstein) borrow funk and rock elements from the Bowie playbook. The prior’s theatrical melancholy and the latter’s funk and rock elements from Bowie’s Fame — which Gaga herself once performed in a Grammys tribute to the late icon. Lyrics from “Vanish Into You” borrow verbiage from her collaborator Bennett’s catalogue, perhaps a subtle reference to his battle with Alzheimer’s and a heartwarming moment on stage when he recognized Gaga by name.
Paying tribute to the late Rick Genest, Gaga’s tattoo-covered model from the “Born this Way” music video who tragically passed away in 2018, “Zombieboy” blasts cinematic synths, tapping back into the ’80s school dance vibe of the original 2011 hit and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Meanwhile, “LoveDrug” continues to build on the disco magic of Chic’s “I Want Your Love” — a song Gaga previously updated with Nile Rodgers for a legendary Tom Ford campaign (and is clearly a part of the “Bad Romance” musical universe).
Perhaps the most radio-friendly track on the record, “How Bad Do U Want Me” leans into Taylor Swift-esque pop balladry and vocals that feel like a wink at her fellow stadium-filling megastar. Infusing new wave nostalgia into the ’80s synth pop sound poked at in prior tracks, “Don’t Call Tonight” electrifies the neon-lit dance floor with flair. Reminding listeners of the recently popular Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa and Lipa’s contributions to the Barbie movie soundtrack, the track is a clear standout on a turbulent album.
But Gaga doesn’t stop there. Rather, “Shadow of a Man” brings Michael Jackson’s signature grooves into the Gaga world, blending a nostalgia for the pop icon with theatrical belting. She then proceeds with “The Beast,” with a much slower buildup reminiscent of Phil Collins’ iconic “In the Air Tonight.” Finally, Gaga rests the soundboard and strips things back with an ode to her marriage on “Blade of Grass” and the chart-topping Bruno Mars collaboration “Die with a Smile.” Ending the chaotic journey of her seventh studio record (yes, The Fame Monster counts), the concluding trio of Mayhem completes the record perfectly: a cooldown period.
With Mayhem, Lady Gaga has crafted her most ambitious work to date. The kaleidoscopic journey through pop’s past, present, and future reaffirms her status as one of music’s most fearless innovators. The album serves as both a reflection of her artistic evolution and a bold statement that she remains unbound by convention or expectation.
Whether she’s channeling Bowie’s chameleon-like adaptability, Jackson’s rhythmic precision, or Swift’s emotional storytelling, the album is presented distinctly through Gaga’s unique artistic lens. After fifteen years in the spotlight, Lady Gaga continues to defy the traditional gravity of the music industry — from the meat dress and that 2009s VMAs performance, to a Grammy’s tribute to Los Angeles following this winter’s wildfires and the entire ARTPOP era.
Gaga has yet again reminded us that true artistic innovation often thrives in beautiful mayhem. To quote the star’s own debut, “pop music will never be low brow.”