When news broke in that Lady Gaga's new album Joanne would hit the shelves the next 21st October, fans began wondering in excitement about what other antics she had in store for them this time around. How do you top a full-functioning telephone used as a hat, and a dress made entirely of raw meat? The answer of Miss Germanotta to this tricky question seems to be that you just don't top it, you simply move on from it and try to grow in a different direction.
Gaga's new image
Lady Gaga's new image is still edgy but more rock oriented, her new look consisting of a blond ponytail, ripped denim shorts and combat boots matched with rounded specs.
The cover for the album, named Joanne after her late aunt, depicts her in a profile posture with a large pink hat. An image so simple and unadorned that is stirring some discontent in part of her little monsters fanbase, eager to have more of the Poker Face, pop artobsessed artist of the past. Lady Gaga is making a daring move by leaving the stunts aside and putting only her music at the center, for this reason Joanne is a make or break kind of album. She's asking the masses to stop considering her just a pop star and to acknowledge her as a real musician, but is the music as good as this task requires?
Gaga's new music
The list of producers and collaborators announced for Joanne is impressive as usual, from Mark Ronson to Florence Welch and Bloodpop.
The first single extracted from the album is Perfect Illusion: a simple, heartfelt pop song with nothing of the overproduced hyperness that marked most of her previous hits. In an interview to iHeartRadio she explained: you have this new album and it's just a bunch of songs about my life. So as I'm telling each interviewer about the record, I'm delving into these private stories that are just right at the surface.
Especially since I'm still finishing things up, I tell everyone I'm a laugh away from a tear. Like I could laugh really loud or cry in a second."
Commercially speaking, only time will tell if Lady Gaga will have more reasons to laugh or cry about Joanne. What can be said from now is she likely won't be seen again on top of a mechanical unicorn anytime soon.
