Calling all Little Monsters! Lady Gaga has officially announced the release of her seventh studio album, her first since “Chromatica” in 2020. During her four-year break, Gaga focused on her makeup company and acting career; however, she has made it clear that she will return to the pop scene. For now, the campaign known as LG7 kicks off in tandem with promotions for Joker: Folie à Deux, in which Gaga stars as Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix.
For months, there has been a lot of anticipation for this new album. It was not until Gaga dropped her Chromatica Ball concert special in May 2024 that fans got hints about the upcoming album and new era. At the very end of the special, a teaser of a new song, only about ten seconds long, was played. As Gaga left the stage, music began to play as she danced to the lyrics “dance in the shadow of the…” The music echoed throughout the stadium before cutting off, with the words “LG7 Gaga Returns” appearing on the screen before it turned black.
As rumors of a release date circulated, Gaga posted a photo of her upcoming itinerary on Sept. 3, which included a single planned for October. Her duet, “Die with a Smile” with Bruno Mars, is not included on the tracklist but is instead “a treat for fans while they wait for LG7,” she said to Variety. The album, later revealed, is set for release in February 2025.
Following the excitement for Gaga’s album and single release, on Sept. 20, she put out a cryptic Instagram post consisting of chalky white text over a red background, stating: “I’m ready for my interview.” Fans swarmed the comments in excitement and curiosity, wondering what this message could possibly mean. In an interview with Vogue, Gaga described how the Chromatica tour really shaped her process for this new album. Her new music is associated with a lot of pain, which she experimented with to enhance her art and bring out another side of herself. “I’m relaxed and I am able to face my demons and what’s remarkable is…that’s music. I’m able to hear it back,” she told Vogue. Gaga said she feels very happy in this new era, whereas her Chromatica era was a dark time for her. “I’ve, like, changed. A lot,” Gaga said. “I feel like this new album, in a lot of ways, is about that time but from a place of happiness instead of misery.”
In her interviews, Gaga revealed that it was actually her fiancé, Michael Polansky, who encouraged her to return to pop music. “On the Chromatica tour, I saw a fire in her,” Polansky said. “I wanted to help her keep that alive all the time and just start making music that made her happy.”
Given Gaga’s response to her new album, it seems Polansky’s desires have certainly come true. Although the songs are still kept under wraps, he described her new, untitled track as “intense and ominous…old-school Gaga banger, unsettling but also buoyant.” Her mix of both old and new styles can be seen in clips of her song previews during the Paris Olympics. After her performance, Gaga posted an Instagram story stating she would be outside her hotel at midnight to play snippets of two new songs. Fans gathered eagerly, watching her play the song fragments from her laptop while sitting on the sunroof of a limo outside her hotel. In the recordings, the music style is very techno, reminiscent of her gothic-rock songs. Gaga explained how she is diving into “the art of intensity,” sharing her love for exploring music and breaking genres. “There’s something really beautiful about knowing that you'll be loved no matter what you do,” Gaga said.
Amidst the release of her new album and her production of Joker, Gaga said she has been working on a second surprise project, one that will be kept secret for an unknown amount of time. While that project stays on the back burner, fans are making connections to some of Gaga’s more goth clothing with her new songs, proposing that it is a hint to her new theme. There are also rumors about collaborations with artists like The Weeknd and Peggy Gou. Also, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Kesha have been on her stereo recently. Gaga herself said she has been spending all of her time in the studio, so she may have been experimenting with other artists. Although none of these claims have been confirmed officially, this is Lady Gaga, Mother Monster––expect the unexpected.