On October 21, 2016, Lady Gaga released her fifth album Joanne, which is truly a rebranding for her.
When Lady Gaga first came onto the scene, there wasn’t anyone like her. An artist completely devoted to her craft, to taking things to the next level, and a flare for the dramatic. In 2008, she debuted with The Fame, a pure dance pop album. Everywhere she went, she commanded attention, whether it was with her catchy pop tunes, her extreme performances, or her highly unconventional outfits throughout the years. (Hello meat dress!) Lady Gaga burst out to the scene and became an icon overnight.
Without a doubt, she became a pioneer and inspiration to other artists and people, daring to push conventional boundaries and inspiring others to do the same. It’s been four years since Lady Gaga came to Puerto Rico with her Monster Ball Tour, and since then, she has greatly evolved. Whereas the previous albums were all about extreme concepts and flash, Joanne lets us peel back the layers and know a more personal side of Lady Gaga.
Photo credit: AnaBanana03
Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, she seeks to add a more personal touch to the album. As Gaga told T Magazine, “there’s two sides of me. There’s the side of me that’s a true rebel and then, another side of me that is my father’s daughter. And so this album, it doesn’t lean necessarily in a particular direction, which is why the album title is Joanne. This is my middle name. This is the middle on the center of me.”
Joanne is titled after her aunt, who died young, 12 years before Gaga was born. Even though she never met Joanne, she was the main inspiration behind her music career. “It was really Joanne, and that story of our family, and the toughness that made us who we are, that gave me the strength to go, ‘You know, I’m going to live the rest of my life in a way that she couldn’t.'”
These days, Joanne is a more grounded record, giving us a glimpse of the woman behind Lady Gaga. The album’s first glimpse was “Perfect Illusion,” a rocked-out song with inhibited vocals all about realizing that you weren’t in love. All around, this is the song that’s most like the “old Gaga.”
She traded her usual synth pop vibes for a more danceable country vibe in songs like “‘A-Yo”, “John Wayne,” and “Come To Mama.” “Sinner’s Prayer” is a refreshing country ballad about guilt. Joanne addresses the topic of feminism with “Hey Girl,” a ballad sung with Florence Welch, where they sing about how important it is for women to have each other’s back. Another important topic addressed is the Black Lives Matter movement with “Angel Down” a soulful ballad inspired by Trayvon Martin and gun violence in the United States.
My personal favorite, “Millions Reasons,” takes me back to her song “Speechless” where her voice takes the center stage, and displays the emotions felt in a crumbling relationship.
Overall, Joanne feels like a completely different side of Gaga. It is such a risk to change up your music and style in such a dramatic way after having so much success, but in Gaga’s case, it paid off. Joanne debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, being her fourth album to do so. As a whole, Joanne feels like the album Gaga was meant to make. From its relatable lyrics to its authentic music, every song feels like a glimpse into Gaga’s mind. Personally, it is my favorite of her albums so far, because of the vulnerability and openness of the songs, and the cohesion of the album throughout. All I can say is, I can’t wait to watch Gaga kill it next year at the Superbowl!