PUNK be a LADY

LADY GAGA is returning to her original sound and style, but the thing she wants next might surprise you

- SARAH CRISTOBAL

Lady Gaga is fully aware that our topsy-turvy world could use a bit of sonic relief—and if she’s being totally honest, she could, too.

Case in point: a few days after the release of “Stupid Love,” her first single from her new album, Chromatica, every other news story was about the coronavirus crisis. But a clip of a sombre press conference in Italy went viral when an attendee’s ringtone set to the song accidentally went off and produced a few much-needed laughs. Gaga retweeted the link with the comment, “And this is why I make music.”

For true-blue Gaga fans, Chromatica (out later this year) doesn’t disappoint. Whereas her previous release, Joanne, was a folk-tinged dance album for dive bars, Chromatica is a return to Gaga in her purest pop form. At a preview listening, the swell of the first few notes was an instant stress reliever, as if long-lost tracks from the “Paparazzi” era had just been found, polished up and newly released. It’s her original sound with a grown-up twist. She’s even brought along a few famous friends for guest spots. Co-produced by 29-year-old whiz BloodPop®, who has previously worked with Grimes, Justin Bieber and Madonna, Chromatica speaks to the prismatic range of experiences that have informed Gaga’s life.