S Poddar
She is releasing the much-awaited new album, Mayhem, on March 7, and she has not been shy about the creative mayhem that’s gone into the making of the album. According to an interview with Elle magazine, the pop icon described the album as “utter chaos.”.
According to Gaga, the sound of the album draws from an eclectic mix of genres, ranging from “’90s alternative” and “electro-grunge” to melodies inspired by Prince and David Bowie, funky bass lines, and the pulsating rhythms of French electronic dance music. There is also a noticeable presence of “analog synths” throughout the record, giving it a blend of old-school charm and modern flair.
She opened up further about the album’s creation, explaining how it felt like a musical rebellion. “It just feels good to me,” Gaga shared. “It sounds good. It breaks a lot of rules and has a lot of fun.” This sense of creative freedom is evident throughout the tracks, as she embraces a fluid approach to both genre and sound.
For Gaga, music has always been more than just melodies and lyrics—it’s a vivid, almost visual experience. In her unique case of synesthesia, she experiences music as colors. When asked about how this affects her songwriting, she explained that each track feels like a distinct shade. “As I’m writing, it assembles in my brain, then through the recording it becomes a full piece of color,” she said. “Every song is a different shade. A lot of the songs on this album have a maroon, brown color to them. ‘Bad Romance’ was like that—it was reddish.”
This colorful perspective has undoubtedly shaped the emotional depth of Mayhem. Gaga also discussed the deeper connection she’s found with her music during its production. She said that for many years she thought it was her stage character who inspired her creativity, but while working on this album she found out that her art has a source that is inside herself. “I’m the creator and I made all of it, and that helped me to value myself as a musician and a songwriter in a deeper way.”
Mayhem will be Gaga’s seventh studio album, and promises a reinvention of her earlier sounds. She had worked closely on the 14 tracks with fiancé Michael Polansky, and producer Andrew Watt, to name a few other contributors along the way – Cirkut and Gesaffelstein to name a couple. The “kaleidoscopic approach” described is an indicator that this record holds the layered sound that has so defined Gaga over the years of her career.
This time around, closely working on the making of the album, Polansky explained his process while observing Gaga. “This album was so much fun to watch her make… what surprised me most was how fast she is. I couldn’t believe how quickly a song would take shape. Within five minutes, 80 percent of the song would have come from nothing,” he said. Gaga’s creative velocity and productivity were continually surprising all around her. There is excitement brewing for even more in the weeks ahead since Gaga is primed to finally drop the third single from Mayhem. During a Grammy commercial break, she will unleash the new single as well as its music video on February 2, during the 2025 Grammys.
Aside from her album, Gaga has been doing well on the live performance circuit. She’s confirmed to perform as the headliner for Coachella 2025, along with Post Malone and Green Day. She also performs at the LA Wildfires benefit concert, where she shares the stage with a slew of hot stars including Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, and Green Day.
Certainly, with her creativity and boundless talent, she is ready for the mayhem of the new album and the excitement that will come with it. Mayhem sure is going to be a changing game for this artist, and her fans will not wait long to experience chaos that she had so carefully prepared.
