The Magic of ‘Mayhem’

Nora Geoghegan

Staff Writer

On March 7, Lady Gaga released her highly anticipated seventh studio album ‘Mayhem.’

Little Monsters (Gaga’s fan base) are rejoicing as this is Gaga’s first original album since ‘Chromatica’ in 2020. Fans are also happy as Gaga returns to the pop genre. Rolling Stone notes that tracks like ‘Disease’ and ‘Abracadabra’ exude the same energy as some songs in ‘The Fame Monster’ and ‘Born This Way,’ which are Gaga’s previous albums.

Overall, ‘Mayhem’ is pure unfiltered Gaga. She exposes her true feelings and emotions, as opposed to appealing to a tailored aesthetic like she did with ‘Chromatica.’

“‘Mayhem’ is the type of fan service that doesn’t dilute the artist herself. Gaga feels like her most authentic self from start to finish on this album: There’s no characters, concepts, or aesthetic impulses overshadowing the songs. Instead, she’s made one of her most sonically challenging and uniform albums yet: a mix of Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Prince and her ‘Fame Monster’-era self, rolled into the year’s strongest pop release yet,” Rolling Stone said.

Tracks like, ‘How Bad Do U Want M’ express Gaga’s partner’s love for all facets about her. Lyrics such as, “Cause you like my hair, my ripped-up jeans/You like the bad girl I got in me,” exemplifies how her partner loves her for who she truly is, beyond her persona as Lady Gaga. According to Genius, the line references her performance of ‘Hold My Hand’ at the 2023 Oscars, where she performed in ripped jeans, tied up hair and without any makeup on; showing that she doesn’t need to appeal to a certain standard of beauty, and that her partner appreciates that ethos.

Gaga also returns to similar themes and lyrics seen in her earlier records. In ‘Zombie Boy’ she says, “so put your paws all over me,” which references a lyric in ‘Born This Way’ that says, “Just put your paws up/ ‘Cause you were born this way, baby.” This reference is aimed at Gaga’s longtime support for the LGBTQ+ community, and her LGBTQ+ fans.

In response to the massive praise of her latest album, Gaga decided to do a tour called the Mayhem Ball. Recently, the New York Post reported that Gaga has decided to extend the number of shows and add three shows at Madison Square Garden given the massive success of ‘Mayhem.’

Overall, ‘Mayhem’ truly epitomizes who Lady Gaga is at her core, and the Lady Gaga her fans have come to know and love.