Lady Gaga "It is late because, just like with the Applause video unfortunately, I was given a week to plan and execute it. It is very devastating for someone like me, I devote every moment of my life to creating fantasies for you. All my my most successful videos were planned over a period of time when I was rested and my creativity was honored. Those who have betrayed me gravely mismanaged my time and health and left me on my own to damage control any problems that ensued as a result."
Can Terry Richardson one-up his Miley milestone "Wrecking Ball" with his next video, "Do What U Want" with Lady Gaga and R. Kelly? This photo of the two on-set says, "yes."
Enough with the thinkpieces about why Lady Gaga Artpop is a commercial disappointment: It debuted at #1 with over 200k sold, which is pretty damn good for an album which hasn't yet spawned a true hit single. And that's a key clause there: "Applause" got a golf clap, at best, and it remains to be seen if any of the other tracks thrown at the virtual wall will stick (I'd bet on the R. Kelly collabo "Do What U Want," especially if the video lives up to the single art).
The other issue is that Lady Gaga has proven able to be an iconoclast, it feels like she's now trying awfully hard without any real focus. This brand new ARTPOP film feels like a demo reel of various guises she's trying out, from some Marilyn Manson mugging, monster mashing and other looks that veer heavily on the edge of wackiness.
There's not a director credit on this one. Instead, this in-character Lady Gaga performance is "documented" by Spike Jonze and Chris Milk. It's raw, bravely unstyled — yet, clearly "styled," if you know what I mean — and perhaps gunning to steal that up-close "real" emotional focus from Miley Cyrus.
Do dogs dream of Lady Gaga and mylar balloons? And do subscribers to UK mobile company O2 and their O2 Tracks platform dream of hearing Lady Gaga's new album ArtPop a week early?
Consider it a smart refinement of the Jay Z x Samsung deal, which let one million Samsung users download his new new album for free...
Lyric videos are usually lame. And soundtrack videos are usually lame too, since they need to be larded with a certain amount of movie footage. But, combing the two results in something great in "Aura," which doubles as a lyric video and as an extended trailer for Machete Kills.
What makes it truly next level though is that Gaga has a role in the movie, thereby making this look as big as any music video.
Lady Gaga isn't one to walk the fine line between cool and cartoonish. Rather, she knocks it to the ground, gives it a lap dance, and smears its face with make-up.
If nothing else, you gotta give her props for turnaround: Lady Gaga's "Applause" lyric video was shot on Monday and has premiered just two days later. Shot at West Hollywood gay nightclub Micky's, the clip features Gaga in her smeared Pierrot make-up, ceding the spotlight to the drag queen Showgirls who rule the stage.
The Marina Abramovic music video moment just might continue past "Picasso Baby" with Lady Gaga recently studying with the famed performance artist.
The Marina Abromovic Institute has released an EPK (art film?) with Gaga and other proponents practicing the Abramovic Method, which involves not much movement or clothing, but lots of crystals.
It's a haunting and fearless little piece, but definitely NSFW and likely to be a target of snark.
Fashion/art photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin are directing the first video off Lady Gaga's new album ARTPOP, for which they also shot the cover.
"Applause" was shot the other week on the Paramount Lot in L.A.
