Lady Gaga on “biggest risk” she’s taken in music: “People thought I was crazy”
Lady Gaga has revealed what she believes is the “biggest risk” she’s taken in her music career.
During a new ‘Ask Me Anything’ interview with ELLE, the pop star was asked about her forthcoming eighth album ‘Mayhem’, and answered questions about her personal and professional life.
At one point in the chat, Gaga was asked: “What is the biggest risk you’ve taken musically?”
She responded: “I think making jazz was a big risk. I think people thought I was crazy. But I mean you had to really have a great song for it to make it into the Great American Songbook.
“So I would say that was a big risk because a lot of people didn’t want me to do it, but I did it anyway.”
Speaking about her desire to venture into new genres and styles, the singer continued: “I love all different kinds of music, and I feel like part of the joy of being a musician is that you are a student.
“And if you are not a student, for me, that’s kind of a boring expedition. It’s kind of like being an explorer, but you don’t really want to find anything.” You can watch the full interview here:
Gaga has released two Grammy-winning collaborative albums with the late jazz icon Tony Bennett: ‘Cheek To Cheek’ (2014) and ‘Love For Sale’ (2021). In 2011, Bennett recorded a version of ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ with Gaga for his ‘Duets II’ collection.
Bennett and Gaga played two special shows at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 2021 shortly before the former announced his retirement. The performances were captured for a TV special called One Last Time, which earned a nomination at the Emmys in the Outstanding Variety Special category.
Additionally, Bennett and Gaga delivered a stripped-back intimate live set for MTV Unplugged.
Following Bennett’s death in 2023, Gaga shared a touching tribute to the musician and her “true friend”. She later honoured him during one of her Las Vegas residency shows.
In another post, the star wrote: “I’ll celebrate you every time I’m on stage singing jazz music, every time I’m with your family, every time I walk down the streets of New York I’ll look around and remember all you did for this city and the whole world.”
Gaga’s new album ‘Mayhem’ is due for release on March 7, following on from 2020’s ‘Chromatica’ and her ‘Harlequin’ companion record (2024).
She is set to debut the LP’s third single and accompanying music video on February 2 during a commercial break at the Grammy Awards 2025. The singer has already released the singles ‘Disease’ and ‘Die With A Smile’.
Meanwhile, Gaga has described ‘Mayhem’ as “utter chaos” in a recent interview.
Gaga will headline Coachella 2025 in April, alongside Post Malone and Green Day. She’ll also be one of the performers at the LA Wildfires benefit concert, alongside Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Green Day and more.
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Tom Skinner
NME
