Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Little Monsters the world over are clinging to one beacon of light — Lady Gaga‘s forthcoming album, Chromatica.
There’s plenty of mystery still surrounding the project; since delaying the album release, for example, Gaga has yet to announce a new date for fans to look forward to. Of the announced tracks, Gaga has only officially released one, her first single “Stupid Love.”
But there’s also plenty of information that fans have gleaned since the album was announced back in March. So while we wait for more information, here’s everything that we know about Lady Gaga’s upcoming sixth studio album.
Chromatica Will Serve As Gaga’s Return to Pop
In the almost seven years since Gaga released her third studio album, Artpop, she has intentionally taken a few left turns. Between her album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett, her folk-rock turn on Joanne and her Oscar-nominated acting in A Star Is Born, the superstar strayed from mainstream pop for a considerable portion of her career.
But with the release of her lead Chromatica single “Stupid Love,” Gaga made one thing clear: She’s returning to pop music. The song’s driving beat and synth-heavy production showed the artist embracing the dance-pop sound that made her a star in the first place, signaling to fans that Chromatica would take a similar sonic trajectory.
The Album Was Delayed Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak
As with many other things in the age of COVID-19, Chromatica’s release was officially delayed by Gaga in the wake of the ongoing pandemic. “While I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn’t feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on with this global pandemic,” she told her fans in a note posted to social media. “I know you are disappointed. Probably angry and sad. But I also know that as a fan base … we are the kindness punks. So I ask you to practice that kindness in these trying times.”
As of press time, Gaga has yet to officially announce a new release date for the album.
The Cover Artwork Shows Gaga Getting Creative Again
While her more recent work may have been a bit tamer than some of her prior escapades, Gaga showed her fans the kind of ride they were in for in her video for “Stupid Love.” To further prove that she would be flexing her creativity on the album, Mother Monster showed fans the cover art of Chromatica, depicting the singer in a Mad Max-style post apocalyptic getup. Complete with razor-sharp claws, heels made of knives and tusks, and the dramatic sine logo that has permeated her promotion materials for the new album, the official artwork showed Gaga fully embracing the avant-garde style that she’s since become synonymous with.
The Tracklist Boasts A-List Collaborators
With a new album comes new chances for Gaga to team up with some of her talented musical peers, and on Chromatica, Gaga took some huge swings. Upon releasing the full 16-song tracklist, she revealed that the album features three massive collaborations: First, Gaga has a duet with pop superstar Ariana Grande on her track “Rain on Me;” next, “Sour Candy” will see her team up with K-pop supergroup Blackpink; and finally, the star confirmed that Sir Elton John would be joining her for a duet on “Sine From Above.”
Gaga Teamed Up With Some New Producers
On “Stupid Love,” Gaga definitely gave fans a taste of her old sound, thanks to Chromatica’s co-executive producer BloodPop and her former collaborator Tchami. But the song was also infused with a fresh pop sound, courtesy of super-producer Max Martin.
But it appears that the all-star producer isn’t the only new face that Gaga worked with in creating Chromatica. In a series of clips and posts online, fans have deduced that the star also worked with producers such as Sophie, Justin Tranter and Boyz Noise. Gaga herself even told Zane Lowe that she let as many producers work on her album as she could, saying, “Literally nobody cared who put their fingerprints on it, as long as it was the dopest thing that we could give the world and that it was meaningful, authentic and completely me.”
Gaga Is Currently Gearing Up … for Something
Gaga recently began teasing her Little Monsters once again, changing up the layout to her Twitter profile by adding a banner message that reads “In Chromatica, no one thing is greater than the other.” She also posted a cryptic photo that simply read “You’re My Favorite,” with what appeared to be a piece of the photo ripped out. Some fans have speculated that the missing piece contains the official album release date, while others believe that the torn message reveals which single she’ll release next. Either way, fans agreed: Gaga is giving her fans something very soon.
