We all know and love her, and she has yet to fully disappoint us. On Feb. 3, Lady Gaga released the biggest look into her upcoming album “Mayhem” with the single “Abracadabra.” Hooking us in with bold visuals and nostalgic 2000s recession pop, Gaga looks like she’s going to reaffirm her position as one of the greatest and most authentic female pop stars in the industry.
The visuals of the music are a huge callback to Gaga’s roots in avant-garde, dark dancefloor pop with the fashion being the star of the show. The theme: dance… or die. In a sterile black room, Gaga engages in a dance battle with another version of herself. One version wears a lacy white catsuit, complete with eerie white makeup and lace cape to finalize the swan-like, yet unsettling appearance which the similarly clad backup dancers’ match. However, my favorite look is her red look. The whole outfit is bumpy red latex, but the highlight in my opinion is the gigantic wide-brimmed hat. These visuals throughout the video are classic while still showing Gaga’s progress as an artist persona and musician.
Speaking of Gaga going back to her roots, the music itself is very reminiscent of her early music in the 2000s. The beat is very catchy and has all the calling cards of a classic club song; it’s established at the beginning of the music video that the point of the song is to “dance or die.” Many have talked about 2025 seeming similar to the early recession of 2008 and 2009, and while our generation was just being during that period, it seems Gaga picked up on that and decided we needed the fun, recession pop as well.
“Abracadabra” is the second song that Gaga has released, the first being “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars, from her upcoming album “Mayhem.” I’m sure most of you are as familiar with “Die with a Smile” as you are with “Abracadabra” and the songs couldn’t be more different. If the two peeks into the album are a heartfelt ballad about how being by the person you love would be enough for you to die happy and a dark, club dance song, one can only imagine how this album will live up to its name. “Mayhem” comes out March 7 and I have incredibly high expectations for this chaotic album.
