Lady Gaga Drops New Album: Harlequin
by TicketX Official
Update:
- The Making of Lady Gaga's New Album: Harlequin
- Track Listing and Standout Songs
- Gaga's Transformation into her Version of Harley Quinn
- Her Album Promotion which Surprises Fans Ahead of the Joker Sequel
- Looking Ahead: Gaga's Next Studio Album
Thumbnail: Lady Gaga at Grammys 2017 by Rogue Artists (CC BY 3.0)
You would be shocked that Lady Gaga released her new album, Harlequin on the 27th of September 2024. This surprise drop comes just months before her highly anticipated appearance in the film Joker: Folie à Deux, where she will portray the most famous character of this generation, Harley Quinn. The album is a musical project in its own right, but also an invitation to what Gaga’s version of the DC’s beloved villain could be.
The Making of Lady Gaga's New Album: Harlequin
Lady Gaga's latest album, Harlequin, represents a bold new direction in her musical journey, drawing inspiration from her role as Harley Quinn in the upcoming film Joker: Folie à Deux. This album was produced by Gaga herself and her fiancé Michael Polansky, who also worked as the executive producer of this creation.
The production process of Harlequin was special and very thorough. For every one of her Las Vegas residency shows this summer, Gaga, and her band rehearsed for about six hours in the studio. This routine, which was done during the live performances, was incorporated into the recording process to give the music a lively feeling that was both for Gaga and Harley Quinn.
Gaga teamed up with producer Benjamin Rice, a Grammy award-winning producer and the man behind the A Star is Born soundtrack. Together, they produced all tracks on the album, except for “Happy Mistake,” which also involved BloodPop, and “That's Life,” which saw contributions from David Campbell and Jason Ruder.
The music style of the album is an attempt to create a mix of music that encompasses jazz, funk, blues, and early American music and then put into the genres of vintage and modern pop music. This eclectic mix reflects the complex nature of Harley Quinn's character and Gaga's own multifaceted artistry.
Harlequin’s music catalog includes rewritten versions of popular songs as well as new songs. The album includes covers of well-known jazz standards and show tunes, such as “Get Happy” and “Oh, When the Saints,” alongside original tracks like “Folie à Deux” and “Happy Mistake.”
During the process of creating the album, Harlequin, Gaga stated, "I was focused on pushing this sound every day and pushing ourselves to be as daring as possible."
Track Listing and Standout Songs
Harlequin has a playlist of 13 songs that show the different angles of what Lady Gaga wants to portray in Harley Quinn and her music.
The album opens with “Good Morning,” a jazzy, upbeat number that sets an energetic tone for the collection.
“Get Happy (2024)” is a standout reinterpretation of the 1930 Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler classic. This particular version of the song is reconstructed with guitar whizzing that gives the song a modern-day twist, which is something that Gaga does best: combining the old and the new.
One of the album's highlights is “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” originally from the 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity. Gaga starts singing the song very softly and delicately and then, at some point, sings it as if she were Ethel Merman herself.
The album also features a unique take on “Oh, When the Saints,” a reimagining of the traditional “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Gaga’s take on it is a hard-rocking, guitar-based rendition that would probably get the nod from people like Harry Connick Jr.
Among the original compositions, “Folie à Deux” stands out as a string-drenched waltz that fits seamlessly with the album's overall vibe. The song's arrangement resembles a Busby Berkeley musical.
“Happy Mistake,” another original track, offers a more introspective moment on the album. Starting with a simple acoustic guitar, the song gradually increases its tempo and becomes more lively, whereas Gaga hits some high and emotional notes in her voice.
The album concludes with “That's Life,” a high-energy rendition of the song most associated with Frank Sinatra. The way that Gaga performs the song really highlights her lyrical clarity, especially after performing the duet with the great Tony Bennett.
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Gaga's Transformation into her Version of Harley Quinn
Lady Gaga's portrayal of Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux is far different from what she has been performing recently. Gaga had to fundamentally alter her vocal technique to authentically embody the character, stripping away the technical control that comes with being a trained singer. This transformation allowed her to step deeply into the psyche of Harleen “Lee” Frances Quinzel, creating a raw and unfiltered performance that aligns with the character's unpredictable nature.
In an interview, director Todd Phillips explained that while some of Harley Quinn’s characteristics may seem familiar, Gaga’s Harley Quinn is inspired by the comics, as well as real people. Phillips made an interesting connection: perhaps the character of Gaga is somewhat obsessed and charming in a cult-like way, akin to Charles Manson.
The transformation is not only vocal, in terms of performance, it is also a visual change. Gaga is in a shower, wearing a white dress and a life jacket, and is the cover art for Harlequin; the props include a used milk carton, a coffee pot, a pill cup, and a mask.
It’s obvious that Harley Quinn has changed Gaga to the extent that she decided to make an entire album based on the character. She said that she felt a very close bond with Lee (Lee Quinzel), which remained with her even after the shooting finished, and that is why she wants to discover more about the character using the music. Such dedication is comparable to what the singer has earlier exhibited in other movies, such as the movie House of Gucci, where the singer would spend a lot of time in character.
Her Album Promotion which Surprises Fans Ahead of the Joker Sequel
Lady Gaga's approach to promoting Harlequin and her role in Joker: Folie à Deux was anything but boring and clichéd. The campaign began with the cryptic message across her social media accounts followed by other activities that generated a lot of public chatter.
One of the most inspiring activities of the advertising campaign was a partnership with the Louvre Museum in Paris. The museum posted a new profile picture of Harley Quinn's version of Mona Lisa, which went viral on all the social media sites. This was followed by a stunning teaser video shot at the Louvre where Gaga plays Harley Quinn walking through the art museum at night and drawing the Joker’s smile on the glass in front of the Mona Lisa.
Billboards in New York and Los Angeles were showing mysterious letters and numbers, “LG Six. Five, LG6.5”, hinting at the album's position between Gaga's sixth and seventh studio albums.
The album's release strategy is closely tied to the film's premiere, with Harlequin dropping on September 27, just a week before Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to hit theaters on October 4.
At the London premiere of Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga made a dashing appearance on the red carpet, which added to the anticipation of her acting as Harley Quinn.
Gaga has also changed her social media accounts and deleted all the previous Chromatica album content to focus on introducing the new, darker, and chaotic world of Harley Quinn’s universe.
In order to interact with her followers, Gaga organized a special listening party for the film’s audience in London after the premiere.
Looking Ahead: Gaga's Next Studio Album
As people are still digesting the surprise drop of Harlequin, Lady Gaga has already prepared the ground for her next musical project. Her seventh studio album is expected to come out in February 2025 and is officially to be named LG7. This next project will be the right sequel to her 2020 album Chromatica, which is her return to the pop genre.
Gaga has hinted at the emotional depth of LG7 in a recent Vogue interview, stating, "There's a lot of pain associated with this adventure, and when I start to explore that pain, it brings out another side of my artistry." This means that the album will be a more spontaneous work from the artist and may cover different topics than those in Harlequin.
Fans of the LG7 album will not have to wait long, as the first single from the album is expected to be released in October 2024. This strategic release timing will help sustain interest between Harlequin and the new album while also building excitement for the full project.
However, there is another project Gaga has alluded to working on in the background, apart from LG7. Although information is still limited, this suggests she’s working on several ongoing projects, further demonstrating her desire to push herself and surprise her audience.
LG7, set to release in early 2025, will keep Gaga active in both her music career and her presence in the film industry. With each new release, she continues to build her great discography, and LG7 will be no exception.
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