It’s been a long road filled with soundtracks and poorly-received films, but alas, Mother Monster is back and with a f-cking vengeance. Mayhem, Lady Gaga’s seventh studio album is finally here and has caused mayhem (for lack of a better term) amongst the Little Monsters and music fans alike. The references, the production, the vocals, the art design, the promo tour, every single piece of the puzzle for this album and era has been executed the way we know and love when it comes to Gaga, just amplified.
Since her resurgence in the limelight last summer, Gaga has been teasing this record and giving us every reason to believe that not only was she back to making dark pop music, but that she was doing it with a new joy and passion that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Not since Born This Way has a Lady Gaga album felt so innovative and current, while still feeling authentic and like the work of an artist in full control of their sound. She has come full circle in terms of her relationship with fame, and that is a big reason why she has been able to go back to the sound that she created in the first place (or in stan Twitter terms, she is reheating her OWN nachos). When you are expected to do the same type of sound over and over you want to explore new things, so it’s understandable that she would stray from the sound that made her a star. Since ARTPOP in 2013, Gaga has experimented with Jazz, Rock, Adult Contemporary, ‘90s Dance and Folk music, but hasn’t quite made the return to the dark pop we fell in love with until now. If time away is what was needed to deliver this level of quality, then take all the time you need girl.
The biggest change in her life, though, since the last album is love. Gaga is engaged to businessman Michael Polansky, a relationship she has been open about in the last year, saying he helped re-inspire her love for pop music. This becomes more evident when you look at the liner notes for the album where he is credited as co-writer on 7 of the 14 songs including the opener “Disease”. If his presence tells us anything, it’s that he helped her reconnect with why she loved making music in the first place before the media scrutiny kicked in. This means that the influences pulled when making the record all came from the type of music she loved growing up. Whether it’s Bowie, Prince, Michael Jackson, The Cure, Madonna or Nine Inch Nails, you can hear it in the album. It’s the music Gaga would listen to when getting ready for performances at New York bars, or late-night studio sessions. Mayhem is a master-class in ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s electro-pop and grunge sub-genres. I was so inspired just by listening to this album that I created a playlist of all the influences I heard, which you can listen to here. There’s nothing more satisfying to me as a music junkie than when a new album is essentially a lesson in music history, and this one is deliciously chaotic.
Next week we get new music from 2025 BRIT Award winner JADE and the latest album from afrobeats artist David. I will also realistically still be bumping Mayhem as I can confidently say my Little Monster card has been reinstated with the release of this album. Since we’re on a Gaga kick this week, two of my picks come from the new record (my favourites thus far). We also have new music from JENNIE and j-hope, another new release from Jessica Simpson and a viral pick that is five years in the making.
Listen on…
MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK
“Perfect Celebrity” by Lady Gaga
Originally intended to be the title of the entire album (as revealed in her recent interview with Zane Lowe), “Perfect Celebrity” is Gaga in her ‘90s-grunge rock persona. The song starts with a more electronic approach before going into a roaring guitar and drums on the chorus, reminiscent of some of Hole and The Cure’s work. In a way, Gaga really has been the perfect celebrity for the entirety of her career. Always giving us iconic moments whether it be through fashion or her music, and always knowing how and when to play the game with the media. “You love to hate me, I’m the perfect celebrity” she sings, pointing out that whether you hate her or you love her, the point is that you’re talking about her. The song is about the downfalls of living in the public eye, and the real mental strength it takes in order to make it with the intensity of the microscope on you. This is a theme she has explored quite a bit over the years in songs like “Plastic Doll” and “Do What U Want”, where she feels her body belongs to the public but she’s strong enough to take it. A reference to the elusive Princess Diana is also made in the second verse: “sit in the front row, watch the princess die”. This lyric while referencing the princess (MJ would be proud), also has a triple entendre meaning that can be directly linked to the world having a front row view to all her trials and tribulations, and finally also a subtle reference to her own scrapped song from 2011. Out of all the songs on this new album, this is the one that seems to tell the story of her fame the most accurately, and given that her first record was titled “The Fame”, I can’t think of a more fitting subject for Mother Monster.
“Shadow of A Man” by Lady Gaga
The minute I heard “Shadow of a Man”, I texted Lainey excitedly that the song had Michael Jackson’s energy all over it. I’ve always been a huge fan of MJ, maybe it’s the fact that we share the same name, or my sincere awe of his musical and artistic genius. I miss the ferocity he brought to his music, it used to be the standard and it feels like it’s trickling away more and more as the years go on. Gaga has brought it back in this track. She sings about learning how to stand out as a female artist in a male-dominated space, something that she has confronted for the entirety of her career; imbalanced expectations for female artists who are expected to do twice the work for half the reward. The “shadow of a man” can either be the man in the suit at the label, or the male performers that she idolized as a young girl: Bowie, Prince, MJ. The track’s energy is truly echoing the ghost of Michael in the best way, and what a way to symbolize your message; his “shadow” is all over the song. When it comes to Mayhem, this is my favourite song on the album, but I’m going to take it a step further. This is my favourite song of the year so far… an MC certified hit as I like to say.
“Sweet Dreams” by j-hope, Miguel
j-hope of BTS is jumping into spring with his new solo track “Sweet Dreams” that is a smooth fusion of R&B and pop, perfect for the new wave of breezy days ahead. As more and more of the biggest K-pop group members embark on solo projects, we are seeing each of them owning their own musical identities, not feeling confined to the boxes of just making traditional “K-pop” music. If we use j-hope and JENNIE (the K-pop artists featured in this week’s music lounge) as examples, it’s safe to say that they are no longer just “K-pop” artists, they are artists, period. If we exclude his recent feature on Don Toliver’s “LV Bag” featuring Pharrell Williams, this marks j-hope’s first official solo release since his discharge from the military in South Korea last October. j-hope’s melodic flow mixed with Miguel’s signature velvet vocals (which open the track) make such a great dreamy vibe. The synthesizers spread out throughout the song bring an ethereal energy to the already smooth instrumentals. In case the song and video aren’t enough, j-hope also performed the song live for the first time on Fallon last night; I can hear the fan girl squeals from here.
“Leave” by Jessica Simpson
The second single off of Jessica Simpson’s comeback project has arrived, and it’s the confessional break-up anthem that we’ve been waiting for from her split from husband of 10 years Eric Johnson. The lyrics hint at a cheating ex who has left her for another woman with lyrics like “I’d rather die than let you be inside me with her on your mind”, all but confirming the speculation regarding the couple. Jessica has been teasing this new musical era with a series of documentaries showcasing her in the studio making the music, saying how having music as a creative outlet was the best therapy she could have, and to let the songs speak for themselves. If that’s the case, that’s all I need to know. The mid-tempo song has Jessica singing in a lower register, really allowing us to feel the raw emotion behind the lyrics, yet still has more of a pop essence than her previous release. This feels like reading a page straight out of Jessica’s journals, and if you know anything about Jessica and her writing process, chances are the lyrics came directly from those journals.
“Damn Right” by JENNIE, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis
The Mike WILL Made It produced “Damn Right” has a ‘90s R&B influence reminiscent of the work of Timbaland and Missy Elliott. The hard-hitting bass, the sultry vocals, the sensual lyrics, this song was designed to be loved to. It’s about embracing your body and knowing you got it goin’ on in the bedroom. With rich verses from Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis, each artist has their own respective moment to gloat about their skills. Side bar: last year Childish Gambino said he was done with music, but hey if anyone can bring him back to the studio it’s JENNIE right? Aside from the obvious Aaliyah influence, JENNIE also makes more obvious references to another R&B queen, Beyoncé. When JENNIE sings “you saw me whip my hair playing Beyoncé” she compares her sensuality and glamour to that of Mrs. Carter. In the words of the online Blinks, “mother is recognizing mother”. B does have her fair share of sensual jams in her discography, so I’m sure she’d appreciate the nod.
MC’s VIRAL PICK
“Anxiety” by Doechii
If we go back to my first-ever edition of this column back in January, I mentioned how Doechii is the artist to watch for 2025. We’re only two months into the year, and she is everywhere from making history on the Grammy’s stage to dominating Paris Fashion Week. She even was invited to perform with Lauryn Hill last weekend, in what fans online are calling a passing of the torch moment. A star has been born in Doechii, which has millions of people revisiting her early days and discovering some of her early music, including the track “Anxiety” which was her first-ever viral track back in 2020. Performed over a loop borrowed from Gotye’s 2012 hit “Somebody That I Used to Know”, “Anxiety” was first posted when Doechii was unsigned, and due to the songs resurgence on socials, she has now officially released the song as a single on streaming close to 5 years later.
The song now has gone viral yet again on TikTok, giving it a new life and a chance to become a more traditional hit versus an underground one. Content creators have taken the dance that Ashley Banks (played by Tatyana Ali) and Will Smith do in the pilot episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and have placed “Anxiety” over it. In the actual episode, Will walks in on Ashley listening to her Walkman (yes, I know what those are and I even still have one). Will goes behind her replicating her dance moves, all while she doesn’t realize he is in the room. It’s one of the first moments in the show where we see Will’s goofiness with his cousins. The mix of the Gotye beat, Doechii’s catchy hook and the way the dance moves go so perfectly with the beat make up all the ingredients for a perfect viral trend: a catchy song, comical relief and simple choreography. Even Will Smith got in on this one, reposting a few of the videos from this trend on his own feed. When your unreleased music starts going viral, you know the demand is high. Doechii is having a moment so many artists only dream of, and it’s great to see it happening to an artist as talented as her, our very own swamp princess.
@byehouse she is finally getting the recognizition she deserves !! #doechii #alligatorbitesneverheal #catfish #denialisariver #freshprinceofbelair #freshprince #prince #anxiety #anxietytrend #trend
♬ original sound - Franklin Saint
@willsmith I’ve been watching y’all and every video has been better than the last!! Love that track @Doechii. @Tatyana Ali remember this?
♬ original sound - Franklin Saint
@my4c0re #fyp #itsmyanxiety #deochii #vir #viral
♬ original sound - Franklin Saint
@iammarcohall Is this how it went how did we do? 🤣 @Brooke Ashley Hall #fyp #willsmith #anxiety #doechii #couplegoals #freshprince
♬ original sound - Franklin Saint
@bschatko This is funnyyy #softball #trend #dance #freshprince #fyp #foryou
♬ original sound - Franklin Saint
You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year. Join us at The Squawk to talk about all things music today. (App link here)
With Love,
MC
