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Post by Admin on Jun 8, 2020 5:02:17 GMT
Lady Gaga painted a picture of racism in America as a malignant forest that needs to be uprooted in her graduation speech for YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” event.
The Grammy-winning singer said she had to rewrite her speech after the death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality that began last week.
“You are watching what is a pivotal moment in this country’s evolution. You are watching society change in a deeply important way. This change will be slow, and we will have to be patient. But change will happen and it will be for the better,” she began.
Gaga said her mind turned to nature when she thought about how widespread and oppressive racism is in the United States.
“I think about a broad forest filled densely with tall trees. Trees as old as this country itself. Trees that were planted with racist seeds. Trees that grew prejudice branches and oppressive leaves and mangled roots that buried and entrenched themselves deep within the soil, forming a web so well developed and so entangled that push back when we try to look clearly at how it really works. This forest is where we live, it’s who we are. It’s the moral and value system that we as a society have upheld and emboldened for centuries. I make this analogue between racism and nature in this country because it’s as pervasive and real as nature. It is some part of everything the light touches,” she said.
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Post by Admin on Jun 10, 2020 9:06:49 GMT
While her energy has understandably been on more pressing concerns the past few week, Lady Gaga has experienced a period of chart success that rivals any in her impressive pop career to this point.
Last week, her Ariana Grande duet "Rain on Me" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 -- Mother Monster's fifth overall No. 1, and just her second to debut in the top spot. Then this week, it was parent album Chromatica's turn to take a bow, as the set entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 1 -- Gaga's sixth album to do so, and with her best first-week numbers in nine years.
What's behind the Gaga surge? And what smashes might she have left on Chromatica? Billboard staffers debate these questions and more below.
1. Gaga's performance of 274,000 first-week units moved for Chromatica is the best for one of her solo albums since 2011's Born This Way. What do you think is the biggest reason behind its stellar performance?
Rania Aniftos: Chromatica is so quintessentially Gaga. It’s fun, it embraces individuality, and it’s full of club-ready jams made for dancing. While projects like Joanne and Cheek to Cheek solidified Gaga’s versatility as an artist, I think Chromatica is the sparkly, vibrant, super-pop collection that took us back to the 2008 Gaga we all fell in love with.
Gab Ginsberg: I’m a diehard Gaga fan, so I’ve enjoyed every album between Born This Way and Chromatica (yes, even a few cuts from the much-derided Cheek to Cheek, sue me), but damn if this doesn’t feel like the natural successor to Born This Way. (Before you cry “Artpop erasure!”, I also love that album, but I see it as more of a synth-pop record than a dance-pop record.) Still, it would be reductive for me to attribute Chromatica’s success my own weird ranking process, so let’s chalk it up to the fact that Gaga not only returned after years of dipping her toe into other ventures (see: winning an Oscar), but did so with an unstoppable collection of dance-pop bangers when we needed them most.
Lyndsey Havens: I mean, look at what she released between those two albums: Artpop, often trolled on Twitter as Artflop; a ballads album with Tony Bennett, Cheek To Cheek; Joanne, her most subdued and stripped-back project to date; and then the soundtrack for A Star Is Born, in which Gaga was arguably just as much Stefani (ok, or Ally) throughout the promo. It's not at all surprising that by returning to and improving upon her disco-pop roots, Gaga is now enjoying such a stellar opening week. To be clear, that's not to say she shouldn't have released any of these prior projects -- in fact, I'm a big fan of most -- but the brief departure she took clearly fueled this energized return.
Mia Nazareno: She kept us waaaaaaaiting. I think a lot of Gaga fans were waiting for the “old” her to resurface. No shade at her more stripped down Joanne album or the A Star Is Born soundtrack (I enjoy both!), but a lot of us fell in love with the pop star during her 2008-2011 meat dress era. And in 2020, fans were excited for Chromatica because it was promoted as a nod to her earlier upbeat, pop music. I also think that postponing the release of Chromatica (due to coronavirus) also hyped it up even more, and after waiting almost a decade, I think it was worth it.
Denise Warner: At the risk of sounding obvious -- if you know me -- I have to chalk it up to her A Star Is Born success. Her stellar acting aside, she knocked us all out with "Shallow" and "Always Remember Us This Way." (Not to mention all of the other underrated Gaga gems on the soundtrack -- "Heal Me," "Why Do You Do That?" "Look What I Found" and "I'll Never Love Again.") And after her best song Oscar triumph, I bet if there were 100 people in a room, all 100 would have wanted to see what she planned next.
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Post by Admin on Jun 19, 2020 18:18:20 GMT
http://instagram.com/p/CBLoGTZFPgL It appears that Lady Gaga is taking a break from her usual theatrics while relaxing at home, and fans are here for the new pared-down look. http://instagram.com/p/CBjyWRpFOiP In her latest Instagram post, the “Chromatica” artist revealed her softer side in a makeup-free selfie, in which she sported a glittery pink sports bra. Relaxing in her backyard, the 34-year-old took a moment to express her thoughts to her followers in light of the current state of turmoil across the globe. “Thinking about the world and sending love,” she captioned the photo. “I walk in circles and reflect sometimes about what I want to say. I want to say I love you.” http://instagram.com/p/CAuqlo1lLRe Thousands of fans replied back with their own messages of love, but others were more interested in Gaga’s laid-back summer beauty.
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Post by Admin on Jun 21, 2020 5:15:54 GMT
Lady Gaga's romance with Michael Polansky is most definitely still going strong, as the lovebirds were spotted in the Hollywood Hills this week taking an iced coffee break. http://instagram.com/p/B93JykxFPBz Gaga rocked a baggy pink sweatshirt for the outing, which she paired with matching light pink sneakers. The "Rain on Me" singer appeared to be wearing a barely-there pair of shorts underneath the sweatshirt, but we all know that Lady Gaga is a fan of the pantsless look. Gaga confirmed that she was dating Polansky in February 2020, and the pair has been inseparable ever since. The couple has even been spending quarantine together, and Gaga has regularly shared Instagram snaps featuring her beau.
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Post by Admin on Jun 29, 2020 21:00:39 GMT
Lady Gaga has rescheduled her Chromatica Ball tour dates for summer 2021 – see the new list of gigs below. Gaga becomes the latest in a huge line of artists to reschedule shows due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “The Chromatica Ball is officially moving to Summer 2021,” she wrote, announcing the new dates. “We’ve been working hard to figure out the safest and soonest way to bring this show to you, but most importantly want everyone to be healthy and able to dance together at the shows as we always have. “If you’ve purchased a ticket already, you’ll find all of the new information in your email inbox. I can’t wait to see you there! Keep dancing at home in the meantime.” The Chromatica Ball included a huge UK show at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, alongside a Paris gig and a number of North American shows. See the full list of Lady Gaga’s rescheduled Chromatica Ball tour dates below. 24th July, 2021 – Paris, Stade de France 30th July, 2021 – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 7th August, 2021 – Boston, Fenway Park 16th August, 2021 – Toronto, Rogers Centre 19th August, 2021 – East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium 27th August, 2021 – Chicago, Wrigley Field
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