Fan created ARTPOP Act II album cover
I worship one deity, and her name is Lady Gaga. And I don’t know about much in this world, but I do know about ARTPOP.
I hope by now I’ve fully established my Little Monster status (read my Chromatica review here). In today’s post, we’re briefly exploring the history of Lady Gaga’s album ARTPOP, and what ARTPOP Act II is. News has been buzzing recently that ARTOP Act II could be within our grasps, but will it be?
ARTPOP, released in 2013, could be considered a “cultural reset”, for both Gaga and the pop/mainstream music industry as a whole. I say for the mainstream music industry as a whole, as it was felt by the public that the “artsy fartsy gimmick” and PR stunts had gone too far and run its course. This opinion isn’t limited just to Gaga, but to other artists during this time (ie: Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj).
ARTPOP was an album of experimental and free creative expression, featuring imagery inspired by Greek mythology, Botticelli, Warhol and EDM/rave culture. Watch this TikTok by lewbearbrown for the full ARTPOP experience in 30 seconds. Many critics and the public considered this album to be a failure (some of this may be attributed to her management at the time); I simply think it was ahead of its time.
Aphrodite lady, seashell bikini
If there was a time to be fully fed and satisfied as a Little Monster, it was during the ARTPOP era. Gaga was extremely active on social media, the fashions were unforgettable, and fans would wake up to videos of unplanned, pop-up concerts Gaga did the night before. When lead single Applause was released, I was interning in NYC and spent my afternoons listening to it on repeat. It was a weird, wild and memorable time. “She ate,” as they say. And so did we.
My best friend Katie and I at the Philly artRave in 2014
The ARTPOP era featured memorable moments such as the flying dress, the Muppet holiday show, her Watch What Happens Live appearance, her VMA’s performance (which I was #blessed enough to see in person), and of course the #artRave performance. ARTPOP also featured many unfulfilled promises including her Gaga going to space (yes, this was a thing) and that every song would have a music video to accompany it. Also, I would be remiss to not include the poor decision to collaborate with R. K*lly on this album, which she has acknowledged and apologized for.
And the final unfulfilled promise, the well nigh possibility that is ARTPOP Act II.
So, what is the deal with this unreleased, secret album? Well it’s not as secret as some might think. Here’s some of what we know:
ARTPOP Act II was the supposed sequel to ARTPOP. It was teased on Twitter by Gaga and also by her producers; even her longtime collaborator DJ White Shadow took to Instagram to acknowledge it. Rabid fans have even created a petition for Interscope Records to release ARTPOP Act II in full. And now, we wait…
Rumored songs on this album include (you can hear many of these demos online):
Partynauseous (which played as an interlude during the artRave)
Brooklyn Nights (which she has also sang live). This is deada*s one of my all time favorite Gaga songs.
Tea
Onion Girl
Princess Die
Gaga has admitted that during the time in her life while recording ARTPOP was particularly difficult, so revisiting and promoting these songs might be arduous for her to do. If this reasoning leads her to not ever release the sequel album, I certainly respect that decision. ARTPOP provided me and many other fans with so many memories; it’s one of those albums I can listen to over and over again and picture that time in my life perfectly.
So what does it all mean? Well in the words of Gaga herself, “my ARTPOP could mean anything.”
Little Monsters - what did I forget? How did you feel about ARTPOP? Leave it in the comments.