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00:00I mentioned when Disease came out that I sometimes get seduced by my inner chaos.
00:04How do I manage all of that?
00:07You know, sometimes I don't.
00:09Like, sometimes it gets me like it gets everybody else.
00:12I don't think this album would be super honest if my inner chaos was not real.
00:18Hey, I'm Lady Gaga, and this is The Breakdown.
00:21We made LG7 at Shangri-La, and I would joke that Rick Rubin produced the album because
00:35he wasn't there, but his spirit is there.
00:37I come to Woodshed.
00:38I go to Dragonfly.
00:40I've sort of nested in these studios, but I also go to Henson sometimes.
00:45Some of LG7 was made in Henson, The Village.
00:48I know that every artist is totally different, but I kind of find a way to make it my home.
00:53Through the songwriting and the producing process, you grow roots, and you start to
00:59make it your space.
01:00Shangri-La is super amazing, though, because it's so close to my home.
01:03When I make music, I am writing all the time, so it's great when I wake up in the morning
01:10and something pops into my head, or if I'm cooking and I hear a melody and I stop at
01:14the piano and then I can just go over to Shangri-La.
01:18It feels like an extension of my home.
01:20Michael built a home studio for Valentine's Day.
01:23He said, I have a surprise for you, and he turned his office into a music studio.
01:26I mean, it's kind of romantic.
01:29I write a lot of songs when I'm making a record, and they don't all make it on the
01:33album.
01:34Some songs make it through the full songwriting process.
01:38Some of them don't.
01:40Sometimes the production takes form after a song has been written.
01:44Sometimes the production comes first, and it's the inspiration for a song.
01:48So I would say for Disease, the energy of the song felt like where I wanted to begin
01:55the album.
01:56It's like diving headfirst into a cold, ice-cold pool of water.
02:00From a lyrical perspective, it's dark and it's sort of twisted, and it can be about
02:08you.
02:09It can be about someone that you love.
02:11But it felt like a way into the chaos of the album, which is kind of exercises in chaos,
02:19like different sides of who I am as a person, whether it's who I am with my friends, who
02:26I am when I'm depressed, who I am when I'm trying to answer a question about life that's
02:32super hard that I'm stuck on.
02:34But to me, there's some kind of chaos in all of the ways that we try to analyze ourselves
02:39and try to figure out who we are.
02:40Disease is the beginning of that.
02:42And it started with this little voice on my shoulder that is saying, there are no more
02:46tears to cry.
02:47I heard you begging for life.
02:49And sort of the uncomfortable feeling that we can sometimes have when the voice in our
02:54head is not pleasant.
02:56I knew that it was a great song, but making a record is a whole other thing.
03:04Some of the joy of the recording process was, OK, what does my inner demon sound like?
03:11And especially with electronic music, I feel like there's lots of interesting ways to manipulate
03:19the voice, sometimes using Auto-Tune, using Melodyne.
03:24In this case, we used MicroShift.
03:26It widened the sound, and it helped to kind of make me and the music one.
03:34So in terms of the writing of the song, we started out with inspiration from Circuit.
03:43Circuit is a real badass.
03:45And I went into the studio, and he just wanted to play it for me.
03:49And I was super excited.
03:51And he played it for me in a few different parts.
03:55But I want you to hear the intricacy of it.
04:00So here's the kick, snare, the claps.
04:09This is where it starts to get really interesting.
04:18And then there's the drum kit.
04:24But it starts to really come alive when you hear the bass.
04:29So Circuit played that, and I thought it was super cool.
04:44And what's so interesting about it, I'll play it for you here too,
04:47is that the bass is in like two parts there.
04:59And here's the second bass line.
05:05So those two parts together make the bass that you're hearing on the track.
05:18Hear that there?
05:20So working with Michael is super, super interesting because he knows me so well.
05:25When we were working on Disease, I was navigating my way
05:30through some of the initial lyrics that we had written in the studio.
05:34I could play the doctor.
05:35I can cure your disease.
05:37And Michael and I were sitting together, and we were all working on the song.
05:41And he said, there's another way for you to say this.
05:46He said, bring me your desire.
05:48I can cure your disease.
05:50Because the thing that you are asking yourself is to fix you,
05:55to fix this almost like addict-like affliction that you have for this person.
06:01That's just like a super intimate thing that someone might not think of or feel
06:07working with me unless they really know me.
06:09And I think he felt comfortable saying that to me.
06:12And then Disease, in a way, it became really clear to me that it is about desire,
06:18our desire to do bad things.
06:20I think part of maybe the magic of my relationship is that
06:25I can completely be my full creative self.
06:28It makes the producing process and the writing process really fluid with home life, too.
06:32It's a beautiful way to live.
06:34I'm really grateful for that.
06:45And when you add the synths in, it gets even more spicy.
06:51So it's amazing.
07:06So when I went in and I heard this, I was like, this is a killer dark pop record.
07:10Like, we have to work on this.
07:12And we started writing the song together.
07:15And that, there are no more tears to cry, that started the whole song.
07:21And the lyrics took form really fast.
07:23I mean, I'd say that we wrote the first verse and pre-chorus in like two minutes.
07:29I mean, it was really, really fast.
07:32But the reason I wanted to take you through this is these pieces were at the beginning.
07:37Something that I often do when working with a producer that's as skilled at programming
07:43as Circuit is, is that I often also want there to be live instrumentation.
07:47And Andrew plays a lot of instruments.
07:49And to get there was like by way of the chorus.
07:53So we got through the verse and the pre-chorus.
07:56And then I was like, this song needs a big chorus.
08:00And where the track was, I knew it was possible.
08:02But I wanted to change up the chord progression.
08:04So we went to the piano.
08:06We worked on the chorus at the piano probably for like, I don't know, like 15 minutes.
08:11And those initial lyrics, the melody, it just like came alive and became super big
08:19and vibrant.
08:20But then it became clear when we went back to the track that we had to change the track
08:23and we had to build it around the song.
08:25So I would say that no one way of making music for me is ever the same.
08:31I have to do what the song is telling me to do.
08:33And what's really interesting here is if you put this all together.
08:39So
08:58and here is like, this is like another really magical part of the whole thing is this side
09:04chain right here with the bass.
09:09So this is the chorus, right?
09:11This is what gives you that feeling in the chorus.
09:17And that side chain is mixed with these guitars.
09:24I wanted it to feel like the record was about to explode, like the human being that's singing
09:30it is about to completely blow into pieces.
09:34And what was so interesting is when we actually mixed the song, I mean, we probably did 40
09:41mixes of Disease and some of them were extremely kind of like warm and like softer, but it
09:53kind of started to lose the unwieldiness that you hear there.
09:57How do I know when a song is finished?
09:58Well, I definitely feel like I have to go through everything.
10:04We as a group went through every single sound on every single song with this song.
10:10We just went through everything.
10:11And you listen, you A, B, how does it sound if you take the guitar out here?
10:15How does it sound if you put more distortion on it?
10:17How does it sound if you compress it differently?
10:19Do we like the side chain?
10:20Do we take the side chain off?
10:22You hear when it sounds right.
10:24And I know that that's not a great answer, but that's so much of the truth of how I make
10:30music is it's a feeling.
10:33And at some point, it just feels right.
10:35For me, it's so much fun when you are able to develop a communication process with the
10:40people that you're working with.
10:41And you can say, I want it to sound softer, or I think it needs to be compressed, or I
10:46think that needs to be more pointed, or I want it to work with the kick better.
10:50And as you develop that language, the record goes from being over here and becoming this
10:58narrow target that you're all trying to hit.
11:00And then eventually, you have combed through every aspect.
11:03And I think it's why I love making electronic music so much, too, is that it blends a lot
11:09of different fields.
11:10And it's so fun.
11:12You can't push sound, and you can't push music if you're not willing to try new things.
11:16I mean, especially with the bass on this song, I think we took a lot of wrong chances in
11:24the effort of making something that felt really different from everything else that you hear.
11:29And sometimes, making those wrong choices might bring an emotional life to a song that
11:36is just the best one.
11:37You know, that's just everybody's vibes.
11:56And then you add me, and then it's all of our vibes together.
11:59But it's Circuit's vibe.
12:00It's Andrew's vibe.
12:01It's my vibe.
12:02And it was so special working on this with Michael, too.
12:05Because I think that the song and the lyrics took on a much deeper meaning because we were
12:10able to tap into maybe some things that I didn't really want to admit that I was writing
12:15about.
12:15And we were able to do that.
12:17The album is a party.
12:19It's such a fun way to communicate with people, you know?
12:22Be like, I love you.
12:22Listen to this.
12:24You know, when you press play, after the first few songs, you think you know what you're
12:28getting into.
12:29Then you don't.
12:32And that, to me, is also the kind of party that I want to be at.
12:36My favorite parties are when there's all different kinds of people.
12:40And we're listening to all different kinds of music.
12:42And we're connecting through all of our shared love of different genres and styles.
12:48And it's not just one thing.
12:50That's the ultimate party to me, when we can all be together.
12:53If we look at Disease, for example, the structure of the song is very similar to the structure
12:59of a lot of my records.
13:02I don't just mean verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus.
13:09I'm talking also about the little candy bits that are in there, of little hooky things
13:14that come throughout.
13:15That's something that I did a lot in my earlier music that I was excited to bring out again
13:20in this.
13:20And a breakdown in the middle, like this part here.
13:29So that middle part was something that I would do on some of my earlier records, sort
13:42of remixing the chorus.
13:45And then that was built off of the piano here.
13:51Let me do this for you.
13:53So this was a part that Circuit wrote when we were doing the pre-chorus.
14:03And I was like, we got to bring that back for the breakdown.
14:07And then I replayed it on the piano to make it sound really creepy and acoustic.
14:11That's another element.
14:12And then I would also say another piece that I am known for is my background vocals.
14:21I mean, I don't really know.
14:22I don't really know what I'm known for, but I'm just going to take a stab at maybe some
14:26of my queen-esque background vocals.
14:30I could play the doctor, I could cure your disease.
14:35If you were a sinner, I could make you believe.
14:39Lay you down like 1, 2, 3, I'll throw back an ecstasy.
14:44I could spell your sickness, I could cure your disease.
14:50So it was not a minimal approach.
14:54And it's not what I wanted.
14:55I wanted something that was big.
14:58Putting queen-style background vocals in these harder-hitting records, that's definitely
15:05something that is a bit of my style.
15:07And this is not the only song on the album that's like that.
15:11There's one I'm thinking of in particular that I'm very excited for the fans to hear.
15:16It was the very first song we wrote for this album, and it's hard-hitting beats and those
15:21big, sweeping, queen vocals and some Bowie guitars.
15:25And I guess, in a way, that's kind of me.
15:28You pull from things that you love.
15:30Even just this kick and snare being super hard-hitting.
15:38There's your little sounds.
15:38So that's me actually making a percussion sound with my voice.
15:59And so I did a track for a circuit where I was screaming and making little noises.
16:05And then he sampled them and added them to the record.
16:08Earlier in my career, what I was putting out was more maybe music of who I wanted to be.
16:13And now, you were mentioning that the music is more like who I am now.
16:19I think, in a weird way, I might have said that earlier in my career.
16:24Because when I was younger, I was maybe more insecure about where I was headed.
16:33And that I had to project something larger than life, because I felt so small inside.
16:40And I think, in a way, that was complicated.
16:44But also something that really helped me connect to people all over the world that felt like,
16:50if I'm not feeling like I can do it, maybe I can imagine a version of me that could.
16:55In making this album, I would definitely say I felt a lot more confident all the time
17:02in just navigating who I am and the sound.
17:05And wanting to create something that shows a side of me, actually,
17:09that I just don't show all the time.
17:12And maybe something kind of rare.
17:14Maybe the thing that you're noticing in me now is that I think I value myself
17:20as a female musician more today than I ever have.
17:23There's moments on the record that are like
17:28tapping into some of my first experiences with music.
17:32That's explosive.
17:33But they're delicate.
17:34They're like delicate moments.
17:35There's other moments where it's so funky.
17:38And it is tapping into just what I love to listen to on the dance floor.
17:44There's moments where we are sonically just doing things that we're just trying to push
17:50sound as much as possible.
17:51There's other moments where it's all about love.
17:55And it's super dreamy.
17:58And that, to me, is true chaos.
18:00True chaos is all of it.
18:02There are times when it's hard to see the light.
18:04But I think sometimes what makes inner chaos harder is when you sometimes get a glimpse of the sun.
18:11Because you're like, man, I wish the sun would shine all the time.
18:15And then it reminds you of what you're missing.
18:17So the album has all of that.
18:19It's like a full experience.
18:21So this is the pre-chorus.
18:23And this, we wrote super, super, screaming for me, baby.
18:27It almost was screaming for me, baby.
18:29I didn't do that.
18:30But it's in there.
18:31It's just low.
18:53Every time I sing these songs in a new way, I find something different.
19:18I almost didn't believe those first two lyrics.
19:22There are no more tears to cry.
19:23I heard you begging for life.
19:24It almost sounds like it's slightly sadistic and haunting.
19:28That's the beauty of music.
19:29I learned that probably, though, the most through jazz music.
19:32And that's why I love singing jazz so much.
19:34Because you can just go anywhere.
19:37With my own songs, I try to bring that spirit in as well.
19:41People try to put me in a box.
19:43What is she?
19:45It's dance music.
19:47Well, no.
19:48But now it's country.
19:50Or now she sings jazz.
19:52Or now she wants to be an actress.
19:56And then art pop.
19:57Now she's making EDM.
20:00It was always something.
20:02And I'm a woman in music.
20:04I'm proudly a woman in music.
20:07And I'll make what I want.
20:10Because women deserve the right to be free in their creations.
20:14And sometimes I ask myself, what would you say to another artist if they were to play
20:20something and be like, what do you think?
20:22I'd probably say, what do you think?
20:24Truly, what is it that you feel?
20:26What do you hear?
20:27What do you have to say?
20:28Because that's at the heart of creation is the artist's relationship with the work.
20:35So I genre hop.
20:36And I do all that.
20:37But it's because I love music.
20:39And I don't want to go out in this life and not say that I tried everything.
20:45Because there's so much music to try.
20:48This is the live drum kit.
21:15Yeah, it's like so many layers.
21:16And I love all of you layers.
21:19Thank you all for existing.
21:21I put everything into this album.
21:24And I think what I brought with me the most, and something that Michael said to me every
21:29day that I was working, is he said, go do what you were born to do.
21:36And do it with every cell in your body.
21:39And have fun.
21:41And be confident in your music.
21:45There's something in this album that I wish I could give anybody.
21:49We use that phrase, that's a vibe, all the time.
21:53And I definitely am also in the business of making vibes.
21:56But I would say the difference between a vibe and a moment is that a vibe can happen.
22:02And you can move through it.
22:04And it feels good.
22:05And you're with people.
22:06And you're doing life.
22:07And you're just riding the wave of the vibe.
22:10But a moment is different.
22:12A moment is like, it's like a memory that you never forget.
22:16It's like when something happens that changed you.
22:19I'm always trying to make those moments for people.
22:22Even if they see the disease video and they go like, what?
22:25What is that baseline?
22:27Or when I'm in front of 80,000 people and I'm going to play piano.
22:33And I just kind of take a moment to really clue in to how two people are feeling in the
22:40front row.
22:41And I find that if they're feeling that way, people around them might be feeling that way.
22:46And if I can clue in to those two people, I can maybe clue in to everyone.
22:52You feel the room have a moment with each other of this is cool.
22:58I'm feeling connected to the people that I'm with.
23:00That is why I fell in love with music.
23:04Because it stopped me dead in my tracks.
23:06When you see your mom and dad dancing in the living room or you go to your first concert,
23:13that's why I do it is because I believe music can change somebody's life.
23:17And it definitely, it definitely changed mine.
23:19I have no idea who I'd be without music.