Lady Gaga is no stranger to taking risks, but what’s the biggest one she’s ever taken? The multi-Grammy-winning artist got candid with ELLE, opening up about exploring jazz, date nights with her fiancé, and the moment she first felt like she made it—which had more to do with thrift shopping than actual record sales. Watch as Gaga reveals her favorite lyrics and explains why she loves watching her Little Monsters decode her easter eggs. Plus, she breaks down what makes her upcoming album, ‘Mayhem,’ so sonically unique.
Lady Gaga's new album, ‘Mayhem,’ is available to stream on March 7th.
#LadyGaga #AskMeAnything #ELLE #Mayhem
Lady Gaga's new album, ‘Mayhem,’ is available to stream on March 7th.
#LadyGaga #AskMeAnything #ELLE #Mayhem
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PeopleTranscript
00:00Hello, I'm Lady Gaga, and today I'm gonna let Elle ask me anything.
00:06I mean, not really, but...
00:09What is one track you wish you had released as a single?
00:12I was gonna say Bloody Mary, but like I actually don't feel that way because I don't think that song would have been
00:18big when I put out Born This Way, and it like became big over time.
00:22So it was like ahead of its time, that song. Also, I don't know that Jen Ortega was alive when I put that song out.
00:29Bloody Mary.
00:31I feel like the fans would really have liked it if Government Hooker had been a single, but you know,
00:35they can't always get what they want.
00:37What is your favorite lyric that you've written?
00:39There's a song on LG7, the lyrics are,
00:43Saw your face and mine in a picture by our bedside.
00:47It was cold in the summertime.
00:49We were happy just to be alive.
00:51I love that lyric. It was cold in the summertime.
00:53Is there a lyric that fans quote to you the most?
00:56One of my favorite things that they do is if I see them on the street outside the hotel,
01:00they'll just like blurt out a lyric as like a way of saying hello.
01:04I'll be like, always remember us this way!
01:06How would you describe the LG7 era in three words?
01:10That is really hard. Dark. Poetry. Hard.
01:16I definitely didn't adhere to any one genre, but the beats are all really hard.
01:21So that was sort of the through line is like sonically the album is like pretty hard hitting.
01:27What excites you most in fashion right now?
01:29I love watching young designers.
01:32There's this girl, Ilona, who makes these like really beautiful baby doll dresses.
01:37And I've been wearing those a lot.
01:39Makes me feel like a porcelain doll.
01:41You know, I do sometimes buy into trends, but I don't mean to.
01:45And then as soon as I realize I'm buying into it, I do away with it right away.
01:50What does a date night with Michael consist of?
01:53Snuggling with the dogs and cooking.
01:56Talking about the day.
01:58And we usually like also sometimes invite his mom.
02:02It's like a three person date.
02:05Who of this movie was more likely to plan a date night?
02:08Michael. Oh, that makes me feel so bad to say that.
02:12Is he romantic?
02:13He is romantic, but he's just like really good at planning.
02:16And he just, you know, when I plan a date night, it's more at home.
02:19So he plans the going out and I plan staying home.
02:22What song do you currently have on repeat?
02:25Right now, I have the whole album actually on repeat because I'm working on the track listing.
02:31Yeah, it takes hours.
02:33I look, I have a really eclectic style of music.
02:35I don't like fall in love with just one song.
02:37I just like listen to as much music as possible.
02:41I got really into listening also to like instrumental guitar this summer.
02:45What is the biggest risk you've taken musically?
02:48I think making jazz was a big risk because I think people thought I was crazy.
02:53But I mean, you had to really have a great song for it to make it into the Great American Songbook.
03:00So I would say that was a big risk because a lot of people didn't want me to do it.
03:05But I did it anyway.
03:06I love all different kinds of music.
03:08And I feel like part of the joy of being a musician is that you are a student.
03:12And if you are not a student, for me, that's kind of a boring expedition.
03:17It's kind of like being a explorer, but you don't really want to find anything.
03:22How has acting informed or changed your approach to music?
03:25Acting is really improvisational.
03:29And just that there's so many different ways to interpret an idea.
03:33And I always say that when I'm writing music, I always say I'm listening for it because I can hear the melody and I can hear the lyrics.
03:41So, you know, the better you are at listening, the closer you get to the idea.
03:46And then, you know, similarly to acting in music, you know, there's just so many different ways to try it.
03:52What is one song you'll never stop performing?
03:55I would say definitely Born This Way, definitely Bad Romance.
03:59And also my vocal warm ups.
04:01I'll always do those in the shower for sure.
04:03What is one Easter egg you didn't think your fans would catch?
04:08I wasn't actually sure that they were going to figure out that we were spelling disease on Spotify the whole time that that was happening.
04:15I just was like, what do they know now? Do they know now?
04:18So, you know, I don't think there's one that I didn't think they would get.
04:21I feel like I make them really easy.
04:25I should get better at making them harder.
04:27I love so much seeing them dissect what things mean.
04:31Sometimes they're just so dead on.
04:33And other times they'll like find meaning in it that I didn't even know was there.
04:37And I think that's cool, too, because I think sometimes when you're creating, you put stories into your work and you don't even realize you're doing it.
04:44It's just like showing up and it's there.
04:46And sometimes you're aware of it and sometimes you're not.
04:48So I really like seeing what they see.
04:51What advice would LG7 give LG1?
04:55LG7 would tell LG1 not to be so hard on herself all the time.
04:59You know what? I would say that when I put out LG1, I already felt like I'd made it.
05:03Like it wasn't my record sales that made me feel like I made it.
05:06I felt like I made it when I was living on the Lower East Side and I was going to vintage shops and like making my own costumes and performing out in the city.
05:16Like that was some of the most beautiful time of my life.
05:18And then everything that happened after was pretty wild.
05:21And yeah, I can't believe I'm still doing it.
05:23Thanks for watching. Be sure to check out my cover of Elle.
05:36See you next time.