Lady Gaga returns to pop music with her third studio album “‘ARTPOP’ is a celebration and poetic musical journey through my friends and I hanging out and enjoying being pop stars. And that’s what really inspired the record was that time off.” The time off that Gaga is referring to is the break she was forced to take in order to undergo surgery on a broken hip. She had to cancel the last 20 shows of her Born This Way Ball Tour in February to recover. Gaga used this time to finish the album she had been working on for nearly two years.
The lead single from the album, “Applause,” has a special meaning for the singer. She explained to Seacrest that when her hip caused her physical pain while performing on stage, “The applause of the fans and their screaming and their faces looking up at me every night … it really kept me going. And I was able to drown out the pain and finish the show.” In this way, the song is a thank you to her fans for helping her through a literally painful time. The second single from the album, “Do What U Want” featuring R. Kelly, although showing off Gaga’s vocal range, does not do much to showcase R. Kelly’s voice. With a powerful vocalist like R. Kelly featured, one would expect him to utilize his vocal range more. The song could have been improved if Gaga and Kelly sang more together, rather than separately.
“ARTPOP” for the most part is very consistent in sound. The majority of the 15-track album contains thumping beats, electronic synthpop, and fast-tempo dance breakdowns. However, two tracks stand out in style. The song “Jewels ‘N Drugs,” featuring rappers T.I., Too Short and Twista, is distinctively more hip hop influenced, perhaps to accommodate the aforementioned artists. It is slower in tempo, and the lyrics are more syncopated. Yet somehow Gaga manages to make the collaboration of electronic dance and hip hop interesting to listen to. Another song, “Dope,” also strays away from the intense beats prominent the rest of the album. It begins with slow tempo notes on piano, giving the song a more solemn, ballad-like feel. The song is comparable to “ARTPOP,” there were a few that the album could have done without, like “Aura,” “Gypsy” and “Fashion!” On a first listen, the consistency of sound in each song can almost blur all of them together as one. However, on a second listen, the nuances of certain songs are more pronounced.
The music of “ARTPOP” wasn’t the only artistic aspect of the album. The album cover was designed by artist Jeff Koons, who is famous for his balloon animal sculptures done in stainless steel. The blue stainless steel ball on the album cover is therefore a nod to Koons’ own art. The sculpture of Gaga on the cover was exhibited Nov. 10 at the artist’s album release party. The release party was also an