Ever since she debuted in 2008, my world has not been the same. Through those crazy costumes, weird lyrics, confusing music videos, and many contributions to the LGBT community, I've fallen head over heels for Lady Gaga. I'm so intrigued by her, and I really appreciate her stance on spreading love, and not hating everything to death. I mean, that's pretty much it: I like Lady Gaga, I think she's dope, fly, funky, fresh, and she lives life on the edge. But with her enormous fame has come a harsh backlash from millions, and I'm not gonna lie, it's hard to stand my ground sometimes when so many people make it a positive point to hate her to the ends of the Earth. I don't know if I've ever seen such a potent hatred towards a female artist in a very long time, and I've heard people call her some pretty inappropriate things. But anyway, that's the hate. I'm here to explain why I've taken such a liking to her. For the record, I am doing this now because tonight one of my friends popped the million dollar question, which was (obviously): "Nick, why do you like Lady Gaga so much?"
Well...that's actually a pretty hard question. Why do I like Lady Gaga to the extraordinary extent that I do? I mean, according to social norms, since I'm a music major and one of the biggest lovers of music on the face of the planet, I should hate someone like Lady Gaga, a pop artist who places equal emphasis on music and her wacky image. Well, here's a revelation for you: when she first debuted, I actually did hate her music. "Just Dance" was OK, but "Poker Face" revolted me upon the first listen, I just didn't 'get it', as most people don't. And those outfits: a bubble dress, a disco stick, barely there glitter suits...what is this girl doing? Indeed, Lady Gaga was definitely an acquired taste for me, because the more I played her songs, the more I liked them. Then came "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi", and those times I loved them right away. She had such a knack for big pop hooks, and her songs were oh-so-danceable, it was easy to just enjoy singing along. And that's the first reason why I like Lady Gaga, simply because of the fact that I think her music sounds good. I mean, is there any shame in that? I was truly hooked, though, when "Bad Romance", came out. Seriously, one of the best songs I've ever heard, and on my "Greatest Songs of All Time" list (in my head, don't know if I'll ever post it here), "Bad Romance" would definitely rank within the top 5. From then on, every single Gaga released I thought was absolutely great, not one bad apple in the bunch. But there's also something that's been on my mind that I feel the need to point out, and it's that Lady Gaga's music, most often, is NOT autobiographical, it's satirical. She's not singing about rough sex like she's the one experiencing it, or about our obsession with fame and money like she's one of us. She is describing the world we live in, how fame, drugs, sex and money effect our daily lives. I'll admit, Gaga wallows in the culture she's satirizing, but that's also the point, because we ALL do it. We all hate on celebrities, but we talk about them constantly to the point where we're just giving them more attention. Gaga's first album "The Fame" perfectly explains how we are all interconnected through media and pop culture, because no one is innocent, we all take part in it. "The Fame Monster" does this as well, but it focuses on the darker subjects like lust and desire. And Gaga's voice is incredible, this girl can wail, yet hold back when she needs to, she can hold a pitch even when she's doing strenuous physical activity.
So that's one point, the second reason why I like Lady Gaga is because of her strength. She's proud to be weird, to be herself, to keep on doing what she loves no matter what anyone says. She preaches about loving those around you, to love yourself despite all your flaws, and to find joy in life. I'm sorry, but I cannot hate somebody like this. It also helps that she appeared in a time where I was being relentlessly bullied, when I thought no one understood me and no one else on the planet was as weird as I was. Well obviously now that's not true, because she's done things soooo much weirder than I've ever done, and her overwhelming support of the LGBTQA community warms my heart; there's no way somebody who cares this much about equality and acceptance for all is going on my shit list. She once even talked to Obama about possibly finding a way to stop bullying altogether, and I support her 10000%. And of course Gaga took the time to reflect upon this in her music: her second album "Born This Way", which features numerous songs about standing up to the 'cool' kids, loving yourself, having a good time no matter what anyone thinks of you, and ultimately just worrying about loving yourself and making yourself the best person you can be. Gaga is unapologetic about it too, maybe it comes off a bit too strong sometimes, but her intentions are good. And once again, the songs about sex, religion, and politics on the album are satirical, they're not meant to be little stories about her life (I'm going to keep repeating this until it sinks in). Another point I need to make about this is, yes: I know Gaga wasn't bullied to the extent I was when she was younger, and she was born an average girl. However, that is no damn excuse to dismiss her wanting to help those in need. You don't need to be a chef to know if a meal tastes bad, you don't need to be a musicologist to know if a song is bad, and you don't need to be a victim of bullying to want to help those who are being bullied.
Thirdly, I love the fact that Lady Gaga is one of the hardest working musicians in the world of music today. Yeah she makes pop music, but she doesn't just copy and paste a few lines and call it good, oh hell no, she builds all of her songs from the ground up. Sure, her repetitive songs like "Applause" and "Poker Face" don't need this special treatment, but Gaga sings all of her songs through and through, even doing multiple takes and she demands control of her music, both in the studio and in her music videos. And come on, she toured for "The Fame" and "The Fame Monster" for TWO YEARS, what other normal pop artists do that? She fractured her hip on her "Born This Way Ball" tour because she was working so hard, and I appreciate the fact that she goes to such great lengths to make sure her fans know how much she adores them.
I could ramble on about this forever, but I think you get the point. To me, Lady Gaga isn't just an average pop star. Let's look at her competition: she beats Katy Perry clear out of the water, she outshines Ke$ha in almost every regard, she's more original than PitBull or One Direction, she sings about topics people actually care about, unlike Justin Bieber, and even though Miley Cyrus would just love to hog the spotlight with her garishness, Lady Gaga trumps her there too. She definitely ranks among the better stars in pop, like Beyonce, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, and yes, Madonna. Not just because she sings with a cause, but because she takes risks in her music. And if you don't agree, well you obviously haven't listened to all of the songs she's ever made. "ARTPOP" features some her most daring material date, such as the middle-eastern EDM track "Aura", or the trap-pop of "Jewels 'N' Drugs", and even "The Fame" was able to sneak underground club trends into the mainstream. Lady Gaga honestly did change the game, because she made everybody else work harder to stay atop her awe-inspiring performances and outlandish videos.
So to wrap things up: No, I do not think Lady Gaga is just a carbon copy of Madonna, I do not think she's too offensive with her sexuality or costumes (she doesn't even come close to the blasphemy of Kanye West or the wildly controversial sexual tirades of Madonna), I do not think her videos are completely pointless, and I do not think she's a bad musician, singer, or person. And for the love of Jesus Christ in heaven above, SHE IS NOT A MAN! I DO think she's a wonderful human being, an awesome singer, a great pop artist and someone that I think will go on to do even greater things than she is now. And that is that, I will always love Lady Gaga (unless she like, murders someone), no matter how many people think she's the most disgusting person to walk the planet, she always has a little monster in me. PAWS UP.
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