On Friday Lady GaGa released Dawn Of Chromatica, a remix album of her fifth record Chromatica which came out in May 2020. Chromatica had a couple of promising tracks, Rain On Me (featuring Ariana Grande) and Sour Candy (with BlackPink), but as an album, released during lockdown it failed to read the room.
GaGa is renowned for reinventing herself, the biggest transition was from the chaotic Artpop character to Joanne, an album that followed three years later without the costumes and characters. For the first time we felt like we were seeing Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, this was reaffirmed on the Netflix documentary Five Foot Two.
Chromatica brought the character back but the pandemic stopped it coming to life and it passed the world by. Pop music can be clean-cut and friendly for all but it can be edgy and alternative which will become accessible further down the line. Lady GaGa was created in New York’s underground art scene whilst Ariana Grande first touch of fame was on a Nickelodeon kids show, both places are worlds apart but they’ve crossed paths numerous times, including on Rain On Me.
Lady GaGa might be one of the biggest pop stars in the world but she never forgets her roots and keeps up with the newest artists. The remix album features some of the most exciting stars in the darker side of pop including Rina Sawayama, ShyGirl, Ashnikko, Charli XCX and many more who can pen great pop tunes but they aren’t concerned with the mainstream, something GaGa did on her third album, Artpop in 2013 which followed two huge chart topping albums (The Fame & Born This Way).
I saw GaGa perform material from Artpop for the first time at The Roundhouse in London, it blew my mind. It was mental, the music wasn’t the perfect pop like Poker Face or Just Dance, it was fight music, aggressive and avant garde, the performance was suitably theatrical. Artpop might be the album many dismiss from GaGa’s back catalogue but it influenced so many artists who were the weirdos, including those featuring on the new remix album.
The internet has opened the world up, the weirdo who used to be the loner at school, the one who dressed differently and stood out could now find a community online. Many of these artists are on gender/sexual orientation spectrums which they aren’t afraid to shout about, empowering others to express themselves.
It’s the artists who dangle on the edge who inspire the mainstream from Grimes to Poppy, Ashnikko, Melanie Martinez and Princess Nokia who are artists as much as they are musicians, visually iconic and impossible to label. These might not be chart-toppers despite having the ability to crossover into the mainstream but they have artistic integrity, they are happy to remain underground and inspire those in the mainstream.
You could argue Tyler, the Creator fits in here too, from day one he’s never been your cliche rapper, his influences are broad. Cherry Bomb had punk elements, there was pop structures on Flower Boy whilst Igor won Best Rap album based on skin colour rather than rap skills as rap was minimal on this album that floated through genres without ever landing on one.
Charli XCX is another who bounces between the mainstream and the underground album to album. She can effortlessly go from radio friendly pop hits to low-fi and experimental textures proving there’s no rule book, her latest single Good Ones doesn’t sound out of place on daytime radio or 2am in a gay club.
One of the most influential names in this sound, who has worked with Grimes and Charli XCX whilst inspiring many others is SOPHIE. The songwriter and producer passed away earlier this year aged 34, her legacy will live on for decades.
Doja Cat has become one of the biggest names in last couple of years but prior to breaking through she had a unique style which was over sexualised for the mainstream but her ability to pen a tune has always been there, it was only a matter of time till she reduced the kink and let her melodies speak for themselves.
Without these trailblazers the radio would sound different. You can hear it in Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa. It makes music continue to evolve.
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