Written by Daniel Meyers for Respect My Region | March 11, 2025

 

Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga dropped her latest studio album, Mayhem, on March 7 through Interscope Records. The release of Mayhem comes just one month shy of her much-anticipated headlining performance at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Her first solo release in nearly five years since Chromatica (2020), three singles preceded the album, “Die with a Smile,” its lead track “Disease,” and “Abracadabra,” the latter of which she debuted at the 2025 Grammy’s. ​

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Lady Gaga Background​

 

American singer-songwriter and actress Lady Gaga was born in Manhattan as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and was raised in the Upper West Side. In 2003, Gaga gained early admission to Collaborative Arts Project 21, a music school at New York University (NYU)’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by writing essays on art, religion, social issues, and politics, but withdrew in 2005 to focus on her career. By 2007, Gaga had signed with a record label and management company, and shortly after, she moved to Los Angeles to work on her debut record.

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In 2008, Gaga released her debut studio album, The Fame, through Interscope Records. Her debut single, “Just Dance,” featuring Colby O’Donis, supported the record, which earned Gaga her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. The Fame received additional support from “Poker Face”, “Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)”, “LoveGame”, and “Paparazzi.” She found further success with solo releases Born This Way (2011), Artpop (2013,) Joanne (2016), and Chromatica (2022). Gaga additionally worked on collaborative albums with Tony Bennet, Cheek to Cheek (2014), and Love for Sale (2021).

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Gaga has also ventured into acting, appearing in the fifth season of American Horror Story, subtitled Hotel (2015-16), and the films A Star is Born (2018), House of Gucci (2021), and most recently Joker: Folie à Deux (2024.) A Star is Born earned Gaga wide critical acclaim for both her singing and acting performances. Its soundtrack spawned the chart-topping single, “Shallow”, which made Gaga the first woman to win an Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award in the same year, 2019.

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Best from Mayhem

 

​​​​​​Mayhem opens strong with its debut single and debut track, “Disease,” arguably the best song on the record and sets the tone for a solid 14-track album. “Disease” reminds Gaga’s fans, with its lyrics, of what her music does for them: heal. Gaga’s music has healing qualities for escaping the chaos and noise, the ‘mayhem’ of the real world by breaking out into song and “just dance.” Closely following Mayhem’s opening track is “Die with a Smile”, which is coincidentally and strategically its closing track. A Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars duet never disappoints, and this mashup closes the album on a high note, again reminding fans what they love about Gaga.

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Weakest Links from Mayhem

 

​​​​​​​Admittedly, Mayhem doesn’t have a single bad track, which is a hard accomplishment to make, but some are weaker than others. The second-to-last track, “The Beast,” while still solid, doesn’t stand out as much as the other songs on the album. However, the album makes up for it with the next song, “Blade of Glass,” which kicks things up again, serving as the perfect lead-in to the aforementioned final track, “Die with a Smile.” 

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​Final Thoughts on Mayhem

 

​Gaga’s Mayhem reminds her fans what they love about her, satisfying them just enough but leaving them always wanting more. She proves to any doubters that she’s still got “it” nearly 20 years into her music career, and she shows no signs of stopping. With an upcoming headlining performance at Coachella fresh off the heels of Mayhem and a rumored stadium tour in support of the album, 2025 is looking to be a big year for Gaga and her fans.​​​​​