Good afternoon and welcome to coast to coast, I'm Joey Macasieb.
Top story today surrounds pop superstar Lady Gaga and her new single Bad Romance. Bad Romance is the first single off of Lady Gaga's new and much anticipated album The Fame Monster, a follow up to her smash first album The Fame.
Lady Gaga has rapidly become arguably the number 1 pop star of today's generation leading some to compare her to Madonna who I personally consider to be the first lady of pop. Since Madonna dominated the music scene in the 1980s and early 1990s, never before had anyone seen a powerful, successful woman who used her music to show that she was taking charge of her own life, especially in the realm of her sexuality. Madonna's hits from the ever contraversial "Like a Prayer" to "Material Girl" sent the message to set your mind to something and keep going. Madonna, directly or indirectly, Bucked the system in a sexually repressed age and brought to the forefront of pop music the idea that its ok for women to take control of thier lives.
So where does Lady Gaga fit into this particular schema?
Lady Gaga arrived on the music scene and packed a cultural punch not seen since Madonna. Her songs from "Poker Face" to "LoveGame" have featured lyrics which show a woman taking charge of her life. The hallmark of Lady Gaga much like Madonna lies not just in her music but in the videos and performances for which both are noted. Gaga, in her video for her smash single LoveGame, can be seen at one point kissing a male police officer who for a brief moment becomes a female officer. In her video for "Paparazzi", Gaga kills a man who treated her horribly and used her.
"Bad Romance" is a throw back to the 1980s pop style pioneered for female artists by women like Madonna. The video for "Bad Romance" is reminiscent of Madonna in everything from Gaga's appearence to her choreography.
Lady Gaga has become one of the most influential artists of our generation and, like Madonna has fans from every walk of life. I look forward to watching Gaga's career progress and continue to spread her message.
Thats all for today and remember whether you live on the east, west or gulf coast
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I like that you note that what makes Lady Gaga, as it did Madonna, are her performances. Many would claim that our "selves" are also performances, mere constructions.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago I found a Youtube video of Lady Gaga from her pre-Gaga days, then known as Stefani Germanotta, performing two original songs at an NYU talent show. It shocked me when her first song was a slow, smooth Norah Jones-like piece. I guess it just goes to show that some of today's pop sensations are actually multi-faceted in terms of their genre.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how she COMPLETELY changed in order to sell. She was not as out there as she is now. I love her new image, but it's interesting to see that she did a complete 180 in order to get people's attention. I wonder if the image she puts out there is the one she wants.
ReplyDeleteLady Gaga is everywhere! I looked up the videos of her before she became a megastar because your comments seemed so interesting. WOW! It's crazy to see that that's the way she was. Maybe it shows that she is multi-dimensional in her music, but I think she is showing more that she wants fame. She doesn't have music like that anymore.
ReplyDelete