I became very depressed at the end of 2013. I was exhausted fighting people off. I couldn’t even feel my own heartbeat. I was angry, cynical and had this deep sadness like an anchor dragging everywhere I go. I just didn’t feel like fighting anymore. I didn’t feel like standing up for myself one more time — to one more person who lied to me. I really felt like I was dying — my light completely out. I said to myself, ‘Whatever is left in there, even just one light molecule, you will find it and make it multiply. You have to for you. You have to for your music. You have to for your fans and your family. I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left. I’m lucky I found one little glimmer stored away.”
— Lady Gaga speaking about the disappointing reception to her album ARTPOP and firing members of her team in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar
AlexM
So… she got depressed because people are not paying attention to her desperate need for attention anymore?
redcarpet
So I guess it’s officially a flop? I really tried to like it, but there were only maybe 2 or 3 songs that were listenable. Born this way had a lot more.
She made something and people didn’t care for it, I think she’s entitled to be a little depressed about it.
Richard
I’m in no way a huge Gaga fan, but people had deemed Artpop a failure from the second it came out. I actually liked it and Applause is pretty much a perfect “pop” song.
QJ201
Agree with Richard is this respect. ARTPOP was trashed before it had a chance. The media types just decided it was time to trash Gaga. PERIOD.
I do like the album..and while “Applause” never hit #1…talk shows and morning shows are using the song constantly…so she is making tons of royalties.
BlackHouston
Yes, the media (the same one that built her) decided to trash her in 2013, but GAGA was done as early as 2010. On a personal level, I do feel for her when she opens up about being depressed, but on a public level, I don’t want to feed into it. I can’t be talking about Gaga is 2014. Her vocal range is respectable but she’s a forever poser.
Wingfield
She should have opened with gypsy, then do what you want, and then applause. I think the reception would have been much better. People are getting tired of her randomness. Look at katy perry, she toned it down and songs have done really well.
jimbryant
Why did she choose to collaborate with R Kelly, a man with a questionable legal history and an album called Black Panties? Why did she choose to go down this now discredited path of female singers taking off their clothes for attention?
She should have realized that gay men are sick and tired of fake-bisexual female pop performers who feed into the sense of entitlement of straight guys with their fake lesbian antics.
Icebloo
Poor spoiled millionaire. She wrote a TERRIBLE album which bombed. She deserved the bad reviews and the bad sales. I’m a Gaga fan but I realize the album was truly awful. Had anyone else (except Beyonce !) released such a terrible album they would have got bad reviews too.
Attention has shifted away from Gaga recently and she doesn’t like it. Other artists are just more interesting and making far better music. Just wearing clothes which some consider to be shocking is not enough. She needs to write good music to stay in the spotlight. Having success at such a young age has made her selfish and totally self absorbed. She needs to grow up, stop complaining and realize what an incredible life she has.
CivicMinded
Now she’s learned what every artist learns. Art is an eye of the beholder. Not everybody is going to like what you think is art. Some art is more accessible than others. Every artist has to decide: are you going to please an audience or yourself.
Dixie Rect
The album was awful, and the public responded. Too bad. If you want to be a public figure, this comes with the territory. Her ‘art’ was hardly art, more like one big fart. Waaah!
tardis
Well, F. Scott Fitzgerald was a failed writer at the time of publishing his books, and now he’s celebrated posthumous, then there’s Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allan Poe…
There’s a lot of things working for artists and against them: trends, popularity, shift in popculture, politics, etc.
I kind of see Gaga as this underground person who made it mainstream. I liked Artpop. I thought it was a fun record. Venus, Artpop, G.U.Y., Applause, Aura, Gypsy, Fashion!, Do What u Want, Mary Jane Holland are stellar tracks. But that’s just me.
Fitz
I fatigued out on her– she didn’t exist. She wasn’t real. It was one weird costume that told no story after another– not an ounce of character development, just costume after costume after costume. I am SOOOO not a Madonna fan, but to give her credit (as an example).. though her personas were JUST as contrived, they were Complete personas.. full characters that were saying something. I’ve no idea who the core of GaGa is as an artist. And as a person, her grandiose diva crap was absurd. How’s that old saying go… “Never believe your own PR”.
Maybe she will re-group and work on herself more than her hair and makeup.
MK Ultra
Watching interviews from last year, you could tell Gaga was really on edge. I though it was because she gave up weed, which would make me pissy too.
And yes, I like ARTPOP. I think I can understand what Gaga was trying to say with this album. Maybe it wasn’t a huge commercial success like her previous albums, but every artist is going to experience that.
Lazycrockett
Just one psychological drama after another.
Richard
^^^nice. Erasure.
Lazycrockett
^Guilty!
QuintoLover
I loved Gaga’s first album and EP (The Fame and Fame Monster). There were like only a handful of songs I hated but that was when she was chiller and her songs were simpler. She started trying too hard with Born This Way (the costumes and the music) but she still brought out some good songs from it. But then she started ArtPop and I just couldn’t. She became too much to handle. It’s sad though because I do like a handful of songs from it (Aura, Venus, Do What U Want, Manicure, Applause, ArtPop) but I just didn’t want to support what she became anymore. I see this as a reality check. I hope she can focus and bring herself back down to earth and let her talent and music take the spotlight instead of her ego.
tardis
@QuintoLover: But she was so much more tame this time around. And what exactly did she become? She has a positive message and always presents herself as contained and put together. The costumes aren’t a bad thing. Image is a big part of music, after all.
robirob
I like some of the songs from Artpop.
I think some people were put off by the album’s title (Art??? I’ll be the judge of that!). Then I am sure some people also grew tired of her public appearance stunts with all those over the top costumes. I think all in all the Lady GaGa brand has become too pretentious (think Gwyneth GOOP Paltrow) for the mainstream music listener.
She had a good run, but yeah, the general public is no longer interested in her PR stunt concepts.
Niall
@Dixie Rect: Except that in terms of critic reviews, it was pretty much on par with other two talked about releases of last year, Katy Perry’s album and Miley’s album. All of which have the same grade on critics reviews.
jasentylar
Actually Miley’s album had better reviews even though it was crap. Gaga will rebound. She just needs to focus on what made her: catchy pop songs. The woman can write a hook like no one.
QuintoLover
@tardis: I felt she was tamest with The Fame era. She’s too in your face now, especially about herself. That’s the problem, she’s got plenty of awesome things to say about self love and gay rights but they can be overshadowed by her own ego which I feel she’s collapsing under. She’s cracking as an artist unfortunately. Everything in this era is a mess and I feel there’s no real point to anything she’s doing in it. And have you seen her performances? The costumes and dancing are just chaotic. She’s a good role model in terms of her past song’s messages and the messages she tries to teach in public but as an artist, she’s losing it a bit.
DShucking
I like her plenty. Songs, song-writing, voice, albums, videos, concerts, all of it. But this last album mostly sucked. I’ll be here waiting for her to come back whether it’s with a follow up single, video or another album.