Lady Gaga, a significant cultural icon across the world, released her seventh studio album, ‘Mayhem’, on March 7, 2025. Her single off the album, “Abracadabra” has been a hit on social media and the radio, debuting at number ten on the Billboard Global 200, hitting 78.4 million streams. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer said, “I’m someone who definitely can feel deeply insecure, but on that record, it’s like peak confidence.” So as a listener, I am excited to feel the emotions that Lady Gaga has incorporated into the record, and share my opinion!
With twelve songs, including her collaboration with Bruno Mars, ‘Die with a Smile’, Gaga is giving her fans a great amount of songs to obsess over. After listening to the album on the release date, my first impression was very positive as I felt it brought back her nostalgic vibes of her peak in the 2000’s. I expected an incredible album because it has been five years since her last studio album, Chromatica. While she only collaborated with two artists on ‘Mayhem’ Gaga relies on her own sound and voice to make well produced music.
A few stand out tracks that I and the internet have enjoyed are ‘Disease’ and ‘Garden of Eden’. Both songs have a techno background and fast tempo with lyrics that are so fun to scream and sing. Lady Gaga always hits the mark when it comes to crafting unforgettable lyrics that stick in our brains and feel so satisfying to sing with her. The structure of which she placed every song, I believe, worked very well while listening to it and has a perfect sequence. ‘LoveDrug’ , the eighth track on ‘Mayhem’ brings a nostalgic feeling to her past music I loved as a child. With an electric sound and guitar background it is a great song of Gaga’s. The techno feel is very prevalent in her music as she uses an 80’s type beat in ‘How Bad Do U Want Me’, her ninth track.
My top three songs are as follows– ‘Vanish Into You’, ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘Disease.’ They each have their own qualities of a song to love. ‘Vanish Into You’ being a more vocally pleasing song with a catchy refrain, while ‘Abracadabra’ has such an electric and heavy sound that is easy to jam out to. ‘Disease’ is on my top three because it is a great song to be placed in the first spot of the album and introduces the record perfectly. The song has a very nostalgic Gaga feel to it, making it one of my favorites.
So far, after just being released, the most streamed song on ‘Mayhem’ is ‘Die With A Smile’ as it took the internet, radio and social media by storm with over 2 billion streams. With catchy and ear worm worthy verses and harmonies by the A-list singers, I am not surprised it is a crowd favorite. The quality of the album is very impressive, as she produces her own songs. In a word it is electric.
In conclusion, the album delivers a captivating experience, with a consistency in sound and instrumentation that sets it apart. Its electric energy streams throughout, making it memorable. It’s a must-listen for fans who appreciate a powerful and nostalgic sound!