“Mayhem,” Lady Gaga’s seventh studio album released March 7, is as much a return to the artist’s roots as it is a departure into new territory.
As she told “Vulture,” she did not “reheat her nachos,” a joke emerging on Twitter referring to how some creatives mindlessly rip off their past work or the work of others.
“I would say I invented them, and I am proud of them,” she said.
To steal this terminology, the nachos of “Mayhem” offer a crunch and flavor reminiscent of past work like “The Fame Monster” and “Joanne,” with a softness and deep vulnerability interwoven despite high-tempo beats and dance rhythms. They’re cooked up fresh in the kitchen and won’t be going stale anytime soon.
The ethos of “Mayhem” is love in all its forms. From romantic, to self, to platonic and more. As Gaga told the Los Angeles Times in December, “The record is full of my love of music — so many different genres, so many different styles, so many different dreams. It leaps around genre in a way that’s almost corrupt. And it ends with love.”
The love transcends the album, as Gaga has not shied away from showing love to her fans, her “Little Monsters.” In the “Mayhem” era, Gaga has so far emphasized her love of fans, from holding a “Little Monster Press Conference” for chosen fans to the shocking drop of the “Abracadabra” music video during a Grammys commercial break.
She has also remained a steadfast ally to the LGBTQ+ community amid heightened prejudice and acts of injustice, including anti-transgender legislation and executive orders. She was one of the few artists at the 2025 Grammys to directly call out support to the trans community.
“Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love,” she said.
Gaga’s love of all music shines in this album, tackling a new genre with nearly each song. She explores the past influences of Michael Jackson in “Shadow Of A Man,” Prince’s funk in “Killah” and incorporates Taylor Swift-esque pop in “How Bad Do U Want Me.”
Gaga explores love in the ballad-like “Vanish Into You,” which many fans believe to be about her musical relationship with the late singer Tony Bennett. She incorporates some of Bennett’s most recognized lyrics in the song, and despite no confirmation of this theory, the song serves as a beautiful requiem of platonic or romantic love. Sonically, it’s reminiscent of “Speechless” from “The Fame Monster.”
Two songs in the middle of the record, “Zombieboy” and “LoveDrug,” carry the greatest similarities to her past works, sounding like they could be vault tracks for “Born This Way” and “The Fame Monster,” respectively — through an elevated, retrospective look back at the albums.
Even the more sensual songs remain touched with gentleness, like “The Beast.” Just as love is vulnerable, it’s dangerous, and sometimes exposing the most raw parts of ourselves to someone can feel like we’re showing a monster — a transformation to the wild side of desire. Gaga embraces this, calling out to her lover to show her his dark sides.
The album’s penultimate song, “Blade of Grass,” is one of the singer’s most romantic songs. Inspired by her engagement to entrepreneur Michael Polansky, it depicts a love so strong that it can be held together by something as delicate and mundane as a blade of grass used as an engagement ring. It’s impossible to get tired of Gaga’s dance songs, but there is something refreshing about ballads that give her voice the space to shine. After hearing Gaga describe her decades of bad romance, it’s touching to hear her speak so tenderly on love, being able to work through the mayhem of her past.
“Die With A Smile,” the Grammy award-winning duet with Bruno Mars, closes out the album with a delicateness. In an interview with “Las Culturistas,” Gaga explained that she purposefully put this at the end of the album to end the mayhem. It’s like coming home after a long night out, knowing that no matter what life throws at you, there is a deep love in your life, yourself — a pseudo-credits rolling on your past to work toward a more peaceful and loving future.
“Mayhem” has so many influences it shouldn’t work, and it wouldn’t work for any artist besides Mother Monster herself. Despite a return to dance pop, the lyrics offer a raw vulnerability and openness into the most stripped-down version of Lady Gaga we’ve ever seen.
Bryna Goeking is an arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She also reports on campus news. Follow her on Twitter @BrynaGoeking.
