What does Gaga need to do to regain the spotlight

[D NelsonMember]

Even though Gaga is still considered the most famous pop superstar, it does appear that the BTW era was perhaps a bit overshadowed by Adele’s 21 success, and now Madonna’s comeback, and perhaps not performing sales wise as hoped. This is rather surprising to me since Gaga is improving and improving (i.e. more spontaneous, comfortable) in terms of her performances, and displaying more of her formidable musical talents to the mainstream audience such as her duet with Tony Bennett and the Thanksgiving Special. But the reality is that she was not as pre-eminent as she was in the Fame/Fame Monster era.

What do you think Gaga needs to do to regain the spotlight?

[D NelsonMember]

I’m sorry to be a downer guys, I’m just really upset about how successful Madonna is with her comeback–it really does seem that Gaga’s in the shadows with the media attention–I just needed to ventilate.

[alffy74Member]

No need to apologize:-) Madonna’s comeback is less than people claim it is. The release of the single on Friday did not fast track it to the top 10 despite the concomitant release of the video and the hype surrounding it. Even after the SB performance and the largest possible audience for a music event, the song hasn’t reached the top spot on iTunes. I’m sure it will by tomorrow, but honestly, it is rather disappointing. Not that the song is great by any means.

The SB half-time show was truly epic, thanks most of all to the staging, and not the performance per se. Madonna was lip synching, she barely dances and an artist who promotes LMFAO is showing that she is basically going with the flow. In other words, she lost her trend-setting characteristic.

As to Gaga, I am actually quite happy she’s not much exposed in the media these days. MTN charting was disappointing, despite it being a great song, clearly an indication that the general audience has gotten tired of Gaga. Also, I think that interscope wanted to focus on promoting Madonna. So, I doubt we will see much of Gaga’s news, except for her tour announcement and if she wins a grammy or two, in the next while. Something tells me that she’s preparing an EP for BTW that will coincide with her tour debut. I have a feeling a new single will drop on us some time in the Spring

[D NelsonMember]

Oh My Gaga! Alffy, I am SO glad that you’re back! It’s good to have another sane voice to counteract my neuroses (don’t know what I’d do without you, Scott, Cin and Saetana, LOL)! Madonna put on a truly epic show–I don’t think anyone can top the production values (should Gaga hire these same people for her Haus?), and for being in her 50′s, I was frankly impressed with Madonna’s dancing and energy, doing all this in stiletto heels. I think she needed to lip synch as this type of performance demanded perfection as it was so tightly choreographed down to the molecule. This is the first time where LMFAO, Minaj and MIA actually looked good. That being said, now that I’m sober LOL, it does lack what a live performance does better, mainly engage the crowd emotionally, having us participate and party like Springsteen did when he performed the SB. He’s the only reason that I’m now going to watch the Grammy’s even if Gaga’s not performing.

Well, I hope that’s where Gaga will take it when she performs with low production, just her and her piano/keytar, her guitarists and drummer and rocking the crowd out. Putting on a live music and engaging the crowd would definitely push the boundaries of what a pop star does at these silly SB shows, b/c I really don’t think you can match the grandeur and spectacle of Madonna’s SB tbh. Even so, I was surprised that a LOT of football fans thought Madonna was horrible (guess they don’t like large pop spectacles even though well crafted and done), smh, you can’t please them all.

Great points that it’s good she’s not exposed at this time as it makes sense for Interscope to give the attention to Madonna as Gaga was at risk of overexposure–I thought Madonna was already #1 in iTunes album pre-sales in 50 countries???? I’m very surprised that her single wasn’t #1 in iTunes after a SB performance????? Well, even though I despise Madonna (Malawi scandal), she IS showing the sexist and ageist world that you can still be a female pop star in your 50s, so that’s gotta help Gaga?

Smart of Gaga not to tweet about the SB and the Giants at this time, but I want Gaga back in the media soon doing what she does best, though I’m heartened by her quietly advocating for empowerment by her tweets defending LMs and by her appearance at the Young Women’s Conference thingie. But, damn, Gaga, you gotta perform at the Grammy’s! That would surely put you back in the spotlight.

[Cin1128Member]

Alffy, thanks for putting D back into her cage!!! (sanity cage, that is!!!). You’ve made some excellent points. I think it was smart of Lady G to lay low for a while – especially with all the hype over midge performing in the SB. Let her have her 15 minutes of football glory. We all woke up on Monday and it was over. Today we’re waiting for Lady G to announce her tour 2012 tour dates, and on 29 Feb she will kick off her BTW Foundation in Harvard, which will illustrate the philanthropic, caring side of Lady G. I am really surprised that she has not been announced as a performer at the Grammys – hasn’t she performed in the last two Grammy shows?? Maybe the Grammys don’t want Lady G overkill, or if asked, maybe Lady G politely declined, to limit her exposure. (I find that hard to accept, tho, because she loves to perform!!)

[D NelsonMember]

Cin you bad girl, you, LOL (#virtualspank). After seeing that set design, I totally forgot about the SB half-time performance. This tour is going to be amazing (understatement). I bet the building structures will shift and actually move to reveal other props (I mean, it looks a bit overcrowded and how can one move around) as her concert opera goes on, it’s going to be a truly once in multiple lifetimes experience. I love how the run away goes INTO the crowd so she can interact with the LMs even more. This is the first time EVER that I would try to attempt being in that monster pit, and I HATE being jostled. I’ll have to make sure I wear protective gear, LOL!

Agree-it does make sense if Gaga doesn’t perform, but at least show up, might be overkill (except by the LMs)like you said Cin, esp as she opened and closed the nominations concert. How could I ever doubt Gaga–she’s too busy advocating for us and giving us a concert of our lifetime to be worried about all this Madonna nonsense!

[Scott FinleyMember]

Sorry for the late reply. Yeah I think it’s simply a matter of over-exposure at this point. Rihanna can get away with constant exposure for years on end because she has no real public persona. She keeps pretty quiet and let’s her songs do most of the talking, whereas Gaga is very outspoken and has such a strong persona that it’s hard not to feel like you know her personally.

Sadly, our society still seems to resent strong, outspoken women unless they are willing to lay low for a while here and there. Notice how irritated people get in regards to Madonna toward the end of one of her album cycles. Then, after keeping quiet for a while, people welcome her back before getting sick of her again a few months down the road. The thing with Gaga is she doesn’t care. Her priority is staying active, always making new music and other art, and always being there for her fans. She just can’t seem to bear going into hiding for a year after each album and I don’t blame her.

What I think would make sense for her would be to focus on things other than music between albums, like she is now with the BTW Foundation. That let’s her stay active and available for her little monsters while allowing casual fans to get a break from hearing about her every day.

With that said, I really hope the rumors of there being no more BTW singles is false. I am dying to see what kind of videos she would put out for HML, Sheisse, Hair, and GH (Americano and Black Jesus too to a lesser extent.) If she just waits a little while before her next single, perhaps the public will have a chance to miss her. Plus, it just does’t make sense to finish releasing singles from an album before the tour starts. Either there’s another BTW-themed album in the works (like maybe an EP as Alffy said) or there shoulld be at least one more single from BTW.

[Scott FinleyMember]

Oh and what about The Greatest Thing? Maybe that’s next? I’m going to pray tonight for a surprise Cher-Gaga duet at the Grammys tomorrow! (Either that or a surprise performance of hair with the SF Gay Men’s Chorus!!)

[D NelsonMember]

Very interesting points Scott. I was just thinking about why Rihanna is so popular with massive Facebook and Youtube views (beating out LG), and it’s because she is literally the girl next door (albeit the partying type) as she isn’t controversial at all and doesn’t have an over the top, strong personality like Gaga. Rihanna’s music is actually really good too, very catchy and perfect for the radio, and she comes across as a nice, likeable,inoffensive, attractive person, so it’s no matter if she keeps releasing albums. People just don’t get tired of Rihanna, just as people don’t get tired of chocolate.

So it’s not “embarrassing” to like Rihanna, whereas with Gaga, everyone at my work is surprised that I’m a huge LM as they all think she’s weird. But I guess that’s how Gaga is able to build such a huge and extremely loyal, fanatical following b/c she does let her personality hang out and it seems that you know her (even as a casual fan). Funny how at the beginning of the career, interviewers kept asking her who is the “real” Gaga and she keeps saying, this is me, which is true, LOL. Compared to other pop stars, she’s the most out there with revealing her personality as she’s a very warm and genuine person.

Actually, Scott, that’s what I would love to see. Gaga laying low for a couple of months (as that would make the mass audience miss her), and then the Greatest Thing finally coming out as a single. Then Gaga releasing one last single before the tour? However, the problem is that if Gaga so much as farts outside, the media is going to cover it so it’s hard for her to stay out of the spotlight, LOL.

hmm…Scott do you know something that others don’t know–is Gaga actually performing? I would think this would be announced over and over again as she draws ratings, though, LOL.

[Cin1128Member]

wow, Chicken Little hit the deck running after last night’s show – “Lady Gaga overpowered by Adele” – “Lady Gaga finished!!!” – my goodness, society needs an anti-anxiety drug!!!! Remember folks, the Grammys ‘awarded’ Chris Brown last night, too – and we know what he is most famous for . . . so that kind of put the show in perspective for me. Lady Gaga has staying power and is a creative genius. Unless she chooses to give up music, she will be with us a long, long time. She made a fabulous appearance at the Brentwood School earlier this month, encouraging high school girls that they can be SOMEONE in life. Her BTW foundation kicks off later this month at Harvard. Lady Gaga is such a multi-dimensional person, unlike the singers we watched last night, who sing – and that is their claim to fame. Adele was on tv the other night singing in a lounge – perfect fit for her type of music. Where is Susan Boyle after all her hype? If I came across as bashing another performer, I apologize. That was not my intent. I was simply reacting to the doom and gloom being printed this am about the demise of Mother Monster. Like Mark Twain, the reports of her demise are significantly exaggerated.

[D NelsonMember]

Thanks Cin, I forgot so soon about Gaga’s BTW foundation at Harvard!!!! This would definitely put her back in the spotlight, especially with the frou frou NPR who would lap this up (actually I love NPR, but sometimes they can be a bit much), and other “serious” media outlets. Speaking of being multidimensional and multitalented, is she still writing editorial articles on the V magazine?

I think Susan Boyle is different from Adele as she doesn’t write her own music, I don’t know much about Boyle though. Adele just seems much more talented than Boyle. But I seriously hope that Adele will continue to make more albums, b/c it’s good to hear different styles on the radio and she did add an extra dimension to the pop world this year.

Not to sound Pollyannaish, but maybe Gaga not winning the Grammy’s this year would make her rethink some things, like having a professional director for her videos? Maybe having less overproduced tracks? Gaga did a great job with MTN, especially being her first directorial debut, don’t get me wrong, but can you imagine if an Akerlund or a Lawrence directed it instead?

[D NelsonMember]

Found out just now that Oprah will be involved with the BTW foundation–definitely a way to regain the spotlight, huh?

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