Everyone seems a bit confused about LG7 — even Lady Gaga.
Photo: Lady Gaga via YouTube
Back in August, Lady Gaga dropped a casual post to kick off her Mayhem promo. She wrote, “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7 …,” on X and Instagram. This hinted at her new duet with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile.” The term LG7 refers to her upcoming seventh album, a term fans embrace. Shortly after, a Vogue cover story officially solidified LG7. She even called September’s Joker: Folie à Deux album’s companion piece LG6.5. As fans awaited Mayhem, they began using #LG7 everywhere.
But hold on, is this really her seventh album? I used to think it was clear. In 2019, Gaga teased Chromatica, saying, “Rumors I’m pregnant? Yeah, I’m pregnant with #LG6.” That made sense: LG5 was Joanne, LG4 was Cheek to Cheek, LG3 was Artpop, LG2 was Born This Way, and LG1 was The Fame. When Chromatica dropped in 2020, I repeatedly called it her sixth album, just like my colleagues.
Last fall, while looking back on Gaga’s career for a story on Mayhem, I realized something didn’t add up. I found myself staring at her album list like I was in a puzzle. After Chromatica, Gaga released Love for Sale, another album with Tony Bennett. If I thought Cheek to Cheek was LG4, then Love for Sale should count as LG7. So, wouldn’t Mayhem be LG8? If we exclude Bennett’s albums, does that mean Mayhem is actually LG6? It turns out, the confusion ran deeper than I thought!
Wikipedia, usually reliable for album order, didn’t help. It listed Joanne as Gaga’s fifth studio album, but Artpop as her third. When someone pointed out this on Reddit, a fan weighed in. They mentioned the ambiguity of the Bennett projects: “Cheek to Cheek is her first collaboration, but it’s also her fourth studio album. Likewise, Love for Sale is her second collab yet her seventh studio album.”
“You forgot The Fame Monster, that’s her second album!” another fan pointed out. Right! This album, a reissue of The Fame, is seen as separate by some fans. Gaga herself said it had enough new material to count as its own album. “It’s a new album’s worth of material,” she told Rolling Stone in 2009. Including The Fame Monster and her work with Bennett would label Mayhem as LG9. The discussion got crazier on Reddit, with arguments about even more albums!
It’s clear this discussion is more about fans’ perspectives than Gaga’s discography. People are now debating whether Mayhem should be labeled her sixth, seventh, eighth, or even ninth album. Yet, everyone continues to call it LG7. So, let’s lay down some ground rules: no deluxe editions, collaborations, or remixes should count towards the album tally. This means we’ll skip The Fame Monster, Cheek to Cheek, Love for Sale, and Dawn as “official albums.” From now on, Mayhem will be our LG6.
Source link
music, lady gaga, mayhem, chromatica, the fame, the fame monster, albums, pop, lg7, joanne, artpop, cheek to cheek, love for sale, this is mayhem
