Artpop is here.
Well, not exactly, because the album comes out officially November 11, but the release of her new music video, “Applause” certainly captures the elements of mixing art with pop music that her album title suggests.
“Applause” is a tribute of sorts to her fans, letting them know just how important they are in the world of Lady Gaga. They keep her going, and are the reason for her existence. She lives for “the applause” of the fans, and the last six months have understandably been very hard for her, as she recovered from hip surgery after having to cancel the rest of her "Born This Way" tour in February.
She has not performed since then, and has been out of the limelight somewhat, which seems to have caused a restlessness that has her itching to get back to the stage.
The video, premiered on Monday on every billboard screen in Times Square on Good Morning America, is a visual representation of this journey from dormancy back to active life again, and of how much she has missed and needed her fans.
One of the most memorable images is the black glove-kini she is seen wearing at various times in the video. It consists of a regular black bikini bottom and a top made out of black gloves, positioned a lot like the hands covering Janet Jackson in her famed Rolling Stones cover.
Another is when her face takes the place of the head of a black swan, referencing Jeff Koons’ balloon swans, and this happens at the same time as she sings “One second I’m a Koons / then suddenly the Koons is me.”
A third striking image is the colorful face paint that appears smeared across her face in the video, which she spoke about in her interview with GMA:
“As I was performing on the set, I started to feel really emotional and sad because I hadn’t seen my fans for a long time. It’s very different performing for a camera than performing for 50,000 people. It feels different, and I truly miss them. So I took my hands and I smudged the makeup down my face like tears, and I began to cry while I was singing, singing, ‘I live for the applause.’”
Pretty dramatic, but in the world of Lady Gaga, the dramatic is the norm, and the unexpected is always what is expected.