When we mention Lady Gaga, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind (other than her iconic outfits)? Maybe it’s the electro-pop artist that caught your attention, or the powerful vocal delivery in the movie, A Star is Born. Today, we will dive deep into her discography with the help of our AI to see how Gaga has changed throughout the decade.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, captured the attention of global listeners when she released her 2008 album, The Fame. The album’s danceable electronic beats earned the new artist five Grammy nominations and two wins: one for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording. Tracks like, “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” had straightforward, upbeat rhythms that became instant dance floor hits. Her 2009 release, The Fame Monster, an extension of The Fame, continued her journey into the spotlight.
Gaga’s next two albums - 2011’s Born This Way, and 2013’s Artpop - honed her “typical Lady Gaga style” in synth and dance-pop, and incorporated elements of electronic, rock and 80s pop instrumentation and vibe. The steady drum beats, simple rhythms, pre-chorus build ups and groovy electro beats crowned Gaga as The Electro-Pop Artist.
Growing up singing jazz, Gaga’s 2014 collaboration with Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek, was a natural fit for her. Though this duet was surprising to her fans, revealing a genre no one thought this pop artist would do - jazz - the album was a display of Gaga’s artistic range and abilities. “It’s me rebelling against my own pop music” she said. It was a daring reinvention of Gaga’s style and what she had been known for over the past five years.
Cheek to Cheek opened the door to Lady Gaga expressing herself through a multitude of genres and styles. With the release of Joanne in 2016, Gaga started letting the music speak for itself; her raw vocals – much higher in the mix than before – gave weight to Gaga’s delivery, which we can hear in the track, “Million Reasons.” Joanne ranges from contemporary pop to soft rock, country-funk, R&B and soul, which was the ideal runway to her leading role in the movie, A Star is Born.
A Star is Born is both the movie and soundtrack in which Gaga starred alongside Bradley Cooper. The duo wrote, recorded and released the album with a pop-folk twang (to match their character’s personas). Their much-loved single, “Shallow”, has a slow, acoustic build-up, ending with a booming finale, sung by both characters. It won the 2019 Grammy for Song of the Year and showcased Gaga’s ability to stretch from electro-pop icon to raw folk singer.
Through the last decade, Lady Gaga has proven that she has what it takes to be not only a pop “one trick pony”, but an expansive artist undefined by one genre. Using AI to tag music can remove variables such as preconceived ideas of what an artist sounds like, or what genre they are. Artists often change up their music or experiment with styles to prevent being stagnant, yet metadata and manual tagging often limits how music is being described and organized. Using AI to listen and tag tracks provides an accurate representation of an artist, giving them more freedom to innovate and evolve their music.
Curious about how we found these insights? Take a look at our tagging demo and tag to your heart’s desire!
