After months outside of the limelight, a few retweets here and there, and very little social presence, Lady Gaga has returned.
By now, unless you've been living under a rock while in a coma, you know ARTPOP is on it's way. But the news just keeps coming. Heres what's happened so far:
July 9th: Gaga's Twitter Shuts Down
Tweets were deleted, her bio was changed, and suddenly her AVI went from a tan color to the standard Twitter egg? Her bio was also changed too: "This interface has been shut down temporarily. Please check back for updates." This sparked the first ARTPOP rumors.
July 13th: We Get The Dates
Two weeks ago, we got the big release dates. August 19th brings the first single (see the title below), September 1st brings the ARTPOP Pre-Orders, and November 11th brings the album. The day before ARTPOP drops, there is also going to be this weird ARTPOP party, something outlandish for sure. And we also got what could very possibly be the ARTPOP album artwork, though it's not confirmed. Rumors also ignited of an iTunes Festival debut, and a VMA performance. The news spread like wildfire, and little monsters across the world fainted.
July 25th: ARTPOP Promo
Just two days ago, another ARTPOP promo came down from the heavens. It features Gaga nude, sitting in a computerized chair while wearing fierce techno-scientist glasses. The egg AVI from her Twitter was soon replaced with the electronic vision. Soon after, MTV confirmed that Gaga shall emerge from the stage in the Barclays Center in New York to perform her new single at the VMA's on August 25th. Little Monsters became in desperate need of life support.
July 28th: Applause
Just moments ago, Lady Gaga broke even further news, the ARTPOP app and album pre-orders have been pushed up to August 19th, and she confirmed her new single is titled "Applause." If you're going on iTunes on August 19th, and aren't looking for anything Gaga related, I highly advise you to reconsider.
July 31st - Applause, Lyrics and Video
As the dust settled from the Applause announcement, Gaga unleashed another dust devil by posting some lyrics from her new single, and announced some extra details about the ARTPOP app. Check it out below:
"give me that thing that I love
put your hands up make 'em touch
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E
The ARTPOP app is Free, available in App Stores on your device. You can purchase the music through the ARTPOP app once it's downloaded. Or you can purchase the album at the music store+download the free app separately at the app store. The App is Available Worldwide. The APP is in essence, an interactive jewel case.
The single 'Applause' and its MUSIC VIDEO will BOTH debut on same day. ARTPOP. 8/19 -GAGA"
That is just the stuff that has happened this month. Things that have happened earlier this year (and before) include Zedd (ARTPOP's lead producer) giving an interview to Billboard where he called ARTPOP "pretty f**king cool," Lady Gaga posting a photo of ARTPOP lyrics, and confirmation of a documentary movie that would catalog the process around the creation of ARTPOP. Rumors have also ignited surrounding the song "Ratchet," as Azealia Banks, Gaga herself, and former collaborator Beyonce have all been seen showing off some "Ratchet" earrings. Other songs that have been thrown around include the Title Track, Tea, and Sex Dreams.
So, heres the big question, will it surpass the success Born This Way brought? I think it's either going to be the same, or well beyond. The formula for ARTPOP is the same as Born This Way, it's going to be a first-week-sales-fronted album, and the first single will likely surpass all following ARTPOP singles. Born This Way launched at No.1 on Billboard with 1.1 million sold (yes, everyone is aware of the 440K Amazon copies), while the single launched at No.1 with 448K copies sold and an incredible No.6 radio start. Oh, but that was in 2 days. Providing Gaga doesn't change the single date again, sales of above 700K seem very possible (thanks to the unreal anticipation, a full week of sales and radio and ensuing VMA performance). Album sales should be in the same ball park, especially with pre-orders. I'm going to throw my hat in the ring and say it will sell 850K in its first week. However, the real challenge will be for Gaga to have the ARTPOP era experience the type of longevity we saw Katy Perry's Teenage Dream experience, instead of a slow decline like BTW.
What are you expecting from ARTPOP? Are you excited? Flop or Smash? Comment below!