poll Were you expecting Taylor's level of success for Gaga?

[RobynYoBank]

During the height of her fame, yes. I remember all the discussions back then about how she might be the next “big one.”

[better than revenge]

2 minutes ago, shyboi said:

 

Madonna was way more polarizing than Britney and Gaga and somehow she managed to keep herself on top for years until her real decline in the late 2000s.

Yes, but I'm referring to the present, not the time when they were at their peaks because being controversial appeared to be an effective way to pique people's interest. Nowadays, it seems that people prefer someone they can relate to, with a 'girl next door' image, much like Taylor, Lana, and Olivia

[Mr. Stratus]

Gaga didn’t keep her cool for a start, which keeps GP on-side. Also, Taylor is the only MPG that is a female 30+ connecting largely with young females. Gaga did BTW and therefore became frontloaded,

solidified a base but lost GP. ARTPOP was a collection of dated productions with weird songs so neither strengthened her base nor got GP back. She did a good career rebuild after that with acting/jazz and some amazing acclaim never regained a strong consistent musuc output. The fact she had ASIB shows she’d capable of surges due to her reputation, name, and talent. Miley Cyrus was/is similar.

 

Nowadays no one but online gays want an album full of 2 minute house bops, let alone from an almost 40 year old Gaga  So it’s where rot go next, she also could do with a much stronger team around her  

Edited September 3, 2023 by Mr. Stratus

[Trent W]

Gaga was never meant to be as big as Taylor because she built herself over gimmicks, costumes and fabricated scandals

 

Her run was always going to be more limited with those bases.

 

She would have definitely have a lot more longevity if she built her career with her talent in singing and getting better at songwriting.

 

If her career had started with shallow in 2018 and she kept going that road she would have found an insane amount of acclaim and longevity 

[Axelios]

Taylor was always more successful than Gaga in the biggest music market.

[luckythisway]

11 minutes ago, better than revenge said:

Well, let's hope it will be lucky enough to break into the top 50.

 

I can't really imagine Gaga experiencing this level of success again.

While I can’t speak for music, she will be omnipresent as ever with JFAD next year. August 2024 - March 2025 will be a rough patch for OGHs 

[perpetual novice]

We get the benefit of hindsight when answering this but yeah, at the end of the TFM era Gaga felt indestructible really, she was a household name in her first year or two of being a mainstream artist. At that point in time it would make sense to think she would have a hugely successful trajectory because it really did feel like that. Unfortunately Born This Way was too hard a pivot into subject areas and sounds that were not public friendly at that point in time, and we all know what happened with ARTPOP, and then her follow up with Joanne really was an album that appealed to no specific demographic. She made too many missteps at crucial points in her career to be considered an actual legend but she's also never been a flop either, the Chromatica Ball packing out stadiums despite the album itself doing moderately speaks a lot to her name power she built in the earlier parts of her career.

[nostalgic]

They are at about the same level in my eyes - both superstars with incredible careers, just different trajectories at the moment. 

[shyboi]

27 minutes ago, Onion Girl said:

what

 

Am i making sense? Sometimes i mix words and hope for the best

[shyboi]

4 minutes ago, perpetual novice said:

We get the benefit of hindsight when answering this but yeah, at the end of the TFM era Gaga felt indestructible really, she was a household name in her first year or two of being a mainstream artist. At that point in time it would make sense to think she would have a hugely successful trajectory because it really did feel like that. Unfortunately Born This Way was too hard a pivot into subject areas and sounds that were not public friendly at that point in time, and we all know what happened with ARTPOP, and then her follow up with Joanne really was an album that appealed to no specific demographic. She made too many missteps at crucial points in her career to be considered an actual legend but she's also never been a flop either, the Chromatica Ball packing out stadiums despite the album itself doing moderately speaks a lot to her name power she built in the earlier parts of her career.

 

You said it better than me in the OP. Thank you.

[Shimenawa]

Yeah Gaga was supposed to be the new Madonna, but she's happy doing movies and singing jazz now. I think she prioritizes her mental and physical health over her career, she realized life is short and it is not worth it. Taylor became the new Queen of Pop.

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Shimenawa

[istan4badgalriri]

nah Gaga is too polarizing and a controversial figure

 

and she ventured into acting, has a brand

[queenoftheclouds]

Never. Artpop and Joanne ruined it.

Taylor has her second peak. Not many artists have that 

[vuelve88]

No. Gaga focused too much on controversial visual art, particularly with the “Born This Way” era and “ARTPOP” era, and the songwriting started to feel like less of a priority. 
 

There are so many Gaga songs where she just throws together random words and items, rather than taking the time to create meaningful or creative lyrics. 
 

Taylor’s music career always prioritized storytelling and creating a connection with listeners. 

[shyboi]

3 minutes ago, vuelve88 said:

No. Gaga focused too much on controversial visual art, particularly with the “Born This Way” era and “ARTPOP” era, and the songwriting started to feel like less of a priority. 
 

There are so many Gaga songs where she just throws together random words and items, rather than taking the time to create meaningful or creative lyrics. 
 

Taylor’s music career always prioritized storytelling and creating a connection with listeners. 

 

Joanne and Chromatica are very personal tho, the lyrics are very well thought imo.

[Redstreak]

23 minutes ago, Aristotle said:

Not really after 80s her controversy always backfired in sales like Erotica and  American Life.

Madonna reinvented herself musically in very genius manner after her 80's reign that helped her regain power. 

Not to the extent that Gaga’s backfired. Madonna continued to have political controversy that made statements and angered the people she was speaking against. Things like the meat address ended becoming more things that people poked fun at

[vuelve88]

11 minutes ago, shyboi said:

 

Joanne and Chromatica are very personal tho, the lyrics are very well thought imo.

“Wrapped in shadows, my heart races
Dragon's eyes watch, goddess breathing
Give me something to believe in”
 

 

 

“I'm sour candy, so sweet then I get a little angry, yeah
Sour candy, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm super psycho, make you crazy when I turn the lights low
Sour candy, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Take a bite, take a bite
So-sour candy
Take a bite, take a bite
So-sour candy
Take a bite, take a bite
So-sour candy
Take a bite, take a bite
Sour candy”

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by vuelve88

[GraceRandolph]

Yep, I think we might’ve all died in 2012 as was predicted and now we’re living in a version of hell. Evidence includes the Trump administration. 

[GraceRandolph]

3 minutes ago, vuelve88 said:

“Wrapped in shadows, my heart races
Dragon's eyes watch, goddess breathing
Give me something to believe in”
 

 

 

The song is called Enigma. 
 

Turnin' up emotional faders
Keep repeating self-hating phrases
I have heard enough of these voices
Almost like I have no choice
This is biological stasis
My mood's shifting to manic places
Wish I laughed and kept the good friendships
Watch life, here I go again

I can't see me cry
Can't see me cry ever again

[thatsmydemi]

Even though her peak was massive, she was never going to maintain it with her eccentricities and antics so I didn't expect it. Part of Taylor's appeal is her safe image, which is something Gaga never had. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by thatsmydemi

[perfillusion]

Another “Gaga vs ___” thread by a Britney stan  

[LewisK]

21 minutes ago, Shimenawa said:

Yeah Gaga was supposed to be the new Madonna, but she's happy doing movies and singing jazz now. I think she prioritizes her mental and physical health over her career, she realized life is short and it is not worth it. Taylor became the new Queen of Pop.

 

I think this is the real answer. Taylor has a way more GP friendly style, but you have Madonna as well having decades of success. Gaga went through horrible trauma and almost universal hate in late BTW and ARTPOP eras, and suddenly received huge acclaim and love with C2C, Oscar's performance, Superbowl, ASIB... So she stopped trying the Madonna/Taylor/etc route of music industry domination, and focused on doing whatever makes her happy and causes less stress.

[brenda-walsh]

yes, she was quickly branded as the new it girl of the industry and she had the artistry/ uniqueness behind her. her problem is that she tried to pivot into real-world topics too quickly instead of making another catchy popstar record 

[Klein]

I don't think anyone could have predicted a female artist reaching the level of success Taylor is currently experiencing nearly 2 decades into their career. 

[shyboi]

6 minutes ago, perfillusion said:

Another “Gaga vs ___” thread by a Britney stan  

Both are queens tho, and most of the replies agree, they are slaying the game in their own lanes