base talk If the original ARTPOP was released; how would it perform?

[Lagerfeld]

 

 

 

 

Well, we all know that the original ARTPOP was supposed to be different and edgy. It was meant to start with 'Burqa' as the lead single, and we were promised other singles such as 'Tea,' 'Ratchet,' and others featuring artists like Azealia Banks and Rihanna.

 

How would the era perform? Would it be an experimental hit with the GP? or shunned? or the same?

 

 

[Contessa]

Even worse. Some of these sounds were already tired in 2012

[JackOfHearts]

Burqa would definitely get some blow back.

Azealia's sheer toxicity would also absolutely poison the era more than it already did.

Rihanna was never intended to be on the album.

Sexx Dreams (?) ft. Robin Thicke would have been AWFUL for her image.

MANiCURE was considered as a single and I would have loved to see it, but the intended video (Paparazzi pt. 3) would probably contribute to a total shut down of the era and complete cancellation of Gaga when combined with all the other overly raunchy sex stuff with… questionable people.

[itshyolee]

Still would've flopped regardless, especially if creepy ass Burqa was supposed to be the lead single. 
 

Based on those demos, the album would've definitely aged like milk.

[Aston Martin]

I think had these songs been on Artpop and it had the same rollout as it ended up with, nothing would've changed. I have more thoughts on the original rollout/alternate plans, but they're long as hell  so I'm putting them in spoiler tags 
 

Spoiler

MANiCURE was slated to be the lead/Telephone sequel (and the video was going to be x-rated with celeb cameos. Charlie Sheen of all people even confirmed it). Now that may have done well initially out of sheer controversy but it probably wouldn't have held up in the long run. In retrospect, Applause and DWUW ft. someone like Miguel or The Weeknd instead of that horrific predator (who can continue to rot in prison ) were the two best single choices for a lead. 
 

The best rollout would've been either of those songs being released as the lead in early 2013 (assuming the hip injury didn't happen in this timeline) with the other being released as the second single and the album being out in Q2 2013 at the latest. Then she could've released a few more singles during the rest of 2013 (while also taking plenty of time to relax) and then toured in 2014. 
 

One on hand, this would've been a better era as a stan. But then I don't think we would've gotten ASIB (or her acting career in general) in this timeline, and that's become one of my favorite things about her career to follow. The jazz and tributes era during 2014-early 2016 also did wonders for her image with the public and I don't know if she'd have that same respect she has now without them. If she released Artpop in early 2013, she probably would've toured in 2014, released LG5 in 2015 (not Joanne), and continued that pattern. Who knows where she'd be today?
 

Also it would've been smart to have released Nothing On (But the Radio) as a free-standing single in 2012. It was on trend for the sound Top 40 radio was playing at the time and I think having another radio hit in a year where she otherwise wasn't releasing music may have been a good idea. I think one of the reasons that she never released it was that the song was written for her instead of by her, but I think fans would've liked it. 

 

[Kiss It Better]

1 hour ago, JackOfHearts said:

Azealia's sheer toxicity would also absolutely poison the era more than it already did.

worse than R Kelly?

[JackOfHearts]

1 minute ago, Kiss It Better said:

worse than R Kelly?

In this scenario, I'd imagine it would be compounded by the R Kelly situation.

It was bad enough with DWUW, and with her having actually worked with Azealia. Eventually Azealia would have turned on her like she did anyways and the public would just see Gaga working with all these terrible problematic people. And then imagine Robin Thicke being part of the album, she would have never recovered.

[Pendulum]

Sold out on iTunes in an unprecedented move

[Petra von Kant]

while red flame is an absolute banger and AB gives it all, i'm not sure about how it would do commercially, probably just ok 

[AbeHicks]

Burqa as a lead single would be something that is criticized at the time but then it is remembered fondly as time passes and people recognize its brilliance. Like what is happening with Judas right now. It was written off because of the controversy, because it was released 1 day before easter and it's blasphemous, but look at it 11 years later? It stood the test of time, it is trending, some wonderful covers and remixes are created to this day: people are still engaging with that song, which was done wrong at the time simply because people decided they had enough of her.

 

It would be good if she and other pop girls took the long view sometimes and realized that even if something doesn't find immediate huge success, it can still be appreciated years later. Ironically, Rihanna is the only one who really had this: she kept releasing single after single even when they flopped, and look where she ended up: as a huge hitmaker. As opposed to Gaga who has a horrible habit of cutting her eras short and only doing 1-2 singles. That is a very shortsighted view.

 

Like look at G.U.Y. It flopped horribly at the time, yet the 2 videos accumulated 225 million views over the years, which is nothing to scoff at. Just because it did poorly at the time due to radio's refusal to play it doesn't mean it was a wasted effort. It contributes to her artistry.

 

And by the way G.U.Y should have been the lead single

Edited Saturday at 08:21 AM by AbeHicks

[WhateverYouWant]

As much as I love Artpop it was missing that banger of a song.  Do What U Want had the potential to be huge and that song was taken off the album. I firmly believe she knew what she was doing putting r kelly on the song. Stand by it. I saw the vision there but was executed horribly 

[ChooseyLover]

I honestly love Applause and thought it was a good single? Might be alone on this though. All singles were genuinely great picks. I wasn't on the Internet like that in 2013-2014 so I'm not sure what went wrong with the era. Sounds like management and personal issues to me more like musically related issues, idk? It's not the material what was lacking.

[Onyxmage]

10-20-50- hover for a few more weeks then out of the top 100 (I fear)

[alexrex]

Even worse than what it was. She would have been cancelled for releasing Burqa for being offensive towards muslim culture, a collab with Robin Thicke (who also had accusations of groping a model), Azealia being more awful towards her if the collab had been released and the already infamous DWUW ft. R Kelly. And also Jewels and Drugs, which features TI who was accused of SA. 

 

A recipe for disaster. I get why she wants to leave all of that behind. 

[JoeAg]

it was mothaf*ckin doomed from the start  Applause was obviously a perfect lead single (and it remains my fav lead of hers to date loool mothaf*cka it's TRUE) but it should've been released earlier in the year, like in the spring. that way, the only real competition she'd have would be Miley and Robin. Roar was obviously the most perfect end of summer/back to school year jam, like it was true perfection and far more palatable to milquetoast  universe than Applause. but Applause is every bit as much of an earworm as Roar and it had song of the summer slow burner written all over it. it would've been even more refreshing innnnn like May of that year!! but the biggest damn mistake was obvious R k*lly bro… The Weeknd would've been the PERFECT male voice on DWUW but no she had to shoot herself in the FOOOOTTTTT. i'm glad she apologized but I still am so shook sometimes that that's something that actually happened with one of my favs  ANYJUAS! Burqa is gorgeous and was ahead of its toymm but nah, Aura was the right choice for opening track. Manicure or Venus should've been third single, and Tea should've been on there. Nothing On (But the Radio) also would've been a perfect single but obviously she sunk that ship because she didn't write it lol. Brooklyn Nights would've been a good bonus track too, nothing more. gorgeous song but monsters tend to be blinded by its goodness in thinking it'd ever do anything as a single

[JoeAg]

Ratchet and Cake like Lady Gaga would've been cute bonus tracks too!

[AbeHicks]

31 minutes ago, JoeAg said:

it was mothaf*ckin doomed from the start  Applause was obviously a perfect lead single (and it remains my fav lead of hers to date loool mothaf*cka it's TRUE) but it should've been released earlier in the year, like in the spring. that way, the only real competition she'd have would be Miley and Robin. Roar was obviously the most perfect end of summer/back to school year jam, like it was true perfection and far more palatable to milquetoast  universe than Applause. but Applause is every bit as much of an earworm as Roar and it had song of the summer slow burner written all over it. it would've been even more refreshing innnnn like May of that year!! but the biggest damn mistake was obvious R k*lly bro… The Weeknd would've been the PERFECT male voice on DWUW but no she had to shoot herself in the FOOOOTTTTT. i'm glad she apologized but I still am so shook sometimes that that's something that actually happened with one of my favs  ANYJUAS! Burqa is gorgeous and was ahead of its toymm but nah, Aura was the right choice for opening track. Manicure or Venus should've been third single, and Tea should've been on there. Nothing On (But the Radio) also would've been a perfect single but obviously she sunk that ship because she didn't write it lol. Brooklyn Nights would've been a good bonus track too, nothing more. gorgeous song but monsters tend to be blinded by its goodness in thinking it'd ever do anything as a single

The Weeknd was not famous back when ARTPOP was made. He was a non-entity. He was not an option.

[Erreur2 La Nature]

It would have flopped too I guess. The music is honestly doubtful but it wasn't the only thing that brought the whole era down: Lady Gaga's behavior was a total mess ; She was the center of many polemics ; R Kelly drama + scrapped video ; The messy and try hard performances.

 

I was rooting for Gaga at the time eventhough I felt disappointed by the BTW era but every decision she and her team were taking was a step in the wrong direction, on every level. Modifying a song or two on the album would not have changer anything about the era. 

[justin.]

I weep over the fact that we didn't get the album with PARTYNAUSEOUS and Red Flame. I would have also rather had I Wanna Be With You instead of Dope and Brooklyn Nights instead of MJH. 

[AvadaKedavra]

I honestly feel like this is how things should have been 

Official Cover


1th Single.   Do What U Want Feat Drake or trendy male in that time.  Summer release
2th Single.  Venus (High Budget Video as good as Bad Romance)
3th Single.  Aura Remix with Beyonce (High Budget Video Telephone Continuation)
4th Single. I Wanna Be With You
5th Single.  Random Single
6th Single.  Tour video of Gipsy

Longer album
Vol 1 Art  (The artsy-experimental songs)
Vol 2 Pop (The bangerz and generic ones like Donatella)

A great visual experience. A better developed App similar to the Bjork one. Maybe some VR project
Dont  clash with katy roar release or plant stories in the media-perez hilton and more of how katy is childish and not growing up.
Plant some scandal to destroy her.

End result:
10-12 millions of copies worldwide

Edited Saturday at 03:05 PM by AvadaKedavra