To the haters out there who think Artpop was trash: Hold my drink.
Don't believe me? Read on.
Streamline / Interscope
Before becoming famous, Gaga went to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she reportedly wrote a thesis on Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst, two modern artists whose works reference popular culture. Gaga was always fascinated by the marriage of art and pop culture, and Artpop was her tribute to that marriage.
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Artpop was released around the same time as Miley's Bangerz, Katy's Prism, and Beyoncé's bombshell self-entitled album. These albums weren't necessarily better or worse than Artpop, but the goal of these albums was ENTIRELY different from Gaga's.
VH1
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"I don’t need to be on top to know I’m worth it, 'cause I'm strong enough to know the truth."
Gaga has always been cutting-edge. Who else was making songs about bottoming in 2013? Go on, I'll wait.
Streamline / Interscope
Gaga didn't shy away from anti-capitalist symbolism and provocative imagery in this cinematic masterpiece.
Streamline / Interscope
Streamline / Interscope
It's also just so YAAASS-worthy.
Streamline / Interscope
"Sexxx Dreams" is just a damn good song.
BBC
It's not easy to step outside the box and take huge risks, especially in an industry dominated by convention and driven by numbers. Gaga's goal with Artpop wasn't to own the charts and make a ton of money — by 2013, she had already proven she could do that. But, as weird as Artpop got, it always had her die-hard supporters in mind.
HBO
Executing the concept behind Artpop was an almost impossible, even laughable goal. But Gaga has never shied away from being laughed at, or attempting the impossible, or exaggerating her life, persona, and work to performative extremes. And that is how Artpop will be remembered — a performance of the pop star desperate for self-awareness, desperate to be something more than just pop, begging the question as to whether that's even possible.
CBS
You're wrong.
Nippon Television Network
NFL