Lady Gaga has responded to a fan campaign that pushed her 2013 album ‘Artpop’ up iTunes charts around the world, revealing that she “always believed it was ahead of its time”.
On April 13, #buyARTPOPoniTunes went viral on Twitter as fans of Gaga’s began campaigning for a ‘Act II’ to the album.
Subsequently, the album rose up iTunes charts globally, hitting Number Three in the US just after Taylor Swift‘s re-release of ‘Fearless’ and DMX‘s greatest hits album ‘The Best Of DMX’.
Responding to the campaign, Lady Gaga took to social media to say that it “has inspired such a tremendous warmth in (her) heart”.
“Making this album was like heart surgery, I was desperate, in pain, and poured my heart into electronic music that slammed harder than any drug I could find,” she wrote.
The petition to #buyARTPOPoniTunes for a volume II has inspired such a tremendous warmth in my heart. Making this album was like heart surgery, I was desperate, in pain, and poured my heart into electronic music that slammed harder than any drug I could find.
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) April 13, 2021
“I fell apart after I released this album. Thank you for celebrating something that once felt like destruction.”
“We always believed it was ahead of its time,” she continued. “Years later turns out, sometimes, artists know. And so do little monsters. Paws up.”
I fell apart after I released this album. Thank you for celebrating something that once felt like destruction. We always believed it was ahead of its time. Years later turns out, sometimes, artists know. And so do little monsters. Paws up
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) April 13, 2021
The campaign comes just a week after DJ White Shadow, whose production features heavily on ‘Artpop’, revealed he had messaged Gaga about a petition from fans calling for a sequel to the album, which currently as over 39,000 signatures.
“I never been so broken as a human being the day when that record was turned in,” he said of the 2013 album. “At times I felt finished with life. This is not an exaggeration.”
‘Artpop Act II’ was set to contain unheard songs that were intended to follow 2013’s ‘Artpop’ but the project was never released publicly.
‘Artpop’ made headlines back in 2019, after Lady Gaga revealed she’d be removing the song ‘Do What U Want (With My Body)’ from its tracklist due to it featuring R. Kelly, following the slew of sexual abuse allegations and charges made against him.
“My intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative, because I was angry and still hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life,” she said at the time.
“The song is called ‘Do What U Want (With My Body)’ and I think it’s clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time.”
“I intend to remove the song off iTunes and other streaming services and will not be working with him again,” she continued.
“I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young and for not speaking out sooner. I love you.”
Later that year, Gaga had appeared to have scrubbed the song from forthcoming physical releases of the album as well, as fans noticed CD and vinyl listings for the album didn’t include ‘Do What U Want’ either.
The post Lady Gaga reacts to fan campaign pushing for Volume II of ‘Artpop’: “We always believed it was ahead of its time” appeared first on NME.
