Lady Gaga scored big time last night at Tony Bennett’s 90th birthday celebration at Radio City. She got a standing ovation, and her performances were historic. Gaga talks about her whole life and career have changed since she met Bennett and discovered she a voice for jazz, standards, and Broadway.
But Gaga’s return to the pop world hasn’t been so smooth. She released her new single, “Perfect Illusion,” a week ago and it went straight to number 1 on iTunes. But today it’s number 15, and number 25–at best– on radio. After a quick bit of excitement, “Perfect Illusion” fell out of favor.
Yesterday Gaga announced her new album, called “Joanne,” will be released on October 21st. The title is odd, but it means something important to Gaga– she named it after her late, beloved aunt. But let’s hope the release isn’t as haphazard as
“Illusion.” With sales in the toilet across the board on all albums, really shrewd marketing and some kind of plan is needed. The cover of “Joanne” is a lovely picture, but I can’t stay it does or means anything particularly.
On the bright side, “Perfect Illusion” has had 14 million views on You Tube. Imagine if she’d made money on that. But views on YouTube plus $2.50 will get you on the subway.
PS Yesterday Billboard ran no fewer than four articles on Lady Gaga and “Joanne.” What’s that all about?
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