After her Harlequin album, created as a “companion album” to the film Joker: Folie à Deux, Lady Gaga is making a strong return to music with MAYHEM, an album set for release on March 7. The singer has already shared some of the tracks, including her latest single, “Abracadabra,” which was unveiled during the 2025 Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025.
2024: The Year of the Great Return
Back in the summer of 2022, Lady Gaga performed her sixth album, Chromatica, at the Stade de France, delivering elaborate choreography and stunning pyrotechnics. The monumental tour, themed around ballrooms, concluded, and Gaga slowly retreated from the public eye to focus on preparing for her role as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (or Harley Quinn) in Joker: Folie à Deux by Todd Phillips. While working on the film, she also spent time editing The Chromatica Ball tour footage, which was released this year. At the end of the movie, two messages appeared: “GAGA RETURNS” and “LG7,” indicating her next album. However, no release date was given at that point.
Lady Gaga also shared a new song, her first original music in four years (excluding her work on Top Gun: Maverick), titled "Die With a Smile." The collaboration with Bruno Mars, while not particularly memorable, marked a return to music-making. Gaga later explained in an interview that she and Mars stayed up all night in his studio working on the song.
Joker: Folie à Deux
Presented at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, Joker: Folie à Deux marked Gaga’s return to the media spotlight. She revealed that she had spent considerable time in the studio recently, especially while preparing for the film. During this period, she released Harlequin, an exciting jazz project that reflected her enjoyment of recording and her long-standing love of jazz music, demonstrated through her collaborations with Tony Bennett. In a Vogue interview, Gaga shared how music played a central role in the film, including composing a waltz and working with pianist Alex Smith for her scenes.
“Disease,” A Song Composed with Her Fiancé
In 2024, Lady Gaga recorded much of her upcoming album MAYHEM at Shangri-La, Rick Rubin's Malibu studio. There, she also worked on Harlequin. Gaga describes her connection to the studio as almost personal. In a Vogue interview, she confirmed that MAYHEM would be a pop album influenced by her fiancé, Michael Polansky. The first single, “Disease,” was released on October 25. The lyrics suggest a darker, more intense pop direction, with themes of healing and power. The song was co-written with Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and, notably, Michael Polansky.
Lady Gaga on Her New Album
In an interview with Rolling Stone in September, Lady Gaga described MAYHEM as completely different from Chromatica. She emphasized that the album would reflect a significant period of her life, offering her the freedom to embrace different eras in her music. Gaga recalled that during the making of Chromatica, she was “in a very dark place mentally,” but she now feels she’s left that behind. MAYHEM marks her departure from that dark period and her embrace of new creative possibilities.
“Abracadabra,” New Single Revealed at the 2025 Grammy Awards
During the 2025 Grammy Awards on February 2, Lady Gaga made a major statement with the unveiling of her new single, “Abracadabra,” during a commercial break. Nominated for “Best Pop Duo or Group Performance” and “Song of the Year” for “Die With a Smile,” Gaga also performed “California Dreamin’” live with Bruno Mars, before revealing the new song and accompanying video. This marks another exciting chapter in her musical journey.