Lady Gaga faces her “inner darkness” in the bloody, twisted and demonic video for ‘Disease’.
In the visual for the acclaimed dark-pop anthem, a dishevelled (and seemingly possessed) version of the star is run down by a car in a suburban area by another Gaga variant, this one even more sinister and nefarious.
As the video progresses, more variants battle (and embrace) one another, before the main Gaga escapes and serves frenetic choreography as walls close in on her.
Reflecting on the meaning of the video, Gaga said: “I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It’s never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. It makes me feel claustrophobic.
“‘Disease’ is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realising that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment.”
She continued: “Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony.
“I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life. No matter how scary the question, the answers are inside of me. Essential, inextricable parts of what makes me me. I save myself by keeping going. I am the whole me, I am strong, and I am up for the challenge. Happy Halloween.”
The video was immediately met with widespread praise from fans and critics, who hailed it as a worthy addition to her legendary filmography.
“BREAKING NEWS: Lady Gaga‘s new music video Disease just received a 55 minute standing ovation from me in my bedroom after watching it for the 200th time,” said one fan. (Also, same.)
“Dare I say that “Disease” is one of Lady Gaga’s best music videos,” another tweeted, while a third wrote: “#Disease is the best video Lady Gaga has dropped in ten years. My GOD. Dark. Gritty. Unnerving. Bombastic. Campy. I am living.”
Watch the instantly iconic video for ‘Disease’ here or below.
‘Disease’ serves as the lead single from Gaga’s upcoming seventh studio album, dubbed by Little Monsters as ‘LG7’.
The EDM and industrial banger marks the start of the pop icon’s first major music era since Chromatica (2020). The house-inspired album included fan-favourite singles such as ‘Stupid Love’, ‘911’ and the Ariana Grande-assisted chart-topper ‘Rain On Me’.
In the years since, Gaga earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci (2021) and an Oscar nomination for ‘Hold My Hand’, taken from the soundtrack of Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Sshe collaborated with Bruno Mars on the soft-rock anthem ‘Die With A Smile’ earlier this year, which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Global 200, and starred as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel in Joker: Folie a Deux. For the latter, she released the jazz-influenced companion album Harlequin.
LG7 is expected to arrive in February.
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