Last night, when Lady Gaga’s new studio album, Mayhem, hit streaming services, many fans (and critics) noticed the similarity between Gaga’s new track “How Bad Do U Want Me” and the discography of one miss Taylor Swift (you can really hear the parallels here).

Her new album is a work of self-citation, rummaging around in Gaga’s own past for inspiration. It’s also, somehow, the freshest collection of songs she has released in years.

The star singer returns with her first solo LP since 2020, and it’s full of typically irresistible hooks and her signature sense of drama.

It is as complete a statement about who Lady Gaga is in 2025 as anything could be. MAYHEM repositions Gaga as a dance diva heavily indebted to the icons who came before her to an audience as likely to know her for wearing a meat dress as for performing with Tony Bennett.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are marveling at the high-wire act Gaga pulled off with her seventh studio album.

It's like she's casted a magic spell. With "Abracadabra" - the third single on Lady Gaga's newly released album "Mayhem" - she's now suddenly back in the charts after a long absence. The black and white cover shows an edgy Gaga near shattered glass.

"I was not sure that I should put that on the record, and Michael was like, ‘You have to — your fans are going to love that song,' " Gaga said