November 12, 2023
Justice for 'Artpop:' Lady Gaga Releases 10th Anniversary Merch
Christopher Ehlers READ TIME: 14 MIN.
"Artpop," Lady Gaga's third studio album, remains to this day one of the artist's most enigmatic career moments. Fresh off a whirlwind and stratospheric three years that encompassed a seemingly overnight ascent to worldwide fame, two huge albums with "The Fame" and "Born This Way," two world tours, and five Grammys, both the world and her devoted fandom were on the edges of their seats waiting to see what she'd do next.
All was revealed in November of 2013 when she released "Artpop," an album that sharply divided both critics and fans. Despite the split, "Artpop" became Gaga's third number one album and spawned a massively successful world tour that played to sold out crowds across 26 countries. But nevertheless, the album is still thought of by some to have been a flop, which, looking at the numbers, is false.
But there is no denying that the album didn't equal the stature and scope of her first two albums and was an altogether different kind of artistic statement, one that represented a popstar in crisis, both personally and professionally. Gaga herself as been mum about specifics, but many speculate that "Artpop" was so flagrantly vapid and glib as a way of her processing trauma and PTSD, not only from being a victim of sexual assault, but from the mental pressures on her as a popstar with the whole world watching.
The original album featured a duet with R. Kelly called "Do What U Want (With My Body)," a song that has since been scrubbed from digital and hard copies of the album (original vinyl pressings containing the song now sell for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market). Gaga later spoke out against this decision, with NBC News reporting that Gaga said of the track that she produced it at a dark time in her life, saying: "I think it's clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time."
The result of the "Artpop" era is that Gaga retreated for a while, emerging finally a couple years later with an altogether different project, "Cheek to Cheek," a collection of standards with Tony Bennet. The project was ultimately a saving grace for Gaga, and when she finally released her next pop album, "Joanne," she was ready for domination again. She played the Superbowl Halftime Show that year, and the rest is history.
"Artpop" has only grown in popularity in the last decade, and it appears as though Gaga is finally ready to start embracing this divisive, painful, and confusing era in her career. Aside from the single "Applause," the songs still remain left out of Gaga's live setlists, so it'll be interesting to see how that evolves moving forward. But in the meantime, we've got some exciting new "Artpop" merch, merch that only a few years ago seemed unthinkable.
Check out some highlights from the collection below, and view the full collection at LadyGaga.com.
Artpop Photo Warp T-Shirt, $40
Artpop Washed Dad Hat, $35
Artpop Geometric Hoodie, $90
Artpop Tracklist Longsleeve T-Shirt, $45
Artpop Drip Crewneck Sweatshirt, $85
Artpop Glasses Portrait Crop Tank Top, $35
Artpop Collage White T-Shirt, $40,
Artpop Drip Pullover Hoodie, $90
Artpop Mask White Crewneck, $80
Artpop Rainbow Reflection Black Longsleeve, $45
Artpop Applause Blue Puff Print T-Shirt, $40
