Lady Gaga tells us everything we want to know about "Abracadabra" after the spectacular Grammy premiere

During theLady Gaga made the masses romp - with her new single "Abracadabra", which she presented with an incredibly artistic video. Elle author Lotte Jeffs sat down with the iconic singer to talk to her exclusively about "Abracadabra"-from the inspiration to the costumes and choreography of the video.

Elle: Congratulations on the debut of your new single "Abracadabra". Tell us everything about the song and the spectacular music video!

Lady Gaga:Well, the song is about facing the challenges of life and night. And about finding the magic in all of this.

What do you mean by "challenge of the night"?

Lady Gaga:If you have to face the world - people around you, your life, your personal circumstances, your unique structure in the world. And if you feel challenged to really show everyone who you are.

Foto: Universal Music

And who is the "Lady in Red"?

Lady Gaga:The "Lady in Red" is everything that puts you on the test. Your inner monologue. , Can you do it Will you make it? Are you good enough? ' In many ways, the song is about dealing with this challenge to itself - very often the world around us reflects that. I wanted to investigate the question of what it feels like to develop and not always survive.

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Is she defeated at the end of the video? Are you the winner of all the inner doubts?

Lady Gaga:For me, she initiates the challenge and a real side of me in this video, which looks at all the negative talk and doubt and stands by me. It penetrates everything. And she says: 'I am ready for the challenge.' It is interesting because we had all of these different options, how the video could end, and ultimately I wanted this song to act in a way of resilience as the song "Disease" did not. The song acted on inner torture and the capture.

The dance floor is always the place where I try to develop myself as a person.

Lady Gaga

I wanted to break through with this song what it means to hold out. And research the metaphor of perseverance on the dance floor, because the dance floor is - for me - always the place where I try to improve as a person. How can I work harder? How can I show more passion? How can I give more of my authentic self? How do I earn my place as a performer?

We love the place where the music fails and the dancers almost attack them with the same text that has just been sung ...

Lady Gaga:The song has a spell. I imagine that people who are hard to you in your life or negative talk also look like a spell. You can be seduced to believe it.

Is the magic broken in the video?

Lady Gaga:In the video I fight with everything - I dance against it, I sing against it. The video is also about community. We worked with about 50 dancers. Learning the choreography, being with the dancers, working with Parris Goebel was a wonderful experience. We were a family and tried to find something really authentic together. For me it is crazy to see the video now, so many weeks after the beginning of the year. What we did about resilience a few months ago now comes out where we need it the most.

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Tell us more about the creation of this fascinating choreography ...

Lady Gaga:Parris and I worked very closely together, it is an absolute genius. We shot the video for "Disease" together and talk about how we can continue this inner dialogue. Part of "Mayhem" are these contradictory pages in us that do not really make sense but still argue.

We wondered how we can express this through the dance. Ultimately, we decided that the video about the figure Mayhem should be, the lady in red - it is her club, it is her night and she says: 'Okay, everyone who is here with us has already done so. And tonight you only have two options, either you dance or it's over. And I'm out. ' Parris worked on the various choreographies for many weeks. We kept thinking back and forth, then I went to the studio to learn everything. That was a great time. What I like is that the movements express so much of what I try to say. When listening to "Abracadabra" for the first time, you may think: what's the point? It's fun to listen, but what does that mean? And when you see the video, it becomes clearer that it simply means: we have to continue.

The white cloak in the video was recycled from old wedding dresses.

Lady Gaga

We have to talk about the costumes!

Lady Gaga:I worked with Peri Rosenzweig and Nick Royal - a wonderful duo - on all my main costumes. We have cooperated with some amazing young designers who designed the design. For the dancers I put on Hunter Clem and Genesis Webb. The costumes were designed by Olivier Theyskens and Sam Lewis. The hats of Stephen Jones and Maximilian Gedra designed. The shoes? Chrome Hearts. And the jewelry was from dosisg6c. The looks were designed by Seth Pratt, Suman Gurung, Renee Masoomian, Iggy Solive, Anastasia Vikhoreva and Galedi. It was also important for me that we also proceed in an environmentally conscious way in a video of this size and do not produce too many new things.

So my white main cloak in the video was recycled from old wedding dresses. We also used fabric from old stocks for the outfits of the dancers. And we used pieces from my archive; So old costumes have been reinterpreted. There were a few new pieces, but we tried to create something that was made in mind with passion and community from start to finish.

What do you think of the finished video now?

Lady Gaga:I am always a little proud of my work, but I feel particularly in harmony with what this video has become.

And what about the album - how do you feel when "Mayhem" is born?

Lady Gaga:First of all, it is an absolute privilege and an honor to publish music that so many people are looking forward to. I am really happy to be a singer, songwriter and producer of music who creates the soundtrack in many life for a moment or a piece of time.

The album was called "Mayhem" to set a part of me and part of life that is not always easy to accept. At first it was difficult to name the album "Mayhem" (DT: chaos, devastation) because I don't really want to have this feeling. I am a hopeful person. I believe that all the breaks in us and the world ultimately teach the power of joy. The joy of dancing, wine, laughter, listening to music and the hug your friends and family! This album is fun! And I liked the contrast from a cheerful album to a dark name.

My fans always reminded me that we can keep our back free.

Lady Gaga

I think people need each other, and my fans always reminded me that we can keep our back free. This album is really everything I want to give them. It is my privilege to make music for you.

Can you call some of the musical inspiration for "Mayhem"?

Lady Gaga:There is a transition moment on the album that is rooted in the music of the nineties. A kind of electric grunge. This era was an answer to the music that came before - such as David Bowie's theatrical rock or Prince and Radiohead. I was inspired by so much music that still flows through my veins today.

If I don't work, I hear a lot of instrumental music because it is very relaxing. She clears my head and gives me a balance to prepare for what I want to say. When I make albums, I get involved in a certain style and listen to everything in this direction. Sometimes it is also about a mixture of all my influences, all these references. In "Mayhem" everything comes together that I know that it makes no sense for others. It is really difficult to define, but it all fits together because everything I am.

How would you describe the process of creating this album? You spoke a lot about fun. Did that be just as noticeable in the development of the album as with the finished product?

Lady Gaga:It was beautiful. It was fun. It was serious. I get very serious when I work. Some of the songs are also angry. But there are moments of humor and confidence. It's also about chaos to be a woman. I feel all of this, do it all. Much of my personal joy lies in the fact that I can make music for my living. The nice thing is that in the end I was able to use the whole thing for me. And I also want people to have this feeling for themselves. I hope that you see it as an expression of what is possible.

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Do you feel particularly vulnerable when you consider how much this plate corresponds to you?

Lady Gaga:I'm not trying to cry while I talk about it. Whenever I talk about my music, I want to cry. I am definitely an excessively open person. Music hits me a nerve that sits deep in my body. And I think my music does that with some people too. Music brings us to life in a new way.

What I like most about music is that a room can have a certain mood. And then you put on a plate and like magic, the mood changes.

So yes, I think this album is very vulnerable. I don't try to play a character, as I did at "Chromatica", "Joanne" and "Artpop", where there were all of these characters. They are all there at "Mayhem", but I am the composer. That's why it is particularly real.

Overall, I would say that I have a special relationship with every single song on the album. Each individual has their place on the album. And it is really the arch of a story that begins with something very disturbing and ends in a kind of hope. Now I can continue this chaos with someone else. We do that together.

Finally: The fans would like to know what the live shows look like and what they have for appearances in their floors ...

Lady Gaga:Unfortunately, I can't reveal it because we are still working on some things. But I'm so excited about the coachella. I hope that people smile, laugh, dance and have the greatest fun at all. I am serious! If you can take something out of this interview, that's exactly what as a priority in my life. In addition to my family, which also includes my partner Michael (Polansky, 41), our dogs and my friends, it is important to me to make people smile. I want everyone to smile through the chaos.

Lady Gaga is the cover star of the March issue of Elle UK, which is available on February 6th, and available on the Absocover from the Neue Deutsche Elle-from February 15th.