Joanne is the fifth studio album recorded by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga collaborated with several producers on the album, including Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, BloodPop and RedOne, and co-produced the majority of the material. The music of Joanne features "stripped-down" soft rock and dance-pop styles in order to emphasize the singer's vocal abilities. Lyrically, the album delves on the theme of family and life's emotions, with the death of her aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, having a deep influence on the record.
Joanne received generally positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, it became Gaga's fourth album to reach number one in the United States, and also topped the charts in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the international charts of Japan and Korea, while reaching the top ten in over 15 territories. In order to promote the record, two singles were released, "Perfect Illusion" and "Million Reasons". The first was released as the album's lead single on September 9, 2016, going number one in France and Spain, while the latter was released on November 8, 2016, and reached number four in the United States. The supporting Joanne World Tour started in 2017 and is scheduled to end in 2018.
"Joanne" is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and development[]
Gaga's third studio album ARTPOP was released in November 2013 to mixed reviews. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, and has sold 2.5 million copies as of July 2014. During the album era, Gaga split from longtime manager Troy Carter in late 2013, and by June 2014, she and new manager Bobby Campbell joined Artist Nation, the artist management division of Live Nation Entertainment. On her personal life front, Gaga confessed to being depressed about herself and her talents, and had decided to quit music altogether. The ambivalent reception towards ARTPOP led Gaga's management to overhaul an image change for the singer. Along with a more subdued appearance in media, Gaga emphasized her vocal prowess. A tribute to The Sound of Music at the 87th Academy Awards, where she sang a medley of songs from the film, was critically lauded. She and Tony Bennett also released Cheek to Cheek, an album of jazz duets, in September 2014 to generally favorable reviews. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Gaga's third consecutive number-one album in the United States, and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Additionally, Gaga starred in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), the fifth season of the American anthology television series American Horror Story, winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. While collecting her award, the singer confirmed that she would be releasing her fifth studio album later in 2016, and was working on the logistics and aspects like the looks she would portray for the record. Throughout the majority of 2015 and 2016, Gaga teased the creative and recording processes of the album on her social media accounts. She was seen collaborating with longtime producer RedOne, as well as new collaborators like Giorgio Moroder, Mark Ronson and Nile Rodgers, among others.
Track listing[]
- "Diamond Heart"
- "A-Yo"
- "Joanne"
- "John Wayne"
- "Dancing In Circles"
- "Perfect Illusion"
- "Million Reasons"
- "Sinner's Prayer"
- "Come To Mama"
- "Hey Girl" (feat. Florence Welch)
- "Angel Down"
- "Grigio Girls"
- "Just Another Day"
- "Angel Down" (Work Tape)
- "Million Reasons" (Work Tape) [Japan bonus track]