I don't really care to defend GaGa from underground musicians, and I find it strange that those have been the most vocal on this subject as of late. Anybody who thinks Lady GaGa is anything beyond a pop diva has got to be mental.
I think the reason MIA and Newsom have spoken out is precisely because Lady Gaga has been treated as though she's offering more than the usual pop fluff, and because Gaga seems to have bought in to that idea herself (or is at least encouraging it).
She is offering more than the usual fluff, just not much. If there is anybody I would like to see spearhead a revolution in the pop genre, I'd love for it to be Lady GaGa. Is she revolutionizing pop music now? Not really, no. Could she in the future? Definitely. I think where detractors fail to give credit is GaGa's potential as an artist.
Now, saying that her schtick is some kind of marketing ploy is something I can't really agree with. Unlike other pop stars sold on a fad, like Avril Lavinge, Lady Gaga is actually really invested in the shit that she does. The costumes, the dances, the performances, the excessive tours, as far as I know, are her idea. The only way I could understand that GaGa is some kind of scheme is if record labels have suddenly mastered the craft of transforming some nobody into a super-fad.
It's hard for me to believe that she's being forced by some big, shadowy corporation to do any of this considering that in the book that comes with that $200 edition of The Fame Monster, it's filled with concepts and notes and sketches of costumes, choreography, a lot of which GaGa personally oversaw.
Part of the reason I even pay attention to this woman is the fact that
unlike other pop stars, she's actually genuine with her style. I have a feeling that the people who think she's a ploy are a little too jaded, rather than the people who think she's genuine are too naive.
EDIT: Sorry to make this post longer than it is already but:
Agreed. She gets a lot of co-signs from various people/sites, even hipster types. Which is odd considering how willing Gaga is to make herself a product. People praise her ridiculous Telephone video while ignoring all the product placement in it. I'm not one to complain about that stuff normally, but it's odd seeing someone who refers to herself in third person shucking and jiving for PlentyOfFish.com.
I think it's pretty obvious that the blatant product placement in Telephone was a part of the theme. Lady GaGa was already huge way before Telephone, and none of her videos UNTIL Telephone had anywhere near as much product placement. IIRC the Bad Romance video didn't have ANY product placement in it, except a Wii controller, that you had to look for. I can't be the only one who sees how obvious that is
