Lady Gaga is back in the early 2000s with new single Disease.
The singer is back with the first single from her eagerly awaited seventh studio album set to arrive early next year. We had talked about its announcement here: it’s her first solo release since Hold My Hand (2022).
Review and meaning behind Lady Gaga's new single Disease
Timely for the Halloween season, Disease revives the sinister allure of The Fame Monster (2009). It weaves the haunting electro-pop and raw energy reminiscent of Bad Romance . Co-produced by Lady Gaga, Cirkut and Andrew Watt, the single pulses with industrial rhythms, anchored by a grinding bassline that amplifies Gaga's powerful vocal delivery and bold storytelling.
Screamin’ for me, baby
Like you’re gonna die
Poison on the inside
I could be your antidote tonight
Though the lyrics lean on familiar Gaga tropes, the gritty, dungeon-like production makes each line feel dangerously alive, harkening back to some of her historic tracks like Teeth (2009) and Bloody Mary (2011). Gaga relies on her experience portraying a dark and twisted characte using a combination of haunting piano notes, metallic synths and snarling vocals to create an ominous atmosphere.
Disease talks about emotional pain and healing. The word disease is used as a metaphor: it represents emotional and psychological distress (both personal and others') which Gaga has hinted at in past interviews and in her documentary Five Foot Two. Gaga’s remarks about her time in the studio show that this album will serve as a mean to confront her demons and find solace through her music.
Disease feels like a visceral jolt to the heart of pop music. With her return to heavy beats, dark themes and audacious delivery, Gaga reasserts her place as the bold outsider in a genre she continuously reshapes. The new album that will probably come out during the first months of 2025 seems to be a unique and powerful. If Disease is any indication, we're in for a beautiful, exhilarating and positively twisted ride.
You can listen to Disease by Lady Gaga here: