On Feb. 2, the 67th annual Grammy Awards were held. On a night intended to celebrate the biggest moments in music from the past year, many iconic moments were naturally generated. Deserving artists, such as Lady Gaga, were universally celebrated for the past years’ releases. Gaga won “Best Pop-Duo/Group Performance” for her single with Bruno Mars, “Die with a Smile.” Unsurprisingly, however, Gaga had more in store for the audience after this win. She used the night to debut an additional single off her upcoming album “Mayhem,” which will be released on March 7. The aforementioned single is titled “Abracadabra,” which she performed and released a music video for.  

At the beginning of her performance of “Abracadabra,” Gaga addresses the crowd in a wide spiky red hat and a skintight red latex dress. She states, “The category is dance … or die.” Very much a Gaga sentiment, if I do say so myself. This outfit pays homage to some of Gaga’s earliest career performances, such as tracks off her early albums “The Fame” and “The Fame Monster.” She then breaks out into a stylized, chaotic, choreographed dance routine complete with many additional backup dancers. The music video flashes between Gaga in her red latex costume watching the dancers from above, and then dressed in a simpler white costume with long blonde hair, dancing among them. This red-clad figure portrayed by Gaga is likely a reference to the lyrics of the song, “Like a poem said by a lady in red.” While the choreography seems disjointed and abstract, an overwhelming sense of unity binds the motions together into one entity. It’s almost similar to the instrumental track of the single itself, which at times can feel overwhelming, but is seamlessly blended with Gaga’s unique vocals. The harsh, intense beat is mixed with softer audio overlaid with her powerful voice.

The reason why I say that this single is Lady Gaga at her “Lady Gaga-est,” if you will, is because the performance draws back to an early version of Gaga, one at the beginning of her expansive career. Not to say the albums from the middle years of her career are any less iconic, of course, but the made-up language present in the chorus of “Abracadabra,” the absurdist costumes and the intense dance-pop beat are all harbingers of the late 2000s days of Gaga. Common praises of “Abracadabra” online lie along the lines of, “I’m watching Gaga’s Grammy performance the same way I watched ‘Bad Romance’ on my mom’s couch in 2009.” The mesmerizing nature of “Abracadabra” is enough to draw fans back to when they’d initially discovered Gaga, which is a powerful artistic ability in itself.

Additionally, Gaga has successfully promoted her new single and upcoming album by engaging with fans online, primarily through social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Gaga has been countlessly reposting, commenting and otherwise engaging with fans who have made artistic content based on “Abracadabra.” While some are calling Gaga’s actions a brilliant marketing tactic, longtime fans of hers recognize Gaga’s behavior as merely a desire to show affection toward her fans, which she has a long-held reputation for doing.

Gaga has clearly made a powerful statement with the release of “Abracadabra” and has captured the attention of both long-term and newer fans. This is evident by the skyrocketing of her monthly listeners on Spotify, as she now comfortably sits third in the world on the streaming platform. The “Little Monsters”—a colloquial term used for the Gaga fan base—are highly anticipating Gaga’s return with “Mayhem” to see how her creative direction dictates this upcoming project.