Lady Gaga Reveals Fiancé Michael Polansky Convinced Her Not to Turn Mayhem Into a Grunge Album
By Website Content Manager
Her track “Perfect Celebrity” carries the strongest grunge influence among the songs on her Mayhem album.
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem could have taken a very different musical direction.
In a March 8 interview with The New York Times, the “Rain on Me” artist shared that her fiancé, Michael Polansky, convinced her not to turn Mayhem into a grunge album.
“Michael was in the studio with me every day. He was involved throughout the entire process — from creating to completing the record — and played a key role in shaping its sound,” said Gaga, 38.
“It was incredible to collaborate with my partner like that because when I start to doubt myself, no one can call me out on it better than he can,” she added.
When asked for an example, the 14-time Grammy winner shared, “There was a point where I nearly turned the entire album into a grunge record.”
Gaga explained that while Mayhem still features plenty of grunge elements, the inspiration struck her while working on the track “Perfect Celebrity.”
“I was like, ‘Oh, everything should be this,'” she recalled. “[Polansky] told me, ‘But there’s so much other amazing music you’ve created, and it’s all authentically you. You don’t have to force yourself into one style.'”
Reflecting on his advice, Gaga added, “I thought that was really insightful, and I’m glad he said it because I often run with my wild ideas — and sometimes end up regretting it.”
Polansky also played a key role in ensuring a fan-favorite track made it onto Mayhem.
During her appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Gaga revealed that “How Bad Do U Want Me” nearly didn’t make the final cut.
“Oh my God, I almost didn’t include that on the album,” Gaga said about the “total hyper-pop” track.
“I wasn’t sure if I should add it, but Michael insisted, ‘You have to — your fans are going to love that song.’”