Lady Gaga teases Chromatica duet with female pop star: It's a 'celebration of all the tears'

One does not simply enjoy Chromatica by one's self.

The otherwordly realm (and namesake headspace that inspired Lady Gaga's new album) is a place best traversed with likeminded individuals in tow, as the Oscar-winning singer has confirmed a major female pop star will feature on a song from the studio set.

In a recent interview with Paper magazine, Gaga revealed she recorded a major duet with a prominent woman in the music industry on a mammoth dance song that serves as a "celebration of all the tears" both have experienced as public figures grappling with personal trauma.

"I sat with her and we talked about our lives. It's two women having a conversation about how to keep going and how to be grateful for what you do," she said, revealing the lyrics "it's coming down on me, water like misery" were written in "celebration of all the tears" she's shed as a public figure dealing with pain in private.

Gaga previously told French radio station NRJ that she has multiple "exciting duets" on Chromatica in addition to the one outlined by Paper, and, after pop star Ariana Grande interacted with Lady Gaga on Instagram shortly after the release of Chromatica's lead single, "Stupid Love," in late February, fans speculated that the 26-year-old "Thank U, Next" singer could be one of them — specifically on a track reportedly titled "Rain On Me," though that has yet to be confirmed.

Paper went on to describe Chromatica as "firmly rooted in classic house, with crisp, clubby dance breaks that all sound like they're competing with each other to be the biggest on the tracklist," with tracks produced by the likes of Max Martin, BURNS, Axwell, Tchami, Rami Yacoub, and Gaga's longtime collaborators Benjamin Rice ("Applause") and BloodPop (Joanne). It all amounts to a record Gaga approached as coping tool, allowing her to dance through the pain of things like her fibromyalgia diagnosis, complications from which resulted in the cancellation of the back half of her Joanne world tour at the top of 2018.

"It's a smack across the face throughout the album," Gaga said of the album's celebratory tone that serves as a soundtrack for the healing "perspective" Gaga has dubbed Chromatica. "We don't stop being that happy. You will hear the pain in my voice and in some of the lyrics, but it always celebrates."

Other topics Gaga said she will explore on the album include her experience with antipsychotic medication, living with post-traumatic stress disorder after she was raped at age 19, and coming into her own femininity with the help of gay men and transgender women.

"In 2020, what does it mean to be a free woman?" Gaga said of a song that sees her challenging the societal expectation of a woman needing anyone else — particularly a man — to survive. "Can I feel free on my own? Do I need to be loved in order to feel like I've conquered it all? It came from thinking on some days I was going to die. I was like, 'I'm going to die soon, so I better say something important.' Now I listen to it and know that I'm going to live."

Chromatica is set for release on April 10. Read Gaga's full Paper cover story — in which she discusses the "Stupid Love" leak, her infamous tweet about being unable to remember Artpop, and more — here.

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