Dawn of Chromatica | ||||
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Remix album by | ||||
Released | September 3, 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:49 | |||
Language | English • Korean | |||
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Lady Gaga chronology | ||||
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Dawn of Chromatica is the third remix album by American singer Lady Gaga, released on September 3, 2021, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Consisting of remixes of songs from Gaga's sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), the album embraces an underground, hyperpop production and features collaborations with numerous pop, electronic and Brazilian musicians.
Gaga's goal with her album was to display her love and support towards younger and upcoming artists. The featured acts include Arca, Rina Sawayama, Pabllo Vittar, Charli XCX, Ashnikko, Shygirl, Dorian Electra and Bree Runway, while retaining the contributions of Ariana Grande, Blackpink, and Elton John from the original album. Dawn of Chromatica received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who underscored its experimental nature. Commercially, it peaked at number 66 on the US Billboard 200, while topping the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
On March 2, 2020, American singer Lady Gaga announced that her sixth album, Chromatica , was to be released on April 10. [1] The album was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though it was eventually released on May 29, 2020. [2] [3] On April 4, 2021, the album's executive producer, BloodPop, [4] teased the possibility of a Chromatica remix album, asking his Twitter followers to suggest which artists they would like to see on such a project if it were to exist. He later replied to his tweet and tagged Japanese-British musician Rina Sawayama, who replied to it with a smirking emoji. He also confirmed he was working with British musician Charli XCX on a remix of the album's third single "911", and that the remix album would include an early version of "Babylon" that soundtracked an advertisement for Gaga's cosmetics brand Haus Laboratories. [5] On May 8, BloodPop revealed on his Twitter that American musician Dorian Electra would be on the album. [6] During an interview at the 2021 Brit Awards, Sawayama talked about the project, stating that "The wish is on the internet, and I've done my bit, let's just say that. So, it's in the works." [7] She also hinted that the song she was featured on was "Free Woman". [8]
On May 12, 2021, Charli XCX announced that production for the "911" remix had begun. [9] Later that month, British musician Bree Runway revealed she was involved with the remix album during an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show , [10] while on August 10, announcing she would appear on a remix of "Babylon" by tweeting out its lyrics. [11] That same day, Gaga acknowledged the album for the first time, saying that it was "so f*cking fuego" in a tweet, [12] and American singer and rapper Ashnikko confirmed her involvement with the project. [11] A snippet of her "Plastic Doll" remix was teased by RuPaul's Drag Race winner Aquaria during a DJ set in the weeks leading up to the album's announcement. [13] During the same period of time, the brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar hinted that she would be featured on a remix of the song "Fun Tonight" bringing dancing brazilian rhythms such as forró and brega-pop, and American producer Lil Texas confirmed his involvement by posting a short snippet of his remix of "Sine from Above". [14] [15] Other announced contributors include British musician Shygirl and Venezuelan producer Arca, who revealed to her Discord fan server that she had remixed Chromatica's second single "Rain on Me", which features American singer Ariana Grande. [8]
In July 2021, Canadian producer and singer Grimes announced on her Discord that she had produced remixes of the three interludes featured on Chromatica. She mentioned that she initially missed the deadline to submit them to the record label, but later speculated that due to the project's delay, there would be time. [16] However, after the album's official announcement on August 30, 2021, it was apparent that Grimes' contributions did not make the cut. [8]
Talking about the album, Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly opined that "while most remix albums are a further celebration of the lead artist's music, the forward-thinking Lady Gaga uses Dawn of Chromatica to also spotlight some of the recent pop talent that's blossomed in her image." [17] In an interview with The Wall Street Journal after the release of the record, Gaga said: "I love young artists and support them. All of them on the album have something to say, and they performed their hearts out." [18]
"Chromatica was released at the beginning of a global pandemic, a shred of light for many in a dark time. Dawn of Chromatica is the soundtrack to the sunrise after that long night, featuring the works of some of the most forward-thinking artists all over the world. Dawn of Chromatica is truly a collaboration between Lady Gaga, the featured artists, and the community, for the community."
Dawn of Chromatica contains mainly underground pop and hyperpop sound. [20] [21] [22] The album opens with "Alice" remixed by the Berlin-based Philadelphian rapper and producer Lsdxoxo, who described it as "' Promiscuous Girl ' on 2CB "[ sic ]. [23] The second song in the track list, "Stupid Love", is remixed by the French producer Coucou Chloe, who "strips away the lead single's bubblegum beats to reveal a macabre midnight romp". [24] [25] Arca's remix of "Rain on Me" follows as the third track; she introduces synths in the song and samples the songs "Time" and "Mequetrefe" off her fourth studio album Kick I (2020), as well as the Changa tuki track "Mételo Sácalo" by DJ Yirvin. [26] [8] Rina Sawayama and English producer Clarence Clarity's remix of "Free Woman" features influences of metal with wailing riffs and drum fills, which resembles Gaga's 2011 studio album Born This Way . Sawayama starts the songs saying "let's go Gaga". [27] Pabllo Vittar's reimagination of "Fun Tonight" consists of forró music. [28]
The Charli XCX and English producer A. G. Cook remix of "911" gives a "transcendental" sound to the original version, with an overly distorted chorus and a new verse with lines such as "I look out to Venus and search for a place / And search for a place / And sometimes I hate myself" and "If it's all getting way harder / Turn it up, party to Gaga". [28] [29] Ashnikko remixed "Plastic Doll" into a trap version, changing its mid-tempo composition." [13] [28] "Sour Candy", featuring South Korean girl group Blackpink, receives a "booty-popping" club version by Shygirl and the Guernsey producer Mura Masa, and includes little metallic whizzes. [13] [30] [29] The remix, however, retains vocal contributions of Blackpink's Rosé and Lisa only, removing those of Jennie and Jisoo. [31] The album follows with an EDM remix of "Enigma" by American producer Doss, featuring "pulsating drops". [28] [29] Dorian Electra's remix of "Replay" is influenced by metal and features "dramatic vocals" and "menacing growls". [26] [30]
"Sine from Above", a duet with English musician Elton John, was remixed by American musician Chester Lockhart, Canadian musician Mood Killer, and American musician Lil Texas. Their version features distorted bass, glitched trap, drum & bass, cartoonish sound samples, a sax solo and finishes with hardstyle music. [32] [13] [30] English musician Planningtorock's turns "1000 Doves" into a new wave track with house music influence. [32] [27] The album closes with two versions of "Babylon": the "throbbing techno revamp" featuring Bree Runway and American producer Jimmy Edgar, alongside the "sledgehammering" Haus Labs version. [13] [26] [29]
Although BloodPop previously teased potential release of Gaga's collaborations with late Scottish producer Sophie that were scrapped from the original album, none of the songs appear on Dawn of Chromatica. [13] Sam Murphy of Junkee nevertheless acknowledged the "impact she has had on this futuristic brand of pop music. [...] The hyperpop movement [...] can largely be traced back to Sophie, and all the artists who appear here display some of Sophie's influence." [28] The producers of the "Sine from Above" remix further underscored this. Mood Killer stated that Sophie's "presence is all over the remix album. It's undeniable; she's part of the fabric of our scene and the industry, or whatever — our corner of it." [33] Chesther Lockhart added that "even if the style is different, so many of the sounds and the forward-thinking-ness and the ability to use electronic instruments in a different way is inspired by Sophie's impact on this underground electronic music scene over the past decade." [33]
Dawn of Chromatica was officially announced on August 30, 2021, and released on September 3, on streaming and digital download formats. [34] Its CD was released on November 19, 2021, [35] while the vinyl was released in March 2022. [36] On the release day, Gaga posted a video of herself with cartoon filters through her social media. It included a snippet from the breakdown of the "Sine from Above" remix, along with a message encouraging her followers to "smile and dance through the pain". [37] In a further Twitter post, she invited her followers to celebrate the album's artists "who see the world, feel the world, and put that feeling into something bigger than all of us: music." [38]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [39] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [30] |
Clash | 8/10 [25] |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [27] |
Slant Magazine | [26] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( ) [40] |
According to Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Dawn of Chromatica received a score of 74 based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [39]
Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called the album "the daring and liberated sibling" to Chromatica, with "wild, sometimes noisy, and always thrilling reimaginings." [30] Dubbing it "brilliantly entertaining", Robin Murray from Clash stated that "this remix compilation is an excuse to adore Lady Gaga for her abilities as a cultural curator, one of this generation's few – only – true interstellar pop talents." [25] Sam Murphy of Junkee thought that the remix album "unlocks the thrilling potential of the original", adding that "the whole album is noisy and garish, but it's thrilling to hear Gaga in a sonic arena that's uninhibited by what is happening in the mainstream. [28] Wolfgang Ruth of Vulture claimed that "filled with sliving remixes containing sliving features [...] this record is, no surprise, next level." [41] Writing for Gigwise , Alex Rigotti referred to it as "deliciously dramatic pop insanity". [29]
According to Pitchfork 's Jamieson Cox, Dawn of Chromatica is "less a wall-to-wall collection of club bangers than an expansion of the Chromatica cinematic universe," and feels "less like a celebration of a world-beating record and more like passing the torch." [27] Tom Hull described the album as "beats sharpened, persona reduced, like a filter that turns realistic photos into caricatures." [40] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine was more critical, opining "the album is a mixed bag, swinging wildly between microgenres and quality from track to track. If the original album favored pop hooks over musical invention, many of the versions on Dawn of Chromatica are noisy or just plain tuneless." [26]
In the United States, Dawn of Chromatica debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart with 11,000 album-equivalent units, [42] while topping the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. This made Gaga tie the record for the most cumulative number one dance albums and extend her record as the artist with the most cumulative weeks at number one (at 211 weeks). She also became the first artist in history to occupy the top four positions in a single week, with Dawn of Chromatica, Born This Way (2011), The Fame (2008), and Chromatica (2020), respectively. [43]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Remixer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Alice" (Lsdxoxo remix) |
| Lsdxoxo | 2:40 |
2. | "Stupid Love" (Coucou Chloe remix) |
| Coucou Chloe | 2:36 |
3. | "Rain on Me" (Arca remix; with Ariana Grande) |
| Arca | 4:23 |
4. | "Free Woman" (Rina Sawayama and Clarence Clarity remix) |
| Clarence Clarity | 3:53 |
5. | "Fun Tonight" (Pabllo Vittar remix) |
| 2:20 | |
6. | "911" (Charli XCX and A. G. Cook remix) |
| A. G. Cook | 4:13 |
7. | "Plastic Doll" (Ashnikko remix) |
| Oscar Scheller | 2:29 |
8. | "Sour Candy" (Shygirl and Mura Masa remix; with Blackpink) |
| Mura Masa | 3:45 |
9. | "Enigma" (Doss remix) |
| Doss | 4:29 |
10. | "Replay" (Dorian Electra remix) |
|
| 3:49 |
11. | "Sine from Above" (Chester Lockhart, Mood Killer and Lil Texas remix; with Elton John) |
|
| 4:10 |
12. | "1000 Doves" (Planningtorock remix) |
| Planningtorock | 5:05 |
13. | "Babylon" (Bree Runway and Jimmy Edgar remix) |
| Jimmy Edgar | 2:48 |
Total length: | 46:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Remixer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Babylon" (Haus Labs version) |
| 3:01 | |
Total length: | 49:41 |
Notes
Chart (2021–2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [44] | 31 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [45] | 67 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [46] | 85 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [47] | 89 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [48] | 97 |
French Albums (SNEP) [49] | 108 |
Greek Albums (IFPI) [50] | 39 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [51] | 38 |
Irish Albums (OCC) [52] | 45 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [53] | 49 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [54] | 279 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [55] | 72 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [56] | 32 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [57] | 26 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [58] | 71 |
UK Albums (OCC) [59] | 56 |
US Billboard 200 [42] | 66 |
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [60] | 1 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | September 3, 2021 | Interscope | [34] | |
November 19, 2021 | CD | [35] | ||
March 25, 2022 | Vinyl | [36] |
Dance-pop is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a combination of dance and pop with influences of disco, post-disco and synth-pop, it is generally characterised by strong beats with easy, uncomplicated song structures which are generally more similar to pop music than the more free-form dance genre, with an emphasis on melody as well as catchy tunes. The genre, on the whole, tends to be producer-driven, despite some notable exceptions.
Top Dance/Electronic Albums, Dance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001 under the title Top Electronic Albums, with the first number-one title being the original soundtrack to the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five positions.
Sawayama is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 17 April 2020 by Dirty Hit. The follow-up to her self-released debut EP Rina (2017), it received widespread acclaim from music critics, specifically towards the wide variety of music genres used, as well as its Y2K nostalgia and "intelligent" nature. Described by Sawayama herself as being "about family and identity", she lyrically explores personal experiences from both her childhood and adulthood.
Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as SOPHIE, was an English music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her work is known for its brash take on pop music and is distinguished by experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesized textures, and incorporation of underground dance styles. It would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
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Adam Mark Crisp, known by the stage name Clarence Clarity, is an English singer, songwriter, producer and musician. He has been praised for his unique, eclectic pop sound which was described by The Guardian as "funk played by a swarm of bees". In addition to his own music he has produced for acts including Rina Sawayama, Dorian Electra, and Sundara Karma.
Rina Sawayama is a Japanese singer, actress and model based in the United Kingdom. Born in Niigata, Japan, she immigrated to London with her parents at the age of five. In 2017, she self-released her debut extended play, Rina. After signing to Dirty Hit in 2020, she released her debut studio album, Sawayama, to critical acclaim. Her second studio album, Hold the Girl, was released on 16 September 2022. Known for her musical versatility, and integration of feminism into her craft, Sawayama has also modelled for fashion campaigns, and made her film acting debut in the action film John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
Chromatica is the sixth studio album by American singer Lady Gaga, released on May 29, 2020, by Interscope Records and subsidiary Streamline. Gaga supervised the production with longtime collaborator BloodPop and a variety of other producers to create the album. Musically, Chromatica is a dance-pop record inspired by early 1990s house music, returning Gaga to her dance music roots and eschewing the stripped-down style of its predecessors Joanne (2016) and A Star Is Born (2018). The album's visual aesthetic saw Gaga adopt a cyberpunk-inspired persona.
Chester Lockhart is an American musician and actor.
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