What is this surprise album from Lady Gaga, “Harlequin”?

The American singer and actress wanted with this record to pay homage to the character she plays in “Joker Folie à Deux”. But this is neither the film’s soundtrack nor its pop album expected next year.

Lady Gaga released a surprise album this Friday, September 27, Harlequinannounced two days before on social networks. This disc is composed of songs inspired by the character of Harley “Lee” Quinn that she plays opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the film Joker Folie à deux by Todd Phillips, expected on French screens Wednesday October 2. But it’s not the film’s soundtrack.

“After the end of filming Joker Folie à DeuxLady Gaga realized she wasn’t ready to shed the character yet.” by Harley Quinn, indicates her record company Interscope. She then began to imagine what an album would look like from the point of view of this character in a black and red checkered harlequin costume who forms a relationship with the Joker. “It’s sort of his farewell to the character.”.

The thirteen tracks of this album, presented as a traveling companion to the soundtrack of this feature film at the crossroads of musical comedy and superhero films, are essentially covers of American standards. Lady Gaga, who recorded two cover albums with Tony Bennett, is therefore at ease in the exercise.

For this record, which she worked with her fiancé Michael Polansky and co-produced with Ben Rice, she chose very varied titles, jumping from jazz to surf and blues. They are meant to reflect the chaos and romance of her relationship with the Joker, blending themes of love and madness. She wanted, she told the Rolling Stone site (in English), both “celebrate the complexity of Harley Queen” And “creating a modern version of vintage pop” exploring different styles.

We find there in particular Get Happy popularized by Judy Garland, Good morning heard in Singing in the rain, That’s Life by Frank Sinatra or smilewritten by Charlie Chaplin for Modern Times. Two new releases by Lady Gaga have been added: Folie à deux, which we will find in the soundtrack of the film and which has already been the subject of a clip filmed at the Louvre museum, but also Happy Mistake, a splendid nostalgic ballad which stands out from the crowd and already has all the makings of a hit.

Before revealing himself under the name ofHarlequinLady Gaga referred to this album as LG6.5, indicating that it was sandwiched between her sixth album Chromatica (2020) and the next one, with a pop tone, announced for February 2025.