Can you believe ARTPOP is 13 years old this week? Thirteen. We still remember the countdown to “Applause” like it was yesterday.
ARTPOP came out in November 2013 and went straight to No. 1 in the US. It gave us “Applause,” “G.U.Y.” and “Do What U Want,” plus fan favorites like “Venus,” “Gypsy,” “Aura” and “Sexxx Dreams.” And the cover, with that Jeff Koons sculpture of Gaga and the blue ball, is still one of her most famous.
The whole era was a lot, in the best way. There was the artRAVE launch party in New York where she showed off a flying dress, and then the artRAVE tour in 2014 with the wigs, the tentacles and the seashell bikini.
A lot of people didn’t get ARTPOP at the time, but the fans never let it go. In 2021, Little Monsters sent it back to No. 1 on iTunes, years after it came out, and Gaga herself thanked everyone for it. These days plenty of people will tell you it was ahead of its time, and honestly, we always knew.
So go put it on today, start to finish, loud.
And one more thing. We’ve been working on something special for the anniversary, and it launches right here tomorrow. We’re not saying anything else yet, so make sure you come back and see.