“Dawn of Chromatica”: Allyship done right
Welcome to the planet of Chromatica… again? On Friday, September 3rd, Lady Gaga dropped her highly anticipated remix album “Dawn of Chromatica” which features some heavy-hitters in the music industry such as Arca, Rina Sawayama, and Bree Runway. The album is best described as a fresh top coat over the perfection that already was the original “Chromatica” album. The remix album gives each artist their own unique opportunity to elevate each song and make the song their own. More importantly though, Gaga puts her money where here mouth is and shows the audience what true queer representation is.
In this digitized era, people have brushed off representation as one of those buzzwords that doesn’t matter, but this could not be further from the truth. To me, representation means everything. It means getting to see myself in platforms I have always felt ostracized from. It’s a glimmering beam of hope that tells me if someone else can do it, so can I. Representation to queer youth is an act of defiance to societal norms that tells us we are worth it and just as important as anyone else. So simply put, representation is key when it comes to queer art, and I think Gaga did it in the best way possible.
Representation to queer youth is an act of defiance to societal norms that tells us we are worth it and just as important as anyone else.
The “Dawn of Chromatica” remix album features majority queer artists from all different areas of the spectrum. It features trans folks, non-binary folks and more! Honestly, in my humble opinion, it is some of the best queer representation I’ve ever seen and I think more self-proclaimed “allies” should follow suit.
Gaga has been a loud & proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community for years now. From her song “Born This Way” to her constant media-sharing of community issues, there is no doubt that Lady Gaga is an ally, but she is living proof that allyship means nothing without action. By featuring queer artists and inviting them to join on her artwork, she is sharing her platform with the community rather than taking all of the spotlight for herself. She opened the door and invited her listeners to check out these queer artists and believe in them as hard as shes does. The “Dawn of Chromatica” ultimately shows that when allyship is executed tastefully, everyone wins. Gaga has another hit album to add to her repertoire and these queer artists have gained an entire new audience to share their art with.
Talking about the music specifically, this remix album gave us hit after hit. The album starts with the Alice Remix which not only succeeds as a standalone remix, but it also sets the tone for the rest of the album. This is not the Chromatica we all once knew. This is a hyperpopped, club kid coutured version of Chromatica, and I loved it. This was also a perfectly timed drop as the end of summer fastly approaches and the clubs slowly open their doors again to their patrons. Gaga reminds us all with this project that summer doesn’t end with the season and fun doesn’t stop just because we all have our 9 to 5s.
This is not the Chromatica we all once knew. This is a hyperpopped, club kid coutured version of Chromatica
If you couldn’t already tell, this album is a bop for me and although this album may not be for everyone, we should still celebrate this album’s amazing message and queer representation. So to those who engage in petty arguments online over whether or not the remixes hit as hard as you would like, now is not the time. For now, we celebrate this album for our community and rejoice in the “Dawn of Chromatica.”
Author: Gabriel Levi