Cirkut Details Working with Lady Gaga on 'Disease' in New Interview

In an interview with Billboard, "Disease" co-producer Henry Walter aka Cirkut detailed the writing process for the song, as well as his experience working with the "legendary" Lady Gaga. 

Read some quotes from the interview below.

Meeting Gaga:

Cirkut was introduced to Gaga through "Die With a Smile" co-writer and co-producer Andrew Watt, who recommended they collaborate on the project. "So, I met Gaga for the first time in the studio, and it was amazing. I was really excited to work with her, we were off to the races as soon as we met."

After being a fan for years, Cirkut said he was drawn to working with Gaga because, "She is just a legendary artist."

"Selfishly, I did want to see what I could accomplish with her. Just the thought of wondering what a Gaga record would sound like if I produced it was really exciting from the get-go."

Early stages of "Disease":

Gaga was "instrumental" in early discussions about where they wanted to go with the sound. Cirkut said, "We all wanted to make something that still felt like it was decidedly Gaga, but always asking the question of, 'What does that sound like today?' "

These ideas resulted in the "very aggressive" lead single from Gaga's upcoming seventh studio album, melding heavy guitars with a heavy synth-dance sound. 

" 'Disease' [is] a daring record to me. It’s very aggressive. I wouldn’t say it’s a safe, 'nice' song to ease you into things. ... It’s a very in-your-face kind of record," he said. 

"I wanted to make sure that we brought the essence of Gaga into this song and all of the things that are so great about her — the drama, the theatrics, that in-your-face sound — but still putting a fresh spin on it."

In the studio: 

Cirkut described the "synergy" between him and Gaga when recording the song:

"In the beginning, it is kind of a trial run [with a new collaborator]. It felt a little bit like she was feeling me out, trying to figure out where I was coming from when it came to production. But then there was kind of a breakthrough moment — I had been working through something over my headphones, and when I played it out loud, she was just like, 'Oh my God, Cirkut, that’s crazy.' And as soon as that happened it was like, 'Great, I got through to her.' "

Cirkut teased the possibility that there's more to come of their collaboration: "['Disease'] was just one song in a collection that we worked on together, but fairly early in the process, we all loved it and knew that it would be some kind of cornerstone of this body of work." 

Why Gaga stands out among her contemporaries: 

Cirkut said Gaga's passion and interest in the sonics of her music separates her from the pack. 

"She would say, 'Maybe try a different drum here,' or she would hop on the synths and start playing things. She’s a musician and a visionary, and she knew all about the attack, decay, sustain and release settings on a synth. She is all about the details, which definitely sets her apart from a lot of artists."

"Also, the passion that she puts into her work is amazing. She really lives and breathes and eats and sweats and bleeds this music."

You can read the full interview here.