Lady Gaga Breaks Down the "Abracadabra" Video With Elle UK

Lady Gaga discusses the inspiration for "Abracadabra" music video in a new interview with Elle UK magazine following its surprise reveal during the 67th Grammy Awards.

Lady Gaga Tells Us Everything You Want To Know About 'Abracadabra' After That Spectacular Grammys Reveal https://t.co/1JnCyOIv3q

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In the interview, Gaga breaks down the inspiration for the video's costumes, choreography, and her upcoming studio album MAYHEM, out March 7.

Talking about the choreography for the "Abracadabra" video:

"Parris and I worked really closely together, she's just a total genius. We did the video for Disease together and then we had a conversation about continuing that inner dialogue idea. It is part of Mayhem - these conflicting side of ourselves that don't really make sense but are just continuing to have this argument. How do we say that through dance? We ultimately decided that the video should be Mayhem the character, the lady in red - it's her club, and it's her night and she's saying, 'Okay, everybody that's here with us, we've done this before. And, tonight, you only have two choices, you can either dance or it's over. And I'm out.' And we decided we wanted the video to be about being up for that challenge. And so then Parris went to work for many weeks on all the different choreography. And we were constantly back and forth about it and then I went into the studio to learn it all. That was an amazing time. What I love is that the movement also expresses so much of what I'm trying to say and on a first listen of Abracadabra, you might go 'What is this about? It's fun to listen to, but what does it all mean?' And to me, when you see the video it should become clearer that it just means we have to keep going."

Talking about the costumes for the "Abracadabra" video:

"Something that was important to me was in a video of this size that we were also environmentally conscious to not overproduce and make too many new things. So actually my main white cape in the video was upcycled using old wedding dresses. And we also used deadstock fabric for the dancer's clothes. That's fabric that's been in warehouses for long periods of time. And we also used pieces from my archive; so old costumes are reinterpreted. There were a few new pieces. But we were trying to make something that was in the spirit of love the whole way through, something that was made with a really warm heart and community in mind."

Talking about the title of her new album:

"The album was called Mayhem to memorialize a piece of me and a piece of life that is not always easy to accept. It was hard at first to name the album Mayhem because I so much don't want that feeling to be real. I am also a hopeful person. I'm also somebody that is a dreamer, but what I think I ultimately arrived at is; it's all of the fractures of who we are and the fractures in the world and the mayhem of that brokenness that ultimately teaches us the power of joy, and dancing and crying and laughing and listening to music and holding your friends and your family and repeat! This album is fun and I enjoyed the contrast of a fun album that's also called Mayhem."

Talking about the musical inspirations for MAYHEM:

"There was industrial inspiration with a lot of the sounds. There's as transitional moment on the album that's rooted in nineties music. A sort of electro grunge defiance. That era in music which was a response to the music that came before it. And then David Bowie theatrical rock, Prince, Radiohead. I was inspired by so much music that has grown roots in my veins."

Read the full Elle interview here.