The MTV Video Music Awards finally have a flashy centerpiece star for their woebegone coming show. Lady Gaga will be center stage, or center Zoom.
Other than The Weeknd, the VMAs so far are light on A listers. So far the list includes BTS, Doja Cat, J Balvin, Roddy Ricch, Maluma and CNCO, whoever that is. That’s not a great group.
Getting Gaga is a big deal since the show isn’t really happening in a venue. Performers will appear from outdoor locales, or something, or from their living rooms. Gaga has 9 nominations, and now she’s guaranteed at least a couple of wins.
Why is she doing it? Well, her album, “Chromatica,” was a punt. Released on May 29th, it sold 275,000 actual copies (CDs and downloads) with a total of 565K including streaming. Gaga couldn’t tour, so that didn’t help. But also no single caught on really except “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande.
But “Chromatica” didn’t help itself. There are no ballads on that album, or even mid tempo numbers. There was nothing to latch onto for fans. After “A Star is Born” and “Shallow,” “Chromatica” was a disappointment.
But Lady Gaga has been able to salvage sinking ships in the past. Her “Joanne” album and the song “Millions Reasons” were dead until she did the Super Bowl, then sales went booming. So maybe she can do it again. I never count Stephanie Germanotta out. She’s a superstar and a huge talent. I’m curious to see what she does.
