Lady Gaga releases new single “Disease” ahead of seventh album

Gaga herself had previously hinted at an October release date for the first single from her seventh album. In September she published an itinerary marked “XX. October: LG7 first single” as well as important dates for their press release “Joker: Folie à Deux”.

The singer is fresh off starring in Joker: Folie à Deux, which was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office. Although studio sources said the film would break even, it could potentially lose $150 million to $200 million after bombing on the big screen.

Shortly before the film's release, Gaga surprisingly released a new album, Harlequin, inspired by her character in the film. The project consisted of almost all of the classic American Songbook favorites such as “Get Happy,” “That's Life” and “That's Entertainment,” with the exception of two originals. It was reminiscent of the two albums she made with the late Tony Bennett, the Grammy-nominated “Cheek to Cheek” and “Love for Sale.” The album became her lowest-charting full-length debut on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 20.

Although the album wasn't well received, Gaga is building on the success of “Die With a Smile,” her duet with Bruno Mars that was released in August. This song was a commercial bright spot for Gaga, debuting at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and being streamed hundreds of millions of times.

Gaga last released a full-length studio album in 2020, when “Chromatica” was released at the start of the pandemic. This attempt was a complete success for the singer, debuting at No. 1 on the charts and spawning the Hot 100 hit “Rain on Me” featuring Ariana Grande.