In a new cover story for Paper, Lady Gaga has opened up about her forthcoming album “Chromatica” and explained how the new record depicts how she processes trauma and battles depression.
The 33-year-old said, “Give me a break, [happiness is] not that simple. I have clinical depression. There’s something going on in my brain where the dopamine and serotonin are not firing the same way, and I can’t get there. If someone says, ‘Come on, just be happy,’ I’m like, ‘You f***ing be happy.’”
“It came from thinking on some days I was going to die. I was like, ‘I’m going to die soon, so I better say something important.’ Now I listen to it and know that I’m going to live,” she added.
Gaga explained that she wanted something that “forces people to rejoice even in their saddest moments” through her new album.
She said, “I still work on myself constantly. I have bad days, I have good days. Yeah, I live in Chromatica; it took a minute to get here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember what happened.”
“So if you’re in pain and listening to this music, just know that I know what it’s like to be in pain. And I know what it’s like to also not let it ruin your life,” added “A Star Is Born” actress.
In January, Gaga opened up about developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being sexually assaulted at the age of 19 and not seeking treatment for the trauma at first. She said, “I never dealt with it.”
However, she now wants to share what she has learned about processing negative experiences through her art.
At the time, she told Winfrey, “I’m a survivor and I’m living and I’m thriving and I’m strong, and I’m going to take all my life experiences and I’m going to share them with the world and make it a better place.”
In 2017, Gaga received the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a condition that causes full-body pain during stressful periods. She told Paper the pain is so excruciating that she “couldn’t get off the couch” at certain points while recording her new album. Chromatica is set to be released on April 10 through Streamline and Interscope Records.
