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Have you been seeing hyperbolic, incomprehensible posts from social media users lately? The pop star Lady Gaga may be to blame. The singer put out her new single “Disease” on Friday, and her fans are beside themselves with excitement.
Though Gaga just released a companion album to the film Joker: Folie à Deux last month, “Disease” marks the beginning of a new musical era, one fans have been waiting for since her album Chromatica came out in 2020. With the new single and a music video drop on Tuesday, the fandom is standing at attention.
Fans react to new Lady Gaga single
Initial responses to the song were ecstatic, and in some cases, beyond language. Fans posted reaction videos and gifs depicting people having seizures, jumping through glass windows, and being hit with fiery explosions. A fan in the Philipines posted a video of themself waist-deep in water, listening in the middle of a typhoon.
“GAGA’S DISEASE HAS CAUSED A GAG OVERLOAD IN MY EARDRUMS OMFG,” one fan wrote on X. “This is more important than the second coming of Christ,” wrote another. “I’m pregnant,” a fan posted on Reddit.
For those familiar with stan culture, and Lady Gaga’s fans in particular, these responses are to be expected. Indeed, the Lady Gaga fandom was one of the earliest and most passionate music fandoms of the burgeoning social media era of the late aughts, and their linguistic and cultural practices have been quite influential.
Though the slang term “mother” dates back to Black and Latino ballroom culture – like much contemporary slang – Gaga fans were one of the first to use it in a pop music stan context. Lady Gaga refers to her fans as “Little Monsters,” leading fans to call her “Mother Monster.” Gaga has courted a gay fan base from the beginning, so it’s no surprise that much of the fandom’s language falls under the umbrella of slay speak.
‘Disease’ represents Lady Gaga’s return to her pop roots
The fandom’s consensus about the song is that it represents a triumphant comeback for Gaga. Several fans argued that it’s the best lead single since “Bad Romance,” while others suggested that Gaga is back in a big way.
One fan, feeling sentimental, wrote that the song “feels like coming home,” while others compared it to previous Gaga songs like “Government Hooker” and “Mary Jane Holland.” This sense of nostalgia was widespread, with another fan writing “GAGA MADE THIS SONG FOR THE VETERAN STANS LIKE IM SORRY BUT THIS IS SO 2011 CODED.”
Many of Gaga’s fans are feeling particularly excited about “Disease” due to the dearth of classic Gaga projects in recent years. Some fans watched Joker: Folie à Deux out of loyalty to Gaga but didn’t like it very much, and her most recent project prior to that was another Tony Bennett collaboration. Fans who didn’t get to see the Chromatica Ball in 2022 have been subsisting off of Nurtec ODT commercials and a dream.
As Little Monsters will tell you, it’s not always easy to be a Lady Gaga fan. “i went thru the ARTPOP era, my skin is bulletproof,” one fan wrote on X. “being a lady gaga stan can be a cruel thing but istg IT ALWAYS PAYS OFF,” wrote another. For these fans, “Disease” is like a reward for their hard work and dedication.
Lady Gaga’s fiancé hailed as hero
Who do fans have to thank for this anointed new era? In addition to Mother Monster herself, fans are expressing their gratitude for Michael Polansky, Lady Gaga’s fiancé. In a recent Vogue profile, Gaga revealed that Polansky convinced her to get back into pop music, and “Disease,” on which Polansky is credited as a co-writer, is the fruit of that suggestion.
Fans have taken to calling Polansky “father” or “Father Monster” in honor of his role in the song. One fan posted a video of Demi Moore dragging Margaret Qualley’s body in The Substance with the caption “michael dragging the rah rah bitch back out of gaga.”
While Polansky has become the hero of this story, another pop star is catching strays. Gaga released “Disease” on Katy Perry’s 40th birthday, and fans have been tweeting about the singer’s irrelevance. One fan noted that the only people hating on the song are Perry’s fans, the KatyCats, and the ever-opinionated Azealia Banks suggested that it’s time for Perry to pack it up and go home.
But for the most part, the focus has been on Gaga and her pop brilliance. The new single is a return to form for both the singer and her fans, who finally have music that slays again. Gaga has encouraged her fans to let their freak flags fly from day one, and with Halloween celebrations in full swing this week, the Little Monsters are back on the prowl.
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