The language of SLAY!

In late November 2013, a fan with the twitter name "katyslaysurfav" tweeted to Lady Gaga, asking her to unblock them. Apparently the fan had been blocked for "spreading negativity". This tweet in turn was quoted/retweeted by another twitter user called "katyslays".

 

Seemingly Lady Gaga noticed this, and responded to the tweet. She told the fan that they should change their name - telling them that "it's not a competition" and that "it's music and meant to be beautiful". She ended the tweet with "we could belong together", referencing her song "Artpop".

Twitter user "TheOneRitz" challenged Lady Gaga's response, saying to her "if their names were GagaSlaysUrFav you wouldn't be saying SHIT and you know it".

Lady Gaga seemed to disagree, and responded by saying "that is absolutely not true. Anyone using this kind of language, that is a fan, is not standing by me".

By the May of 2014 however, she seemed to have forgetten this statement, and tweeted a picture & link to her "little monsters" website, of her wearing a t-shirt with "SLAY" printed on it. This t-shirt was part of the merchandise for her "ARTRAVE" tour.

This of course was completely at odds with what she had said before, telling a fan that they should change their "slay" name, and that "it's not a competition" and "it's music and meant to be beautiful". So, yet again, Lady Gaga gave her fanbase a completely hypocritical & contradictory mixed-up message.

Fanwars & fanbases

On August 11th 2013, Lady Gaga tweeted about making 2013 a year where music, talent, artistry is more important than gossip & fanwars. She said that she respected all fanbases for their passion, and urged everyone to #BeTheChange.

Unfortunately, by May 2014 she seemed to have forgotten all that, and (although not explicitly) was publicly tweeting about Katy Perry "copying" her - which in turn caused fanbases to fight.

She seemingly continued to forget to #BeTheChange in July 2014 too. She posted a picture on Instagram, which was supposedly of the audience at her "ARTRAVE" tour.

In actual fact, the picture was from a Quebec music festival in 2011, but with a few added Instagram filters and effects.

The "Oh No They Didn't" blog called Lady Gaga up on this, and she didn't seem to like it at all. She responded with a retaliation tweet, and (even though it had nothing to do with them) for some reason she saw it fit to mention Madonna fans and bring them into it all.

She posted an actual picture of the ARTRAVE and tweeted, "Here's a proper pic. Maybe the Madonna fans on your site can use a microscope to count the fans" - and this, of course, caused further friction between the Lady Gaga & Madonna fanbases.

Seems like Gaga forgot that she "respects all fanbases" - and her statements of #ThinkBeforeYouTweet, setting an example for youth online, spreading love, and #BeTheChange must've slipped her mind....

 

Think before you tweet

The day before Lady Gaga's "ARTPOP" album was released she took to Twitter, full of bluster and importance, to announce that it was "a VERY important day for the 'resetting' of communication". She went on to say that people should "Protect their karma, spread love, and THINK before they tweet".

At around the same time, on her "little monsters" website, she endorsed a picture which urged Gaga fans to think before they speak. Asking the questions: Is it true? Does it help? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Ending with the #PromoteOnlineKindess hashtag.

Gaga appeared to like it, saying "this is amazon" (although to be honest she probably meant "amazing").

Later in November, she continued the theme, with another tweet. This one again stressing that you should #ThinkBeforeYouTweet, and that if we want the internet to remain a fun place for the world to connect, we must preserve it, and set an example for youth online.

Unfortunately, Lady Gaga doesn't seem able to practice what she preaches. On May the 8th 2014, she tweeted "It looks like green hair and mechanical horses are the thing now", obviously alluding to aspects of Katy Perry's "PRISMATIC" tour.

Was it inspiring?? Was it necessary?? Was it kind?? No, it wasn't - and went totally against "thinking before you tweet" and "promoting online kindness", not to mention "setting an example for youth online".

A few months later, in July 2014, Lady Gaga got her online knickers in a twist again, and this time dragged Madonna's fanbase into a situation that had absolutely NOTHING to do with them.

She posted a picture on Instagram, which was supposedly of the audience at her "ARTRAVE" tour.

In actual fact, the picture was from a Quebec music festival in 2011, but with a few added Instagram filters and effects.

The "Oh No They Didn't" blog called Lady Gaga up on this, and she didn't seem to like it at all. She responded with a retaliation tweet, and (even though it had nothing to do with them) for some reason she saw it fit to mention Madonna fans and bring them into it all.

She posted an actual picture of the ARTRAVE and tweeted, "Here's a proper pic. Maybe the Madonna fans on your site can use a microscope to count the fans" - and this, of course, caused further friction between the Lady Gaga & Madonna fanbases.

So was this inspiring?? Was this necessary?? Was this kind?? No, of course not. Yet again it was contradictory and hypocritical, and totally at odds to the message that Lady Gaga preaches to her fans.

I write for the music not the charts

In October 2013, after Katy Perry's "Roar" had trumped "Applause" to the top of the charts, a rather disgruntled Gaga took to Twitter to express her opinion on it.

Mocking the Katy vs Gaga sentiments that were rife at the time, she exclaimed "APPLAUSE didn't DEBUT AT #1! KATY IS BETTER THAN HER!", and then added "#UWontUseMyMind I write for the music not the charts".

This declaration of "writing for the music, not the charts" is rather at odds with what she'd tweeted in the August of that year, when "Applause" was in direct competition with Katy Perry's "Roar". The release date of "Applause" had been brought forward a week, because a low quality clip of it had leaked onto the internet. Gaga announced it as a "POP MUSIC EMERGENCY".

The day after this "emergency", Lady Gaga took to twitter again, tweeting to fans to screenshot their "Applause" purchases and request the song on the radio. She dangled a metaphorical carrot in front of them, by telling them that the 2 fans with the most purchase/gift screenshots and radio requests would fly international to see her show at iTunes Fest, AND also meet her.

 

Of course, she was quick to point out that it wasn't just about purchases (yeah right), and that it was also about "creativity", and that the "TechHaus" would collect the "data" and she/they would choose "creative monsters".

This in itself is a rather large contradiction - because if it's about creativity, and not just purchases, then why bother telling your fans in the first place that the ones with the MOST purchases will see the show and meet her???

All this encouragement, temptation, and bribery, coming from the woman who a few short months later claimed "I write for the music, not the charts".....

I'm inspired by no-one

Lady Gaga began her contradictory ways almost right from the beginning of her career.

After having had huge success around the world with her debut single "Just Dance", her debut album "The Fame" was released in the August of 2008. Inside the album booklet, she gave thanks to Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Prince, Madonna, and Chanel - presumably her "inspirations".

However, 7 months later, in April 2009 in an interview on the UK TV show "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", when asked about her looks & style Lady Gaga rather arrogantly declared that she was "inspired by no-one".

Of course, in those intervening 7 months, Lady Gaga had had HUGE success with "The Fame", and also her second single "Poker Face". It seems that perhaps her sudden rise to fame had already started to go to her head, and she was already forgetting things she had previously said or that had been printed.

And so, the contradictions began.....