In a candid revelation featured on her October 2024 Vogue cover story, Lady Gaga proudly credited her fiancé, Michael Polansky, as the major force behind her returning to pop music. The pop icon opened up about how the love and unwavering support of Polansky ignited that flame of passion inside her for the genre once again and pushed her to take flight into the studios once more. The turning point really came when Polansky went to her and said,
“Babe, I love you. It’s time for pop music.”
Probably the most simplistic and profound statement led her to create her upcoming pop album that’s due on streaming platforms in February 2025.
The relationship, which kicked off in 2019 after they met at a party thrown by Gaga’s mother, has grown into a partnership that fuels both Gaga’s personal and professional life. In April 2024, they announced their engagement after a romantic rock-climbing trip had all but sealed the deal. To this date, Polansky has been immense support to Gaga through some of the most challenging periods of her life.
Gaga also spoke candidly of how Polansky’s presence leveraged her struggles with mental health, in particular, during the making of her 2020 album Chromatica. When Gaga was battling chronic pain and emotional turmoil, Polansky was there for her to become an anchor through the storm. It was important for her that he thought of her talented and his vision, which helped her transition from that darker chapter into a healthier and more balanced chapter.
“Michael saw a fire in me on the Chromatica tour,”
Gaga says, describing how he implored her to tap back into that fire for the sake of pop. For Polansky, it wasn’t about merely the music; he wanted to see Gaga thrive and make art in a space of happiness, something she hadn’t entirely wrapped herself in lately. This also motivated her to go back to the sound that launched her into stardom in the first place-a combination of her pop roots along with the growth and maturity she’s experienced over the past ten years.
This return to form couldn’t come at a better time for Lady Gaga, who’s also been prioritizing her health. For the first time in her career, she’s finished the Chromatica tour without being in physical pain, proud to say she’s stopped smoking marijuana-something she’d done for years to cope.
“I feel healthier and happier than I ever have,”
she says, crediting both her personal growth and Polansky’s positive influence.
Besides music, the creative energy of Gaga has been extended to other projects, including a highly awaited performance in Joker: Folie à Deux, which finally made its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. The film shows her dramatic acting- a far cry from high-energy pop performances- but another testament to her artistic versatility.
