Lady Gaga released her new album “Harlequin” on September 27th, an alias to her character debut in Folie a Deux. The film is the sequel to the worldwide success, Joker.
The movie portrays the meeting between Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Gaga) in the Arkham Asylum, where Arthur is serving his sentence for his crimes, committed by his alter ego, The Joker.
The 13-track album captures the ups and downs of their relationship. The jazzy vocals alongside the Old Hollywood panache resemble Fleck’s daydreams about this hopeless romance, fed by Lee’s fascination for The Joker. While the album includes 11 covers featured in the film and its soundtrack, Gaga re-recorded the songs with new and reimagined production, plus two original songs, “Folie à Deux” and “Happy Mistake”.
Harlequin was produced because Gaga wanted to plunge deeper into her character and Folie a DeuxDuex world. Through unhinged “mots d’amour”, Lee first tries to approach Arthur, appearing as his equal. Then, she sings to unleash his inner madman, even though there’s a clear lack of where her joker obsessionGiven her musical background, Harlequin fits the movie and Gaga’s character perfectly. Indeed, it’s true that Folie a Deux hasn’t received many positive reviews lately. However, we can’t deny that Gaga is extremely talented. Like a musical chameleon, she abandoned her classically trained chops for Harlequin, embarking on a fearless new style. comes from.
Although Lee played with restrained potential, the cracked, girlish timbre in “Close to You” and “I’ve Got the World on a String” captures the magic of classical music and how strongly Lee takes her role as the Joker’s companion.
Gaga is well known for participating in movie soundtracks. Her last record was Top Gun: Maverick (Music From The Motion Picture), in 2022. The track “Hold My Hand” even competed in the Best Original Song category in the Oscar. Gaga also participated as an actress in other movies recently, such as House of Gucci and A Star is Born.
Given her musical background, Harlequin fits the movie and Gaga’s character perfectly. Indeed, it’s true that Folie a Deux hasn’t received many positive reviews lately. However, we can’t deny that Gaga is extremely talented. Like a musical chameleon, she abandoned her classically trained chops for Harlequin, embarking on a fearless new style.
With all its eccentricities and emotional roller coaster, Harlequin fulfills its purpose of integrating Gaga’s character and also allows the artist herself to explore jazz, gospel, show tunes, soul, and pop standards. It also helps the listener escape reality and push the limits like the characters in the film.