Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, bridging a 60-year age gap to form one of music’s unlikeliest pairs, launched a jazz album on Monday. The new album lets the pop diva put aside her wacky image to sing sweet harmonies with the elder statesman of cool.
Titled Cheek to Cheek, the album went on sale on Tuesday, after it was launched at a concert in the ornate Renaissance setting of the Grand-Place in Brussels. Featuring jazz standards by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and others, the songs are a world away from Gaga’s usual stints as a singer.
“When I began writing music for the industry, I became known as the ‘quirky girl’ from downtown New York,” said the 28-year-old artiste at a news conference. “So, I tailored my music to be that way, to get noticed… to be able to travel more and play more shows,” she added.
Known just as much for her startling costumes as she is for her innovative music and stage shows, Gaga feels “liberated” after collaborating with Bennett. Holding the hand of her fellow Italian-American singer and musing on the challenges of old-style jazz, she stated, “It has been over eight years and I’ve not been singing out. But Tony will not accept any less than all of me.”
Swathed in blue velvet with a two-metre train, Gaga was reminiscent of a 1950s Hollywood star this week. She first met Bennett in 2011 at a charity concert in New York and soon after, recorded a version of The Lady is a Tramp for his album Duets II. “I was overjoyed that he had heard that I’d been singing jazz for so long, perhaps I was even afraid that I had lost that part of me,” she commented.
Bennett, who shot to fame with Because of You in 1951, said he enjoys the simplicity of a jazz setting. “I started the very same way as she did, with thousands of people cheering,” he shared. “Later on, I said I want to keep it in a simple way. Instead of the big stadiums, I’d like to play in fine acoustical homes.”
For the album launch, the two chose a grand but intimate outdoor location, setting up stage on the Grand-Place, a site known down the centuries for its pomp. Gaga kept it simple, sticking to a glittery gold cocktail dress and refraining from any of the costume changes that her live performances are known for.
Another change was the composition of the approximately 5,000-strong audience on the square, combining Gaga’s young fanbase with many middle-aged spectators. For about 30 minutes, the two performed some of the highlights of the album, from the upbeat duet It Don’t Mean a Thing to Gaga’s solemn solo Lush Life.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2014.
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