The success narrative of Pop phenom Lady GaGa is like no other in recent history.
Indeed, the singer has achieved in four years a level of commercial and critical success others have taken decades to garner.
It’s such accolades which have led many to hail her as an icon. However, it’s not a sentiment shared by her manager Troy Carter.
Full story after the jump…
Speaking at the Music Matters conference in Singapore this, Carter discussed the star’s meteoric rise, opposition to her cause, as well as her future plans. Peep the interesting report, via Billboard, below…
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“It’s less about Gaga than it really is what’s happening in the world right now as a whole,” Carter said when pushed to speak about the Jakarta protesters. “This is a microcosm. It’s a generational divide. Jesus Christ got crucified. It happens.“
Carter, who got his start working with urban artists like Eve, Diddy, and Will Smith, quickly insisted that Gaga would not be changing anything about herself to fit markets like Jakarta, residents of which took offense to some of the Grammy winner’s provocative lyrics and music videos. When asked if Gaga would transform the “Born This Way Ball” in any way, Carter responded, “we’ll skip them.”
However, Carter insisted that Gaga and her team had loved every moment of their trip to Asia thus far, claiming “Asia is a very loyal audience and an audience that really, really loves music….it’s not a passive audience at all…we plan on spending a lot more time here.”
Though the manager wouldn’t confirm details about Gaga’s rumored fall LP, he spoke briefly on the singer’s contract with Interscope. “We have I think three records left with Universal [Interscope]. There may be a [record label] system there by the time her deal’s up that looks more attractive.”
Asked by interviewer Michael Schneider whether Gaga has “made it” yet, Carter bluntly said no, comparing the star to a “200-lb toddler.”
Gaga has yet to announce American dates for the “Born This Way Ball,” but Carter notes that she plans to tour extensively until the end of next spring. It’s gonna be an additional year before that tour is over. It’s a long album cycle but it’s part of the storytelling.”
“Born This Way” topped the Billboard 200 following its May 2011 release.
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While we’re side-eyeing the suggestion that the crucifixion of Jesus has any parallels to GaGa and Jakarta, the interview otherwise made for an intriguing read.
Smartly, Carter isn’t buying into the hype he helped create. Rather, he sees it for what it is – an amazing movement with the potential to become legendary. As such in achieving this, it’s clear touring (aka honing her craft while raking in that cha-ching) is rightly high on their agenda.
One can only hope that a new project – one more “accessible” and less contrived than ‘Born This Way’ – is released this year, though. For, as the critical and commercial response to many of ‘Born’s’ singles highlighted, the masses want a more refined and less preachy product from the paw purveyor. And with much today’s audience having the shortest of attention spans, leaving it any longer could prove commercially fatal.