Lady Gaga's "Harlequin": New album and Joker sequel soundtrack

Lady Gaga has announced the premiere of her new album, "Harlequin." This will be her seventh studio record and also the soundtrack for the film "Joker: Folie à Deux," in which she stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix. The album will be released on September 27 and will contain 13 tracks.

Lady Gaga announced that the first single from her seventh studio album will be released next month. The artist worked on this project for several months, sharing studio sessions with her fans on Instagram. The album "Harlequin" will be the soundtrack for the film "Joker: Folie à Deux," in which Gaga acts alongside Joaquin Phoenix. The film will debut in theatres on October 4. The soundtrack will include new versions of classic songs, such as "That’s Entertainment," which will appear in the movie. Gaga described the album this way: "I have written so many songs, I've been producing so many songs ... do something entirely different."

Gaga has been teasing her fans recently by posting mysterious entries on Instagram. Billboards with the number "6.5" suggest that "Harlequin" is not considered a full-fledged seventh album by her, as opposed to the upcoming "LG7."

Earlier this year, Gaga unexpectedly released a single titled "Die with a Smile" in collaboration with Bruno Mars. According to Variety, this single will not be included in the latest album "LG7."

On the cover of the "Joker" soundtrack, the artist poses under a shower in a life jacket. The back of the album shows a messy room, with Jan Matejko's most famous painting, "Stańczyk," hanging on the wall. The original artwork can be seen at the National Museum in Warsaw.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is one of the most anticipated premieres of 2024. After a screening in Venice, a WP reviewer wrote: "Todd Phillips heightened viewers' appetites with the first part featuring strong political undertones. The sequel doesn't have such ambitions, but it remains solid cinema that can surprise with its formula."

In 2019, "Joker" left Venice with the Golden Lion, but the sequel returned to Hollywood empty-handed. The chilly reception at the festival caused U.S. sales forecasts to plummet. A few days ago, it was estimated that the comic book production would earn between $176 million and CAD 203 million in Canadian theatres during its opening weekend. Now, "Deadline" suggests that after the first three days of pre-sales, the opening might only reach CAD 95 million, with production costs exceeding CAD 272 million. The premiere in Canadian theatres is set for October 4.