Producing Songs I’ve Never Heard: Perfect Celebrity by Lady Gaga [EPISODE 02]

What happens when you take a Lady Gaga song you’ve never heard and build an entirely new track under her vocals? Let’s find out.

Today I’m going in blind on Perfect Celebrity by Lady Gaga off her latest album Mayhem. Without hearing the original version, no context, I’m taking her vocals and trying to create a new track underneath.

Watch the episode here:

I’ve been so excited for Mayhem, especially after hearing the first two singles—Disease and Abracadabra. Those two songs really encapsulate one of my favorite styles of Gaga: dark pop with an electronic dance edge. Naturally, I expected Perfect Celebrity to follow that same sonic direction, especially after I’d also heard the rumors that Gesaffelstein was going to be involved in the album somehow. When I first heard the acapella, I immediately got Disease vibes—it felt like it could have fit right alongside that soundscape. Starting out, I was thinking big synths, four-on-the-floor house drums, the whole dark pop package.

Here’s the acapella if you want to play along and hear what I heard first:

Lady Gaga - Perfect Celebrity (Studio Acapella)

But something about the vocal delivery made me second-guess. It felt more raw—like it needed some kind of a harder, distorted edge. That’s when I started leaning into a rock influence, adding heavier textures and more drive. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was the right move, but by the time I got to the end, I realized I had accidentally leaned into the real sonic direction of the original.

After finishing my track and finally listening to the original, I was in awe of their production choices. From just the intro, I was immediately getting this Massive Attack, rock-infused energy. The live drums and electric guitars were a total surprise—especially compared to the dance-pop foundation of the first two singles. My version hinted at that direction with the guitar-sounding synth at the end, but Gaga’s team went all the way there.

If you also haven’t heard the original, here’s the big reveal:

Lady Gaga - Perfect Celebrity (Official Audio)

Gaga’s ability to experiment with different styles has always been a huge inspiration for me as a producer and artist. If you’re into dark, futuristic pop, you might like my next single, chatterbox, which drops March 28th. You can pre-save it here: https://bit.ly/43H2ACs — excited for you to hear it!

What do you think? Were you expecting Perfect Celebrity to sound like this? How does my version compare?

And most importantly—what song should I tackle next? Let me know in the comments!