Photo: REX USA/Everett Collection.
Before Lady Gaga does her thing in outer space, she has to float around Earth for a bit, obviously. In honor of her third LP, ARTPOP, Gaga flew — literally. At a press conference before her album release party in New York, the pop star unveiled Volantis, the Haus of Gaga's latest sartorial-cum-tech creation. And, the contraption, Gaga's magical (non-Technicolor) dream dress, defied gravity for a solid 70 inches or so.
According to Gaga, the female-silhouette-inspired creation is both a vehicle and a metaphor for the artist herself. "I wanted to make today about something even more important to me," she said, "and that something is the youth of the world." Harking back to her Born This Way days, Mother Monster said she believed Volantis to be a sartorial vehicle for the voices of the younger generation — it is both future and youth, she stated.
Naturally, Gaga and her ability to hover six feet off the ground didn't come without a bang. Following Volantis' unveiling, the singer took to the stage (gravity in tow) to perform songs off ARTPOP at the super-secret artRave party in Brooklyn. To say it was otherworldly would be putting it lightly. With the official U.S. release of the album today, the era of ARTPOP is officially upon us. Whether that means more flying dresses, hair bows, or a casual chicken-head hat, it'll be one to pay attention to. The very least we can do is give her some applause.