Lady Gaga on creating Harlequin: "This idea of dual identities was always something that was a part of my music making"

Speaking of her anticipation about the forthcoming film, in which she stars as Lee Quinzel, Gaga said: "I think I'm even more nervous for Harlequin to come out because it's all the music from the film, but it's all my versions and it's completely original production."

Preparing for her role as Quinzel, Gaga details the preparations that she had to undertake, including changing her voice, unlearning proper vocal practices, and trying to keep her performance raw. Taking this on board, Zane Lowe said he feels like Harlequin is "half Gaga and half Lee". Gaga agrees, saying that "[the] idea of dual identities was always something that was a part of my music making."

Lady Gaga will be on The Zane Lowe Show at 9:30AM PT on Apple Music. pic.twitter.com/FDsGxPilP0

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"I was always creating characters in my music and when I made Lee for Joker, she just really had this profound effect on me," she continued. "The film had so much music in it, so much music that I love, and I was able to discover the character through the story, through the music that we did live every day as well as dance and the costumes and the makeup. So I kind of had this deep experience with the character and she just didn't really leave me creatively and I decided I wanted to make a whole album inspired by her."

As she gears up for the release of her seventh studio album, Gaga recognises that it was a privilege to be able to create without constraint: "Particularly as a woman in music and a female producer, it was really fun to go, “This album will be and I will be what I want, when I decide, whenever I feel like it. If I want it to be blues, it'll be blues. If I want it to be funk, it'll be funk. If I want it to be soul, it'll be soul...It was completely freeing because calling it LG 6.5, it's kind of not beholden to pop music or pop culture in the same way that some of my other releases might be. And it kind of gave it a freedom in that way.