I wasn’t that excited for "Joanne." As a person, Lady Gaga is one of my favorite celebrities. As a person who was a certified Little Monster back in the day, I love her for all of the great music she has made and especially, for all of the amazing work she has done for LGBT people. "Art Pop" wasn’t my favorite album and I can maybe only name about a handful of songs from it, if that. So when I found out that "Joanne" was going to be a thing, I was still excited because she was ecstatic about her music's new direction. I was genuinely excited to potentially see her on tour sharing "Joanne" with her fans.
When I listened to "Joanne" without having listened to the single "Perfect Illusion," led me to really undermined how amazing the entire album was going to be. The album grew on me so much in such a short amount of time. The story of women, heartbreak and hope combined with underlying strong emotions was surreal and relatable to me. It struck a chord in me.
I have come to the realization that I am unbelievably in love with Lady Gaga. Again. My Lady Gaga phase allowed me to become a bit more comfortable in my skin during my teenage years. Along with "Glee," Lady Gaga truly helped me out in a very confusing time in my life.
Aside from the sheer support I have for "Joanne," Lady Gaga has garnered such respect from me over the years. Recently, she spoke out to a group of young LGBT people about her struggle with PTSD generated after a sexual assault she experienced when she was 19-years-old. Hearing her speak out about this mental illness made me realize how important Lady Gaga is. She has unrelenting strength that helps and inspires others.
Similar to my own article, in which I spoke about how my mental health improved by helping others, Lady Gaga also discussed how helping people has helped her during difficult times. She had an interview on the "Today" show where she said that, “My own trauma in my life has helped me to understand the trauma of others...I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness. I suffer from PTSD. I've never told that to anyone before, so here we are.”
In addition, while she was talking to the LGBT group at the New York youth center, where she discussed her PTSD, she also illustrated how she copes with her mental illness through meditation. Seeing a celebrity so down to earth and genuinely interested in trying to improve the mental health of others warms my hear.
I have a feeling that since Gaga has always outwardly been supportive of those who struggle in any capacity, she is going to become an activist for mental health. I am so excited for this new direction that she feels reflects her current life.
