When Sharyn Casey isn’t busy providing the country with laughs via The Edge, she’s re-listening to her fave Lady Gaga album (The Fame Monster) and, we assume, making a list of all the ways she loves thee. And when she’s not doing all of that, she’s flying off to Las Vegas to catch the Mother Monster’s Enigma residency show. So, because we’re totally jealous, we asked Sharyn all about the magical experience and what she expects from Gaga’s new era Chromatica.
How long have you been a fan of Lady Gaga?
I hate when people say DAY 1, but I remember the moment Justin from her record company came in to service the song to The Edge and I was OBSESSED. A week later I got to interview her. ‘Just Dance’ had been on air for a week, and from that 10 min convo I knew she was gonna be the biggest star on the planet.
What does she mean to you as an artist?
From Day 1 Gaga has stood up for kindness. She wasn’t afraid to take a risk and always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Whenever Gaga does something you never know what’s going to happen, which is super exciting as a fan.
What Gaga era is your favourite?
Holy crap, that’s so hard!!! The Fame is hard to compete with. The ‘Paparazzi’ video is still one of my fave videos ever but I’m gonna have to say The Fame Monster, which I guess includes The Fame?
Talk us through the Enigma show in Las Vegas. What was the whole experience like?
It was incredible. There aren’t many performers the same calibre as Gaga. She had cancelled the shows the nights before because she was sick, but she gave it everything she had. She started the show coming down from the roof right in front of us and finished it in the middle of the crowd singing with a fan. Her voice was undeniable & being sick didn’t slow her down, she pulled out all the stops!
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What were some of the most unforgettable highlights?
Gaga was doing a jazz and pop night. We sat next to some ladies who were defo there for the A Star Is Born songs and their faces were horrified at the raunchier songs. When Gaga did ‘Government Hooker’ and pretended to give birth to herself I wish I had taken a photo of their faces, but all was forgiven when ‘Shallow’ started.
What setlist did she go with? Would you have made any changes?
She pulled out all the bangers and a couple of her personal faves. The only song I wanted was ‘Fashion of His Love’ but apart from that it was faultless. I’ve been to every NZ Gaga show, including when she fully showed up The Pussycat Dolls, and she’s never put together a bad setlist in my opinion.
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What was your favourite look of hers from the show?
At the end she came out and put on this jacket a fan had made her from the front row and performed a few songs in it with these massive highlighter green tulle sleeves. It was epic!
What are you expecting from Chromatica? How do you think it’ll differ from Gaga’s other albums?
I think she’ll go back to her pop roots with dance elements but whack a few Joanne/A Star Is Born style tracks to appease that audience. I feel like Gaga does what she wants and doesn’t care as much about the charts anymore. Joanne was such a beautiful album. I feel like if she released it around A Star Is Born it would’ve been so much bigger, it was ahead of its time.
What do you think her recent singles (‘Stupid Love’ and ‘Rain On Me’) say about the new Gaga era?
‘Stupid Love’ is classic Gaga. I listened to it SO MANY TIMES and the video took me back too. My friend Stacy is her biggest fan and we had a very long text convo about how much we loved everything about it.
If you could only listen to one of Gaga’s albums for the rest of your life, what one would it be?
Oh man. I think I would have to say The Fame Monster, so then I love every single song on it!
Lady Gaga’s new album Chromatica comes out on Friday, 29th May.
SEE MORE: Lady Gaga’s Style Evolution From ‘The Fame’ Until Now
