The singer-songwriter returns to the SNL stage as musical guest after nine years away
Lady Gaga returned as Saturday Night Live musical guest with lively performances of two tracks from her brand new album.
Gaga, who also hosted the show, opened with the dance-pop “Abracadabra,” the second song off of Mayhem, which Rolling Stone‘s Brittany Spanos reviewed as “the year’s strongest pop release yet.” She followed that up with the funk-inspired “Killah,” which she sang partly backstage at Studio 8H.
Gaga recently told Rolling Stone that her latest work–her first solo studio album in five years–amounts to a return to the dark feel of her first two albums, The Fame Monster and Born This Way.
“It was really powerful,” the singer-songwriter said. “Maybe the last four or so albums I’ve made, I moved away from that and tried some different things, but this was a return to those Gothic dreams.”
In the lead-up to its release, she also explained to Australian radio show Fifi, Fev & Nick how she came to decide on the title.
“This album has so many different genres on it; from ‘90s grunge, industrial music, to funk music, ‘80s synth pop… it’s all my favorite things in a blender,” she said. “It’s why I called it Mayhem – because it’s chaos.”
Saturday marked Gaga’s second time hosting SNL and her fifth time as musical guest. Her most recent performance on the late night show had been in October 2016 in support of that year’s album, Joanne.
Gaga is scheduled to appear at Coachella next month, followed by a pair of shows in Mexico City. Tour dates for Mayhem could be coming soon, she has hinted.