Lady Gaga battles ‘inner demons’ as she drops ultra dark ‘Disease’ video

Lady Gaga has shared her dark, twisted and deeply personal music video for blockbuster new single ‘Disease’ – and all but won Halloween as a result. (Also, at the 2:11 mark, she seemingly teases another new song!)

In the clip, the pop icon battles with “inner demons”, depicted as different physical versions of herself.

These disturbing encounters turn the everyday suburban setting of the video into something akin to a horror movie.

“‘Disease’ is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness” – Lady Gaga

Speaking about the Tanu Muino-directed video on Instagram today, Gaga said: “I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It’s never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. It makes me feel claustrophobic.

“‘Disease’ is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realising that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment.”

The 38-year-old continued: “Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony. I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life. No matter how scary the question, the answers are inside of me. Essential, inextricable parts of what makes me me. I save myself by keeping going. I am the whole me, I am strong, and I am up for the challenge. Happy Halloween.”

Mother Monster dropped the new track last week, hot on the heels of her role in Joker: Folie à Deux and the film’s companion album Harlequin.

‘Disease’ is the first single from her forthcoming album (affectionately dubbed LG7) due in February 2025.

“Her fiancé telling her to go back to her roots is the best advice”

At the time of writing, the top fan comment on the video on YouTube was: “Her fiancé [Michael Polansky] telling her to go back to her roots is the best advice anyone has given her for this era.”

Said another fan: “I can’t believe she is fighting with the past eras in the video, it’s so cathartic and deep.”

A third enthused: “This isn’t just a return to ‘old Gaga’ — it’s a whole new evolution! She’s embracing her darkest, rawest layers, turning past battles with fame and mental health into fierce, unapologetic art!”

Gaga spoke to Attitude about Michael at the Joker premiere last month. “[Harlequin] was my first project with Michael!” she told us. “We were so excited to conceive of it together.”

She furthermore added of her character: “When we were done with the movie, I wasn’t done with her. Because I’m not done with her, I made Harlequin.”

Today, Gaga has also dropped a new video for ‘Die With A Smile (Live in Las Vegas)’, her worldwide hit with Bruno Mars released earlier this year.