Whatcha Say: Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey & Christina Aguilera Got Our Readers Talking

Happy ARTPOP Week! Yes, this week was full o’ Miss Lady Gaga: From her crazy #ARTRAVE release party in New York, to the official release of ARTPOP (check out our review!), to her candid interview with Howard Stern, it was all about Mother Monster’s Reverse Warholian Expedition.

But that’s not all — there was tons happening in pop: Almighty diva Mariah Carey dropped her long-awaited “The Art Of Letting Go,” RiRi gave us something to get scared about with the creepy “What Now” video and we started looking back at the best albums of 2013. (Have you voted yet?) Plus, we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Jay-Z‘s The Black Album and the 5 year B’Day of Beyonce‘s I Am…Sasha Fierce with a Stan & Deliver.

We also had a bunch of premieres ourselves, including Never Shout Never‘s Christmas collabo with Dia Frampton on “Meet Me Under The Mistletoe” and Sabi‘s cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Dreams” And of course, you guys had a ton of things to say about all the releases this week. Check it out!

:: Lambily member Melissa C. defended Mimi’s verbose vocab on Mariah Carey’s “The Art Of Letting Go”: Hear Her Wail On The New Ballad: ” Mariah has an extensive vocabulary and knows how to make it work with amazing melodies. If people don’t understand what she’s saying, maybe they should buy themselves a dictionary.”

:: John also loved the track, but questioned its pick as a single: “I actually think it’s quite strong, and her personality really shines through. As a single, however, it makes absolutely zero sense. Who is directing her career these days?”

:: And Monumental Mariah got sassy, Mimi style: “Music is art, darling, not a formulaic bore one time product.”

:: drew wasn’t too thrilled by the idea of Ryan Tedder‘s upcoming collaboration with Beyonce on Ryan Tedder Talks New Beyonce Collaboration, Calls It Better Than “Halo”: Watch: “It’s probably called something basic like “Angel” and it will be released Fall 2026 via an iPhone commercial.”

:: Kerry didn’t quite understand why Justin Bieber‘s beefing with his label on Justin Bieber Drags His Record Label On Twitter, Calls Def Jam “Shady”: “It would be different if Justin made an entire album and the label refused to promote it (such as the case with Kelly Clarkson’s “My December”). But his label probably doesn’t see the need to waste their time and money on one artists small project. Besides he’s on twitter, facebook, youtube, and every other social media outlet. Justin can promote the music himself for free. The songs made it to the top ten on iTunes anyway. So, why exactly does he have a beef with his label?”

:: Darwin just couldn’t get into ARTPOP on Lady Gaga’s ‘ARTPOP’: Album Review: “I’ve deleted 3/4 of the album tracks. She oversings, it’s overproduced, and there’s no subtlety. When did she turn into Christina Aguilera?”

:: Kevin, however, couldn’t disagree more: “Flawless review. Flawless album. The end.”

:: Josh found the projected sales numbers for ARTPOP to be a “disappointment” on Lady Gaga’s ‘ARTPOP’ On Track For Number One With 260,000+ First Week Sales Tally: “It’s a disappointment no matter how people try to spin it (overall declining album sales, it leaked 2 weeks early, blah blah blah blah). The truth of the matter is, Gaga seems to have lost some fans. Her die-hard “Monsters” still love her, but I think most casual music listeners have moved on (as what always happens with music). People get bored and find some new act to obsess about.”

:: Elson, however, was over all the sales talk: “Who cares about sales figures besides accountants and bitter bloggers? All that matters is whether fans enjoy the music. Period.”

:: John Smith felt like his mission was accomplished on Happy Justice For ‘Bionic’ Day, Bobbleheads: Here Are 10 Ways To Celebrate: “For a grass roots campaign with no television coverage or pay ads, #JusticeForBionic was wildly successful. Bionic didn’t have several months worth of desperate pay ads on the front page of iTunes, like Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP. Even if she sells in the 300K range or low 400K, ARTPOP is a flop album when considering the amount of promotion she did and all the expenses.”

:: And Jay also found meaning in the #JusticeForBionic movement: “‘Bionic” and “ARTPOP” now have something in common: they’re both terrible. Congratulations.”