Kevin Parker Talks Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion” & Initial Skepticism Of “Corporate” Pop World

Carl Williott | September 14, 2016 9:58 am

Kevin Parker has improbably become a force in the pop world, largely thanks to his work with Mark Ronson, Rihanna‘s ANTI cover of his Tame Impala song and now his behind-the-scenes work on Lady Gaga‘s “Perfect Illusion.” But before this Gaga collab, he was still skeptical of what he assumed was the “corporate world” of pop stars. In a new radio interview, Parker revealed that when he was first approached about working with Gaga, he viewed it strictly from a careerist standpoint. But that all changed once he started working with Gaga and her team.

But How Perfect?: We rate & review "Perfect Illusion"

“It was amazing, really really good. One of those life/career-defining times,” Parker told Triple J. “It started out sort of like a career move. Like, ‘I’ll get in on that.’ But it quickly became something so personal and so meaningful for everyone involved. I’m just happy it’s all out in the open now.”

He went on to explain how it changed his view of the pop industry: “When you actually meet the people behind the scenes you realize it’s not just this big corporate world. It’s actually people full of passion and drive.” I guess you could say he found out the pop machine was a…perfect illusion.

Hear the full chat below.