Lady Gaga (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty)
It was the billboard that once ushered in a new era for singer Lady Gaga, but when her sixth studio album’s release date collided with the coronavirus pandemic, everything changed.
In late February, a billboard popped up in Los Angeles, California, printed on it a gaudy pink and frosty blue message that ended years of silence from the pop superstar. Declaring that her first single in four years, “Stupid Love”, would drop that week.
Months on since the single’s launch, and weeks after Gaga announced she would delay Chromatica, fans spotted last week that the fabled billboard of almost historical importance now carries a different message.
“You are essential,” the billboard now reads, bearing the Chromatica heart medallion.
A Lady Gaga promotional billboard in Los Angeles that was originally reserved for her new album now sends a message of hope to people amidst the #Covid_19 crisis. pic.twitter.com/w7bLwdoWUx
— ⚔️ GAGA DAILY ⚔️ CHROMATICA ⚔️ 2020 ⚔️ (@gagadaily) April 18, 2020
Lady Gaga implores message of empathy and unity as coronavirus rampages.
The top of the billboard’s small print read: “We had previously reserved ad space for Lady Gaga’s upcoming sixth studio album.
“But her message to you today and everyday is kindness rules all.
“If you are not an essential worker, stay home, we will get through this.”
A second message on the right-hand side of the board appeared to read: “In Chromatica, no one thing is greater than another.”
The 34-year-old actor was forced to not only postpone the release of Chromatica, but its accompanying tour was similarly plunged into jeopardy as the coronavirus continues to siege the world.
Gaga has, however, used the time given to her by delaying the album to good use. Chiefly, raising $127.9 million for the World Health Organization and other regional responses to the pandemic.
The singer helped organise and curate a sprawling, star-studded telethon earlier this month with anti-poverty charity Global Citizen.
It began with a six-hour-long pre-show before a two-hour digital live stream, seemingly making its scheduled run time almost as long as its name: One World: Together at Home Special to Celebrate COVID-19 Workers.
Gaga curated and led a constellation of stars that included: Elton John, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah, Paul McCartney, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo and dozens more.