Lady Gaga shook up expectations this week by announcing a Joker: Folie à Deux companion album, Harlequin, just days ahead of its Friday (Sept. 27) release, confirming that it’s an entirely separate project from her highly anticipated seventh studio LP arriving in February.
And on the red carpet for the Joker sequel’s London premiere Wednesday (Sept. 25), the superstar shared details about Harlequin‘s relationship to the film, in which she stars as Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. “It’s a companion album for the film, so it has so much of the music that’s in Joker, as well as some original pieces that I wrote for the film,” she told the Associated Press at the event.
“And one that’s for the album only, which is called ‘Happy Mistake,’” Gaga continued. “It’s all this really interesting, original production.”
The interview comes just one day after the 13-time Grammy winner announced Harlequin after teasing the project through cryptic messages on Instagram and mysterious “LG 6.5” billboards in New York City and Los Angeles. On Tuesday (Sept. 24), she unveiled the companion album’s cover — a photo of her in Harley Quinn makeup, standing in the shower with a life jacket on — as well as its 13-song tracklist, featuring standards such as “Get Happy” and “Oh When the Saints.”
As previously confirmed, Gaga also has a full studio album slated for early 2025, led by a single that’s expected to drop in October. The full-length will come nearly five years after she released Chromatica, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
“My studio album is coming out in February and my first single is coming out really soon,” she gushed to AP. “I’m excited about that too.”
Watch Gaga spill details about Harlequin below.
No joke: Lady Gaga has two albums on the way. At the London premiere of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” she says “Harlequin” is a “companion” to the new film — and another collection of songs is coming in February. pic.twitter.com/oVYjjttlIZ
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) September 25, 2024
