"Sometimes I can't win or escape the parts of myself that scare me" - Lady Gaga explains the meaning behind 'Disease' music video

"Joker: Folie à Deux" Red Carpet - The 81st Venice International Film Festival - Source: Getty
Lady Gaga explains meaning behind music video for new track (image via Getty)

Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of rape, self harm and su*cide. Reader's discretion is advised.

Lady Gaga shared the official music video of her new single Disease on October 29, where she can be seen confronting versions of herself. The four-and-a-half-minute music video features different versions, some spookier than others. Ahead of the music video release, the singer posted a statement on her Instagram stories about the meaning behind the song,

"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 realizing that sometimes I can't win or escape the parts of myself that scare me.

She added that she can "run and run" but can't escape some parts of herself. Gaga dropped her new track Disease on October 25.

Lady Gaga on her past traumas

Singer Lady Gaga has been vocal about her mental health issues and her past trauma. During an emotional interview on the premiere episode of Oprah and Prince Harry's Apple TV+ docuseries The Me You Can't See, the singer opened up about being r*ped at 19 by a music producer, which led to a pregnancy.

The singer mentioned that the memories of that event changed who she was completely. Years later, the singer began having chronic pain and visited a psychiatrist who told her that she had PTSD. She went public with her diagnosis in 2016, saying,

"First I felt full-on pain, then I went numb."

The singer revealed that she had a "total psychotic break" around 2018 and wasn't the "same girl." The singer also opened up about her battling self-harm, noting that when she's triggered and feels "bad," she wants to cut or think about dying.

Lady Gaga also added that despite being transparent about her struggles, she has felt a lot of shame about it and struggles to explain that she's "miserable" even though she has money, privilege, and power.

The singer had earlier opened up about her suicidal thoughts during a September 2020 interview with CBC Sunday Morning. Gaga said she hated being a star and "felt exhausted" and "used up" and expressed how difficult it is to "let other people see" when you're going through mental health issues.

The singer is now moving on and, according to Vogue, is all set to release her upcoming album, LG7, in February 2025.

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Edited by Priscillah Mueni