Lady Gaga breaks jazz records with ‘Harlequin’

“Die With a Smile” also tops several charts

Lady Gaga’s Harlequin, a concept album that serves as a companion piece to the film Joker: Folie à Deux, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and in the top 20 on the Billboard 200, earning the highest streaming debut of a jazz album in history. Additionally, the album debuted in the top five on the Billboard Top Albums chart and top ten on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. Executive produced by Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky, the album debuted at No. 2 on both Spotify’s Global and US Debut Album charts, while the standout track, “Happy Mistake,” debuted in the No. 9 position on Spotify’s Global and US Debut Song charts.

Featuring unique interpretations of songs from the film plus two original tracks, Harlequin serves as a singular love letter from Gaga to both her character and music lovers worldwide.

Lady Gaga is a singular artist who can seamlessly transition from a critically acclaimed concept album, stemming from her work as an actress, to simultaneously holding the No. 1 song in the world with “Die With A Smile,” as she prepares to return to pop. Whether reimagining jazz classics alongside original music on Harlequin or setting the record for the longest-serving No. 1 on Spotify’s Top Global 50 in 2024 with “Die With A Smile”–which has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 Chart, seven weeks in the top three on the US Song Chart and amassed over 800 million streams since its release–Lady Gaga continues to cement her place as one of music’s greats. Currently, the No. 4 most-listened-to artist in the world on Spotify and the fifth artist in history to reach over 100 million monthly listeners on the platform. All of this comes ahead of her eagerly anticipated return to pop with the first single from LG7 in October.

Affectionately dubbed LG6.5, Harlequin is an exploration of the raw, emotional complexity of a woman who thrives in chaos, a genre-defying force who cannot be contained. Just like Harley Quinn and Gaga herself, this album is unpredictable, full of contrasts, and unapologetically bold.

Notably, Harlequin marks Lady Gaga’s first jazz-inspired album since the passing of her longtime collaborator Tony Bennett. The album represents a step forward in bringing classic standards into the modern era as if these timeless songs were reimagined through the lens of all the music that followed. Gaga breathes new life into these beloved tracks, combining her deep love of jazz with a fresh, avant-garde approach, honoring the past while pushing it into uncharted territory.

Harlequin was created, performed and recorded between Malibu and the famed Palms studio in Las Vegas while Gaga finished her Jazz & Piano residency in the summer of 2024. Gaga and Polansky brought together a hand-picked roster of world-class musicians, collaborators, and arrangers to craft an album that captures the spirit of Harley Quinn in every note. Gaga produced on all tracks alongside longtime collaborator Benjamin Rice. Whether it’s a crooning ballad over surf guitar, or an intense anthem set to the rhythm of war drums and clashing trash cans, every track bursts with energy and emotion.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn