How ‘Abracadabra’ Becomes Lady Gaga’s Career-Saving Song

Throughout the years, Lady Gaga has consistently changed who she is: disco queen, avant-garde artist, country crooner, and even a celebrated actress. However, for the much-anticipated Grammy-night premiere of her music video for “Abracadabra,” she goes back to the wild, lavish show that initially made her a global phenomenon. In a time when up-and-coming artists vie for dominance, Gaga has established her status as a genuine pop phenomenon.

The second single off her upcoming eighth studio album, Mayhem (2025), “Abracadabra” was released on February 3, 2025, through Interscope Records. The song has been compared to some of her most famous eras due to its pulsating dance-pop beats and extravagant aesthetic. With top 30 positions in countries like Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, “Abracadabra” has had amazing chart performance since its release. When the song’s eye-catching music video debuted during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the hype surrounding it skyrocketed.

The spectacle was very stunning for those who watched from home. With two contrasting Gagas—one draped in white, representing purity, and the other a fiery, mysterious “lady in red”—the video creates an amazing and mysterious cinematic experience. With the help of an army of dancers, Gaga dominates the screen through dramatic storytelling, exquisite, baroque-inspired costumes, and incisive choreography. Her Italian ancestry and the artistic heritage of pop provocateurs like Madonna are recognized by the strong Catholic iconography integrated all through the images.

“Abracadabra” has risen rapidly on streaming services since its release, peaking at No. 8 on the global Spotify chart and continuing to grow. Gaga continues to show why she is still a pop star among pop stars with this release, reminding the world of her unmatched ability to combine spectacle and substance.

Then there are the lyrics, of course. “She’s a master of just making sounds,” my husband contacted me late on Grammy night while he lazily streamed “Abracadabra” on repeat and half-watched the broadcast. He was right. Lady Gaga’s ability to transform nonsensical syllables into catchy choruses has always been known.

Her breakthrough song “Bad Romance” from 2009, with its hypnotic “Gaga, ooh-la-la” chant, made her a household name. “Abracadabra” follows suit more than 15 years later, with a chorus that sounds like chanting, which Genius transcribes as “Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na / Abracadabra, morta-oo-ga-ga / Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na.” Although it’s not exactly wordplay, it’s clearly Gaga: an artist who revels in sound and transforms syllables into an spellbinding, almost ritualistic experience.

It also arrives at the ideal time. Younger musicians have come up with a sense of spectacle as Gaga has been scaling back which they may have picked up from watching the “Bad Romance” music video as children. Every stage Sabrina Carpenter performs on, particularly the Grammys, serves as a showcase for her self-parodying, ultra-glam camp.

The set up for Billie Eilish’s performances uses growing grandeur as her songwriting becomes even more sophisticated. And among today’s newest talents, Chappell Roan—who is obviously compared to Gaga—infuses her work with a drag-infused let’s-put-on-a-show mentality and a desire to employ makeup and costumes to further communicate her stories.