Lady Gaga’s "Perfect Illusion" Music Video Is Here

I'm a simple kind of girl, so I always gravitated more towards Lady Gaga's earlier sounds and looks, which were a little more understated than her avant-garde raw meat dress aesthetic. But, to each their own, you know? It's all a matter of personal preference, not right or wrong. The thing is, though, that it doesn't matter if you like the singer's edgier side or her dressed down one. Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" music video is finally here, and it's a satisfying experience for all. And it makes sense. Billboard explains that it's "a new era" for Gaga, and it definitely feels like it with her mix of old and new personas.

What makes this video so appealing? Well, it's still got the Grammy winner's patented stylistic melodrama while also maintaining an air of realness to it. More specifically, though the video does include Gaga being totally on her theatrical brand by pulling over her all-terrain vehicle in the middle of nowhere to have a gritty, emotional breakdown of sorts. Yes, it is glorious to watch her dramatically kick sand, but it also offers up a much more relatable, and, more importantly, fun scenario.

The video starts out panning over a desert concert of an excitable, dancing audience, obviously with Lady Gaga at the helm. It switches back and forth between a day and night concert scene, with the singer getting perpetually more passionate as time goes on, while interspersing the bits of her emotional sandstorm moment. The video's high energy feel matches the tone of the song perfectly and truly has you feeling like you're at a live, outdoor Lady Gaga show yourself. The urge to get up, dance, and whip your hair along with Gaga and the audience is irresistible.

The best part of the video is that, even without her sometimes questionable costumes, she doesn't lose her edge. Her talent as both a singer and performer speak for themselves, and this video invites us to enjoy her in her purest form. Her accessibility due to her plain clothes and lack of egg pods in this video breaks down walls previously put up between her and fans with more mysterious vibe. The bare bones feel allows us a glimpse into what a live Gaga experience feels like without ever having had to been at one.

"Perfect Illusion" proves that the wait for a new music video from the artist was well worth it. I mean, how lucky are we? We fans got a video and an unexpected front row seat to a concert all in one.

Image: LadyGagaVEVO/YouTube