That same month, she granted an interview to Vogue, where she spoke about the album, her excitement about returning to pop music, and provided a preview of the lead single.

[11] During a December 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gaga announced her duet with Bruno Mars, "Die with a Smile", would be part of the album.

[15] In an interview with Rolling Stone on December 10, 2024, Gaga characterized the project as an eclectic work that amalgamates various genres, styles, and emotions, all guided by her profound love of music.

[16] Regarding her inspiration, the artist stated, "The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved," further comparing the creative process to "reassembling a shattered mirror: even if you can't put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something beautiful and whole in its own new way.

[19] An unspecified song from the record has been described by Jonathan Van Meter of Vogue as "intense and ominous... old-school Gaga banger, unsettling but also buoyant".

[18] The album was recorded at Rick Rubin's studio Shangri-La, in Malibu, California, where Gaga also made Joanne (2016) and the soundtrack to A Star Is Born (2018).

Gaga explained that each song is a reflection of her own internal chaos, presented with a celebratory tone aimed at connecting with audiences in various settings, from a party to an intimate moment at home.

The artist cited influences including "'90s alternative, electro-grunge, Prince and Bowie melodies, guitar and attitude, funky bass lines, French electronic music, and analog synthesizers."

"[13] In a press release in January 2025, Gaga said "the album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved.

[23] Prior to the official announcement, promotional posters appeared in New York City, featuring a black-and-white photograph of Gaga accompanied by the album's title and release date written in red at the bottom.

[3] The standard edition cover features Gaga with disheveled black hair and her face slightly distorted behind a shattered glass.

[23] The back cover maintains the black-and-white scheme, with Mayhem written in a distorted and aggressive font, while Lady Gaga appears below in a more classic typeface, with the first "A" inverted.

[3] In an interview with Elle, Gaga revealed that the album's title corresponds to a character whose presence is felt throughout the fourteen tracks: Mayhem.

[35] The song's dance-pop energy and theatrical visuals drew comparisons to her earlier works, and it became the second top ten entry from Mayhem and of Gaga's career on the Billboard Global 200 chart following "Die With a Smile".