Lady Gaga photographed by Bruce Weber
Way to go, Gaga! The pop diva appears on the cover of CR Fashion Book, the style bible created by former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld.
The fall-winter issue's theme is "the Eccentric and the Classic," so Gaga is fittingly portrayed on two distinct covers lensed by Bruce Weber, one in full black with a heavy rock edge, and the other in etheral white. In the cover story, photographed by Weber too, Gaga dishes out on Madonna comparisons, turning 30, and her upcoming role on AHS: Hotel.
Also noteworthy for male model addicts: This seventh issue introduces a new annual men's supplement, CR Men's Book, with star Instaboy Lucky Blue Smith on the cover. Scroll down to read the best quotes from Gaga's extended interview and see more pictures.
On her new acting gig in American Horror Story: Hotel
"I believe it's everyone's natural right to express themselves beyond what we learn as children. I'm much better at communicating through my work. Sometimes I feel like, even with my fiance [actor Taylor Kinner], I'll tell him I feel a certain way, but then he understands me better if I create a song and play it for him. I wrote a song for him the other day and it really sat with him because it was something I couldn't say with words, only through song."
On preparing to celebrate her 30th birthday
"As a 29-year-old girl, at this stage in my pop career everybody goes, 'Oh she's getting old,' and everybody's so worried about having a perfect body, a perfect face, and perfect hair. When, you know, actually, legacy and longevity is about having some sort of story and footprint to leave in the world when you die, chasing your talent until you're dead. And that, as an artist, you love your art 'til death. It's the antithesis of what I was taught growing up, which is that at this age I would have to fight in order to continue to look young, in order to continue to be trendy. When, you know, I never was trendy. I was always anti-trend."
On her ongoing collaboration with Tony Bennett
"I don't want to stop singing jazz. I'm going to put my music out but I'm not going to stop singing the classics. It's something you never get tired of doing because you know it will be different every time. It's actually not the same for me, singing one of my songs over and over again. It's brought new life into the way I perform my own songs because I want to do them even more differently than I already do, and that's something that people are vigilantly against in pop music."
On those pesky Madonna comparisons
She would rather be compared to legendary rock band Iron Maiden: "They're one of the greatest rock bands in history, in my opinion. Some people really don't know the importance of metal and the scope of it. Those guys were filling stadiums, and they still are. And it's because of the culture of the music, the poetry that's so powerful, that whenever the fans come together they unite in the essence of what Iron Maiden is all about. I always used to say to people, when they would say, 'Oh, she's the next Madonna.' No, I'm the next Iron Maiden."
To read the full interview pre-order CR Fashion Book issue 7 and the first CR Men's Book now at CRFashionBookShop.com
Lucky Blue Smith photographed by Sebastian Faena
