After spending nearly her entire career working with Laurieann Gibson, Lady Gaga confirmed Monday (November 14) that she and her creative director had decided to part ways.
It was a move that may have been surprising to Gaga's Little Monsters, considering how closely the two have created some of the Mother Monster's most-memorable visuals, but did the split surprise music-industry observers?
"On the one hand, I get why [they split], because it seems like Laurieann's been doing a lot outside of the Gaga universe," Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson told MTV News, referring to Gibson's starring roles on the BET dance-competition show "Born to Dance" and another dance reality series, E!'s "The Dance Scene." "On the other hand, it's a little bit strange, because Gaga's circle of people is so small, and all those people have been with her since pretty much the duration. She's really, really loyal, so it's a little bit strange to me, because I think she has this circle of people she trusts with her work."
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As a key member of the Haus of Gaga, Gibson was never afraid to share her honest opinion about Gaga's work. Most notably, she spoke out publicly against Gaga's Jo Calderone performance at the VMAs, as well as her Nick Knight-directed "Born This Way" clip.
That unbridled honesty could be behind the Gaga/Gibson split, according to Us Weekly senior music editor Ian Drew.
"It's shocking and it's not," Drew told MTV News. "They were extremely close, and she let Laurieann have an unprecedented amount of control in her camp. Let's face it: Laurieann is very headstrong, never holds back what she thinks, and that tends to rub people the wrong way. I'm not totally surprised; it was only a matter of time.
"Look, I love Laurieann, and as a journalist, she's an interviewer's dream, because you'd catch her and she'd always just say what was going on," he added. "Laurieann would just say it. She would give you that perfect sound bite. She tended to be a little bit loose-lipped. But on the other hand, I can see why that maybe ruffled Gaga's feathers, because Gaga's all about the performance piece and not giving away too much. Laurieann really liked to take credit — not that that was bad, [and] maybe it was due, but maybe Gaga didn't want everyone knowing that. In the end, I do tend to think it was something to do with creative differences."
The big question is how the duo's severed partnership will impact Gaga's future endeavors. Will Little Monsters notice Gibson's absence?
"It always puts a really, really heavy focus on whatever the next project is," Anderson explained. "With stars like these, people become curious to know: 'Well how much do these individual cogs play into what we see in front of us?' These two have been together [for years], so we don't yet know what Gaga is like without her. So we don't know exactly what part of that personality plays into her projects." Lady Gaga lost her head on Sunday night when she took the stage on "X Factor UK" to perform "Marry the Night."
Gaga, decked out in a gown that made her appear headless, emerged from a crypt as torches burned around the stage. Her dancers did most of the heavy lifting in the movement department, while Gaga let all the action happen around her, standing in the middle of the stage donning the unusual costume. As the song closed out, Gaga went back in the box and came back out in just a black bodysuit, finally getting in on the dancing for the gothic performance of the Born This Way track, an ode to her hometown of New York.
After the performance, Gaga confirmed that she was deep into the planning stages for her next tour. "I'm gonna be here [in Britain] next year for my next tour. I just finished designing the stage and it's bigger and better than ever," she said on the show. "I'm so happy. I can't wait to see you all there."
In addition to tour plans, Gaga took to Twitter to confirm that she's near completion on two upcoming projects, her video for "Marry the Night" as well as her forthcoming Thanksgiving special.
"Been up all night editing my first TWO films as director!" she wrote. "Marry The Night Video + 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' the 2nd airing on thanksgiving!" She teased the "Marry the Night" clip last night in a still photograph, in which she appeared to be rolled down a hallway on a gurney.
Gaga made other headlines Monday (November 14) when it was announced that she had split from longtime creative director Laurieann Gibson. MTV News confirmed the split between the longtime collaborators. The singer noted on Twitter that she is now working with Gibson's former #2, Richard Jackson. After a long and fruitful creative partnership, Lady Gaga has broken ties with creative director Laurieann Gibson. MTV News confirmed the split on Monday (November 14), which came after reports that the two women had a serious falling out.
Gibson has been part of Gaga's inner circle since well before the singer became an international superstar, beginning with the choreography for the 2008 "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" video and continuing through the soon-to-be famous steps in clips for "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Love Game," "Paparazzi" and "Bad Romance."
The pair were closely associated throughout Gaga's rise to fame, with Gibson providing the choreography and artistic input on such landmark videos as "Telephone," "Alejandro" and "Born This Way." Gibson, who previously appeared on MTV's "Making the Band" with Diddy and the "Starmaker" reality show, has been stepping out on her own lately, including a starring role in the BET dance competition show "Born to Dance" and another dance reality series, E!'s "The Dance Scene."
Gibson co-directed Gaga's Judas" video and directed "Yoü and I, "but the women reportedly clashed on the set of the former, with Gibson expressing discomfort with the religious imagery in the clip. According to the Reporter, the tension was already showing during the filming of the "Judas" video, during which Gibson told the magazine, "At one point, there was two completely different views and after the third glass of wine, I was like, 'Listen, I don't want lightning to strike me. I believe in the Gospel and I'm not going there."
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She was less adamant when talking to MTV News about the controversy, expressing pride in the final product. "I think the concept stuck with this one because, ultimately, there was a place where we wanted to leave the interpretation up to each individual and not take away [Gaga's] power as a performer, as a dancer, as a star," Gibson explained, alluding to the creative clashes the pair had about the "Born This Way" video. "And to leave the moments for you to interpret and be inspired by the fact that everyone has a Judas in their life and that there is a place of deliverance. For me, I interpret differently than her, and for someone else, they'll interpret it differently."
A spokesperson for Gaga confirmed the split for MTV News.
Gibson also spoke out after she and Gaga failed to see eye-to-eye on the concept for the "Edge of Glory" video. After reports that video vet Joseph Kahn would be directing, Gaga instead went for a simpler cityscape treatment that drew some fire from fans. "Listen u disrespectful f--k they had an issue on set I don't lie!!!!!" Gibson tweeted at the time. "Creative Changes happen always educate ignorant Monster's!!!"
The Reporter noted that relations between the two continued to fray this summer over disagreements about the "Yoü and I" video and Gaga seemed to confirm the end with a November 6 tweet in which she announced that Gibson's former #2, Richard Jackson, is her new choreographer.
Lady Gaga unveiled a Bollywood version of her "Marry the Night" video in India last month, took it to the moon in Belfast last week, and now Lady Gaga is giving fans their first glimpse of the "Marry the Night" video. From the looks of things, she's not going anywhere ... except maybe into surgery.
Gaga posted a screen shot from the "Night" clip on her Twitter account Friday (November 11) that shows her — at least we think it's her, though it might also be her male alter ego Jo Calderone — laid out on a hospital gurney, IV drip in her arm. She's being wheeled down an ornate hallway by a pair of dour-faced nurses, making the scene reminiscent of both Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and Milos Forman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Gaga also included a rather cryptic message with the photo: "It's not that I've been dishonest, it's just that I loathe reality."
Last month, Gaga was spotted all around New York City filming scenes for the "Marry the Night" video, including an elaborate dance sequence shot in Harlem and a set-up at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island.
Of course, despite all the on-set photos snapped by the paparazzi, very little is actually known about the "Marry the Night" clip. For her part, Gaga is keeping things mysterious, telling her little monsters in a separate tweet, "This will be the longest video I've released to date ... the beginning of the story I never told you." It was an evening of surprises at the 2011 MTV Europe Awards that included a takeover by the nominated men, a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, a streaker, and, of course, an out-of-this-world performance from Lady Gaga.
Broadcast from the halls of Belfast's Odyssey Arena in Northern Ireland on Sunday, the Selena Gomez-hosted ceremony kicked off with two-time nominee Coldplay, who performed their latest hit "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall." Frontman Chris Martin danced his way from the arena catwalk to the main stage as a spiral of lights spun around the band, igniting the arena.
Check out all the red-carpet fashion at the 2011 EMA on MTV Style.
Shortly after, cameras panned to the center of the venue where the night's host, Selena Gomez, stood prominently in the middle of an onstage circle of fire. It was only a taste of what was to come from the former Disney starlet's hosting spectacle, which included a string of outfit changes, an appearance from her rap alter ego and mingling with pop peer Katy Perry.
"Jersey Shore" stars Snooki and JWoww were on-site to deliver the first award of the night: Best Live. "What's up Belfast? 'Jersey Shore' is in the house!" they screamed simultaneously, before announcing Katy Perry as the award recipient.
"This is probably my favorite award because my fans mean so much to me," the pop superstar told the crowd. "I'm so tired, but it's all worth it. Thank you. I love you."
LMFAO brought their wild antics to the EMA with a performance of their summer smash "Party Rock Anthem." The electro/pop duo proved their hard-partying ways with a life-size zebra float and a dance-off with America's Best Dance Crew winner Quest Crew.
Lady Gaga took home the award for Best Female, which was presented to her by David Hasselhoff. Pitted against Adele, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry, the pop diva beat the competition and walked up to the podium in a WTF-worthy metallic ensemble. Emotions overcame the singer later on when she nabbed the Best Song and Best Video awards for her mega-hit "Born This Way."
"I knew that this song was very special when I wrote it," the three-time EMA winner told the screaming crowd during her second award speech. "This is the single most important song that I've ever written, the single-most important album and until now, the single most important moment."
One of the night's surprises came courtesy of a streaker, who interrupted Hayden Panettiere as she was presenting the Best Song award.
Alongside his quartet of backup singers/band, Bruno Mars kept the momentum going with a performance of "Marry You." The stage looked as if there was a wedding going on, with its heart-filled backdrop set and confetti that spewing into the air. Like the 2011 VMAs, MTV dedicated a special presentation and award to industry legend Queen. Presented by Katy Perry, Brian May and Roger Taylor of the group accepted the Global Icon of the Year award, thanked the network and even gave the California Gurl a shout-out.
"How wonderful, because we here at the birth of MTV. How wonderful for us to be here 40 years later and to be honored in this way," May said.
While Jesse J brought some soaring vocals with a performance of "Price Tag," it was Gaga who treated her Little Monsters to outstanding theatrics with her performance of "Marry the Night." Dressed in her orbital getup, the pop titan danced atop a gigantic onstage moon while she belted out the dance track. She later joined a slew of dancers back on Earth for some hair-whipping and a choreographed routine.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snow Patrol assisted in the EMA takeover with audience-packed performances outside of the show's venue from the stages of Ulster Hall and Belfast City Council.
Midway through the show, it seemed the 2011 EMA were all about the guys when both Linkin Park and Eminem appeared via pre-recorded telecast to accept their awards for Best Rock and Best Hip Hop.
Despite his current public controversy, Justin Bieber appeared positive when he walked up to the podium to accept the award for Best Male. To his surprise, Biebs was also presented the award for Best Pop by collaborator Ludacris backstage.
In a presentation introduced by Jessie J, the late Amy Winehouse was honored with a short video montage that included commentary from fans.
"It saddens me that I never got to thank Amy for breaking boundaries as I genuinely believe that without her, I wouldn't be standing here today," Jessie shared.
After his smooth performance of "Marry You," it was a good night for Bruno Mars, who took home the award for Best Push Act from MTV News' own Tim Kash during backstage interviews. He later appeared onstage to accept the award for Best New Act.
Gomez took on double duty at the show when she performed "Hit the Lights" alongside her band the Scene. But it was her boyfriend, Justin Bieber, who really got into the festive spirit when he performed a medley of his tunes "Mistletoe" and "Never Say Never."
It wouldn't be a show without some onstage pair-ups. David Guetta brought his string of collaborators together to perform their respective team-ups from his Nothing but the Beat LP, including Taio Cruz, Ludacris and Jessie J.
And that's not the only surprise collabo the Europe Music Awards had in store. "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert joined Queen for the show's concluding medley performance of "The Show Must Go On," "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." Decked out in an oversize black trench coat and matching black ensemble, Lambert showcased his over-the-top vocals alongside the iconic group.
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