As it turns out, Lady Gaga’s fans may be misinterpreting the direction she wishes to take her music, especially if they make the mistake of comparing Lady Gaga to the Queen of Pop, Madonna. Even Judas Priest’s Rob Halford has recognized Lady Gaga’s ambitions, calling the pop artist a “heavy metal music maniac.”
In fact, Lady Gaga has a very specific idea about which musical acts she’d like to be compared to, and as she cites them so often, it seems fair to say that Iron Maiden is Ms. Gaga’s favorite band.
“They’re one of the greatest rock bands in history, in my opinion,” Lady Gaga told CF Fashion Book magazine. “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.”
Some might think Ms. Gaga is just talking up a storm to attract a new demographic, but that isn’t the case. In fact, Lady Gaga wore her very own Iron Maiden concert T-shirt for the photoshoot, which was from the Number of the Beast album and tour.
. @IronMaiden For you, sire. ? pic.twitter.com/hqnXIoYmT4
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 19, 2015
Following the interview, Lady Gaga posted the picture on Twitter with Iron Maiden responding that Ms. Gaga was “looking good.”
. @ladygaga looking good, your ladyship ? — Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) August 19, 2015
I wore my own personal Iron Maiden “NUMBER OF THE BEAST” tee-shirt on a major fashion cover @ironmaiden I’m so proud to be a fan ? 666
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 19, 2015
Loudwire reports that the Judas Priest frontman was quite impressed upon his first time meeting Lady Gaga.
“Let me tell you: that lady is a heavy metal maniac,” Halford said of Gaga. “She loves Priest, she loves [Iron] Maiden, she loves Motorhead — all of these kinds of heavy metal bands that have been roaring on throughout the decades; she’s a big fan of all [of them].”
Yet, Rob Halford doesn’t see Lady Gaga as just another fan. He sees great potential in the pop star and expresses his own interest in seeing Lady Gaga evolve into a metal diva.
“You know, you have to cut through a lot of the visual stuff with Gaga and then get to what her voice is about,” Halford says. “For me, as a singer, as a fellow singer, she’s absolutely sensational and I would love at some point to do something with her. I don’t know if that’s ever gonna happen, but it’s on my bucket list. I think we’ve all got a bucket list, and that’s on mine.”
[Featured image: Lady Gaga photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame]
