Lady Gaga Goes Full Rock Star In The ‘Perfect Illusion’ Video

In the brand new video for her smash single "Perfect Illusion," Lady Gaga comes of age. Gone are the meat dresses and space eggs that made her pop's premiere provocateur for the better part of a decade. Clad in cut-off jean shorts and a T-shirt, the Gaga we see here is laid bare, raw, and teeming with explosive rock star energy. 

Directed by Ruth Hogben and Andrew Gelardin, the frenetic clip eschews the singer’s trademark choreographed dance routines for something far more visceral. After pulling up in a dusty SUV, Gaga joins a makeshift desert rager where she's the star attraction. There, she's joined by Mark Ronson, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and BloodPop, aka the arsenal of heavyweight producers who helped her craft the anthemic track. What follows is a breakneck montage of Gaga doing rock star things: crowd surfing, mic swinging, and ponytail flipping, while a horde of revelers lose their minds around her. 

If nothing else, the video is an entry point into Gaga's new aesthetic, one we'll get to see in full when her forthcoming fifth studio album Joanne, drops on October 21. Watch the “Perfect Illusion” video above.