Lady Gaga Shares Sad News About 'Chromatica' And Coachella

As if everything in our world isn't already in shambles, Lady Gaga is adding one more thing to our plate by officially confirming what many had already expected: due to the growing concerns around coronavirus, the release date for Chromatica has now been pushed back. Originally scheduled for release two and a half weeks from today, on April 1, the album is now postponed indefinitely, with Gaga promising that she "will announce a new 2020 date soon."

In the statement, posted to both her Twitter and Instagram accounts this afternoon, the artist born Stefani Germanotta, like many other celebrities, started with a safety warning: "First of all, I want to make sure everyone is staying safe and practicing social distancing. Please know that I'm thinking of you all."

Unfortunately, Gaga's thinking of us has its limits, because rather than pushing up Chromatica's release to provide us with an ounce of much-needed joy, the pop star instead delivered a disappointing update: "I wanted to tell you, that after a lot of deliberation, I've made the incredibly tough decision to postpone the release of Chromatica."

"This is such a hectic and scary time for all of us, and while I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn't feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic," she continued. "Instead I prefer that we spend this time focusing on finding solutions. It's important to me that the attention is on getting essential medical equipment to healthcare professionals, making sure kids who depend on public schools for meals get the assistance they need, and that we help those who will be financially impacted by this pandemic."

Her statement also touched upon the status of her upcoming live concerts. While plans for her summer Chromatica Ball world tour are still on (for the time being), her late April and early May Vegas shows have been postponed due to "guidelines about public gatherings from the CDC." She also revealed that she had a lot of other "fun surprises" lined up — including a "secret Coachella set" — that have since been postponed or canceled. Nevertheless, she assures us that "Chromatica is still very much on the way."

At the end of her three-page Notes app apology, Gaga signed off with a special, understanding note to her fans: "I know you are disappointed. Probably angry and sad. But I also know that as a fan base... as a family... we are strong, we are loving, and we are the kindness punks." In the end, she offered up a comforting promise: "I hope you can see that when the album does come out, I want us to be able to dance together, sweat together, hug and kiss each other, and make it the most bombastic celebration of all time...I promise you that when we can go out again, I'm going to make it SO MUCH FUN. I can't wait to be dancing with you all."

Check out Lady Gaga's statement below — and know that, yes, it is okay to cry. We've waited so long.