Queer Music News is a smattering of what’s going on in music by LGBTQ artists and the artists we love.
Katy Perry announces Dallas date among the U.S. leg of her Lifetimes Tour
Pop singer Katy Perry announced Monday that she will launch an extensive run in the United States, beginning in Houston on May 7 at Toyota Center. The tour is produced by Live Nation. In today’s announcement, Perry’s U.S. leg of the tour will begin and end in Texas. Perry will play the American Airlines Center on May 21 in support of her newest album, 143.
Perry will launch the Lifetimes Tour in Mexico, with seven arena shows. In Australia, the demand for tickets to her initial eight arena shows was so strong that five shows were added. The summer will bring Katy back to North America where, in addition to crisscrossing the U.S., she’ll play seven sold-out arena shows in Canada.
Tickets for the U.S. dates will be available starting with Citi and Verizon presales (details below) beginning Tuesday, Jan. 28. The artist presale will begin Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. local time ahead of the general onsale starting Friday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. local time at KatyPerry.com.
Lady Gaga announces her new album Mayhem out on March 7
Thirteen-time Grammy Award-winner Lady Gaga announced on Monday her seventh studio album, Mayhem, due March 7 via Interscope Records. The announcement follows a week of teasers on her website and a new storefront featuring the first of several merch drops to celebrate the project.
Mayhem marks a return to Gaga’s pop roots and explores themes of chaos and transformation, celebrating music’s power to unite, provoke, and heal.
“The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved,” Gaga said in today’s release.
Gaga described the creative process as “reassembling a shattered mirror: even if you can’t put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something beautiful and whole in its own new way.”
The 14-track project—which features previously released songs “Disease” and “Die With a Smile”—was executive produced by Gaga, Michael Polansky and Andrew Watt. Producers on the album include Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut and Gesaffelstein.
“Disease” was hailed by The Independent as “her best in a long while,” with The Guardian praising its “fizzing, distorted synths” and “pounding, slightly industrial beat.” Rolling Stone highlighted its “cavernous synth line” and “classic Gaga shout-along chorus.” Directed by Tanu Muino, the music video for “Disease” was lauded by Vogue as “one of the best videos of the year,” while W celebrated its “cinematic, almost theater-like experience.”
“Die With a Smile,” Gaga’s chart-topping collaboration with Bruno Mars, is currently in its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and set a record as the fastest song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. The song is nominated for two 2025 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Billboard called it “a match made in Grammy heaven,” while The New York Times described it as “a romantic, lightly apocalyptic slow-dance.”
Gaga will debut the third single and accompanying music video from Mayhem for fans on Feb. 2, airing during a commercial break at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards. The full tracklist for the album will be revealed at a later date.
Pre-order Mayhem here. Watch the video for “Disease” below:
–Rich Lopez