The Abracadabra singer is throwing it back to her early years on her new album. But critics can't seem to decide whether that's a good thing.

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated Mar. 22, we look at whether the latest album from one of the century's greatest pop stars will return her to the top of the chart for the first time in five years.

Lady Gaga has finally dropped her new album. Mayhem is her long-awaited solo follow-up to 2020's Chromatica — not counting 2024's Harlequin, a Joker: Folie à Deux companion album. She has been busy since the start of the decade,