Lady Gaga’s Surprise ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Album Shoots Straight To No. 1

Lady Gaga may have another blockbuster film on her hands with the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux. The sequel to the Oscar-winning Joker is scheduled to hit theaters in early October, and the singer is doing everything she can to make the most of this major moment—and that includes releasing music associated with the movie.

On Friday (September 27), Gaga dropped a new album titled Harlequin. The set is a collection of standards that will apparently be featured in the film, as well as a small number of original tracks—with at least one set to be heard in the movie. The title immediately became a bestseller, and it raced ahead of the rush of new releases.

At the time of writing, Harlequin sits at No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes albums chart. The set shot straight to the summit shortly after it was released, and it’s held there for hours, proving itself to be the most exciting new launch this Friday.

Gaga only gave the world a few days’ notice before sharing Harlequin. After teasing that something was coming on social media and via billboards that promised a project she called “LG6.5”—noting that it would be a bridge between her sixth full-length and her upcoming seventh, which she’d already discussed—the Grammy and Oscar winner revealed on September 24 the cover, album title, and that the set would arrive at the end of the week.

Harlequin beats a number of other exciting new albums that were shared at the same time. Fridays are always busy with releases, as it marks the beginning of the tracking week in the music industry all around the world. Artists usually share full-lengths and songs on Fridays, as it gives them a full seven days in which to rack up as many sales and streams as possible.

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Gaga currently sits ahead of names like Billy Strings, Alex Warren, Daughtry, Luke Bryan, and several others. At the time of writing, Harlequin is one of eight new entrants inside the top 10 on iTunes’ list of the bestselling albums on its platform in the U.S.

Harlequin marks Gaga’s first new full-length since Love For Sale, her second collaborative album with Tony Bennett, which the two released in 2021. It’s her first solo collection since 2020’s Chromatica, which returned her to the electronic dance-pop sound that made her a superstar well over a decade ago.