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's new album "Mayhem" is a beautifully chaotic collage of songs sonically inspired by David Bowie, Prince, Nine Inch Nails and more to create a more mature version of her debut studio album entitled "The Fame" or "The Fame Monster" deluxe.

Lady Gaga’s seventh album Mayhem is out now. The LP follows 2020’s Chromatica and her Joker 2 companion Harlequin from 2023. Executive produced by Gaga, her fiancé Michael Polansky and Andrew Watt,