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.

So much of Mayhem has a throwback sound, and as we hit the top five of this ranking Lady Gaga is going full throttle 70s. It’s glorious. The sheer strut of this song reminds me of how amazing Lady Gaga sounded when she did I Want Your Love with Chic and I’ve been chomping at the bit for her to return to this sound. I adore it.

The star singer returns with her first solo LP since 2020, and it’s full of typically irresistible hooks and her signature sense of drama.

From ballads like "Die With a Smile" to dance-pop anthems like "Abracadabra," see where every song on Gaga's long-awaited seventh studio album wound up on our ranking.