Lady Gaga stopped by The Late Show to perform her song “Vanish Into You.” Hot off her win for Artist of the Year at the MTV VMAs on Sunday night, Gaga performed an intimate, emotional rendition of the piano-led ballad.
“Vanish Into You” appeared on Lady Gaga’s most recent LP, Mayhem, which dropped in March. The song was written by Gaga alongside Andrew Watt, Henry Walter, and Michael Polansky, and produced by Gaga with Watt and Cirkut. The track was notably the first song she wrote for the album and seemingly references her fiancé Michael Polansky. “In ‘Vanish Into You,’ I imagine that I just want to disappear into the person I love most,” the singer told ELLE.
Lady Gaga recorded Mayhem at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-la Studios. “The album started as me conquering a fear: to return to the pop music my earliest fans loved,” she said in a statement. “This record allowed me to reclaim a huge part of myself. It’s about enjoying everything I am and sharing that joy with my fans.”
She told Rolling Stone that she wanted to harness some of the darker sound and imagery from The Fame Monster and Born This Way. “I wanted to traverse old ground while breaking new ground, which I think is hard to do,” she said. “There are a few moments on the album where some people might say, ‘Oh, that reminds me of this,’ because I do have a style, but I made an effort musically to push myself to a new place.”
Not only did Gaga take home the award for Artist of the Year at the VMAs, she also performed live from her show at Madison Square Garden for the televised ceremony. Gaga joined the broadcast for a performance of “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance.”
While accepting Artist of the Year, Gaga spoke about the importance of artistry. “Being an artist is an attempt to connect the souls of people all over the world. Being an artist is a discipline, a craft meant for reaching into someone’s heart, where it grows its roots and reminding them to dream,” she says. “Being an artist is a responsibility to make the audience smile, dance, cry, release at any turn. It is a method of building understanding and celebrating community. I hope as you navigate through the mayhem of daily life, you are reminded of the importance of the art of your life that you can count on yourself and your simple skills to keep you whole, your rehearsal, your discipline, your craft, deserves to be rewarded for its passion.”