Lady Gaga’s new 2013 album, Artpop, just debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 list. EDM producer DJ Zedd, who assisted Gaga with her third album, predicted the record would be a smash over the summer. Of course, Gaga’s recent dirty dancing with R Kelly on SNL couldn’t have hurt sales.
In its first week, Artpop sold over 250,000 copies, making it the most purchased album of the week. Considering how hard Gaga’s been plugging the record (SNL, Howard Stern, etc), it’s no surprise that she knocked Eminem to the number two spot.
Of course, that’s what DJ Zedd predicted from the beginning. He knew the album was going to be something special when he was in the studio with Gaga:
"It was very interesting to have someone say, 'I think we should change this and that,' because I usually don't get that. So it's like a positive fight--you try to make the best for a song, and…you learn to compromise and find new ways, and I think that ultimately the songs get to a point that I would never be able to get to myself."
This isn’t the first time Zedd has spoken up about the album. Over the summer, the dj told fans:
“I'm really, really excited for people to hear what we came up with. I just really can't imagine they would not like it, to just say it straight up. I think the stuff we've made is pretty f--cking cool. It's amazing, because does not have to please anyone, and she is who she is. Her first idea of how we should approach the music was just to be completely open--nothing is too crazy. Whatever is dope is dope. We do whatever we want, and we don't have to make a song that's three minutes and 30 seconds just to fit the radio."
