It is an extra special time for Lady Gaga.
This week, the "Poker Face" hitmaker made the long-anticipated announcement that her seventh studio album, titled Mayhem, is finally coming out on March 7.
She is also in the midst of planning a wedding, to her ever-supportive fiancé Michael Polansky, and looking ahead to their new life together, which includes potentially growing their family.
Speaking with Elle, Gaga reflected on where she stands today, both professionally and in her personal life, and got candid about what motherhood would look like for her. "Family — it's like the roots of the tree," she said, adding: "They grow long, and sometimes they're mangled, and sometimes they're full of water, and sometimes they're thirsty. Family is what makes you who you are, and it also defines your need for change."
Asked should she have children, what she would want them to understand about "you as an artist and also as a person as they grew up," she reflected: "I would want my children to understand that whatever my artistry means to them is totally up to them. I would never actually want to shape it or tell them how to think about me. Maybe other than that I just did my best. And tried to stay true to myself along the way."
She further shared: "That's something Michael and I have talked about a lot — allowing our kids to be their own people."
"It's such an intense thing for kids coming into the world. And they're told how to think and what to believe in and how to eat…I just kind of want to let my kids find out who they are."
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Gaga is confident that a "full life" definitely involves her, Michael, "and our kids."
Also reflecting on how her life has changed, she admitted: "Sometimes I worry people will say I'm boring these days, but honestly, thank God I'm boring. Thank God!"
She went on: "Because I was living on the edge. I don't know what was going to happen to me living that way. So the fact that I have these answers, on the one hand, I'm like, 'Oh man, snooze fest!' But actually, I'm so grateful. Because I found a sense of happiness and joy that is true to me."
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And though Gaga and Michael haven't had kids together just yet, the new album was a joint venture for them. "It's been one of the most incredible parts of this chapter of my life, to live with and coexist alongside someone making art and being creative in ways that very few people get to experience. I think of myself as really lucky to have been there for it," Michael, who according to Gaga helped her write about seven songs, said.
"This album was so much fun to watch her make," he emphasized. "She recorded it right down the street from our house, so we could easily walk back and forth from the studio. I spent a lot of time with her, bringing my laptop to work while she was there. What surprised me most was how fast she is. I couldn't believe how quickly a song would take shape. Within five minutes, 80 percent of the song would have come from nothing."