Lady Gaga, notorious for her crazy outfits and cutting edge music that has made her standout, now appears to be going in a different direction with her musical career. Gone is her meat suit, replaced by a cowboy hat and high waisted shorts. Her recently-released single “Perfect Illusion” contains nothing of the crazy, wild and odd sound that fans are used to hearing. The song sounds like it’s a mix of 70’s disco and 80’s synth.

At first it’s hard to believe that the woman singing is Lady Gaga because the song sounds nothing at all like the pop that fans are used to hearing from Gaga.

Despite its departure from the norm, “Perfect Illusion” isn’t 100 percent  different from her usual stuff. With its out-of-date sound and Gaga’s strong voice belting out the lyrics, the song contains elements of the Gaga that the world loves and hates.

After listening to the song on repeat, one can hear the tell-tale signs in the background and in her unique voice, especially during drawn-out notes, that it is in fact Lady Gaga singing and not some impostor. Gaga gives herself away with the lyrics in the chorus that perfectly capture her unique voice.

With lyrics such as “it wasn’t love” and “you were a perfect illusion” the song is an odd take on a love song of sorts. After listening, it’s easy for listeners to conclude that the song is about being deceived by love. She thought he was perfect and that she loved him but he turned out to be a “perfect illusion.”

It’s almost as if Gaga has matured and finally found herself after years of being someone else and doing crazy things. It’s refreshing to see this new side of Gaga. It’s been quite some time since Gaga released something this good, and  three years since she released a single.

“Perfect Illusion” was the first taste that fans got from her new album “Joanne” which was  released on Oct. 21. Fans will now be able to confirm if Gaga really has changed her sound and is going in a different direction with her music.

If Gaga continues down the path that she’s started on in “Perfect Illusion,” she might become more successful than she has been by drawing in new fans that didn’t like her music in the past.