Lady Gaga has a lot of traits that would make her right at home in the midst of a massive Los Angeles traffic jam.<\/p>\n
She has a propensity for profanity, a love of laying on the horn and a barely functional understanding of how a motor vehicle works.<\/p>\n
But perhaps most importantly, she knows that if you\u2019re going to sing her songs while in traffic, you better be belting to the rafters.<\/p>\n
Fresh off the release of her fifth studio album, \u201cJoanne,\u201d released Friday, Oct. 21, Gaga stopped by CBS\u2019\u00a0\u201cThe Late\u00a0Late Show with James Corden\u201d and took part in a festive round of \u201cCarpool Karaoke.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recurring segment, which features Corden cruising L.A. streets with some of music\u2019s biggest stars and singing around their discography. Previous guests have included Adele, Elton John and, before Corden hosted the Tony Awards, Lin-Manuel Miranda and a host of other Broadway talent.<\/p>\n
Gaga made a career of pushing boundaries and refusing to be constrained by what some might consider good taste (Corden, at one point, poked\u00a0fun of Gaga\u2019s infamous \u201cmeat dress\u201d from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Gaga was not amused.). But\u00a0much like her new album, the artist seemed more comfortable in her own skin than in years past.<\/p>\n
Though perhaps sedate by her own fashion standards, Gaga sported perfect cat-eye makeup and\u00a0a gold sequined blouse that reflected the California sunlight so intensely that you\u2019d think she could be cited as\u00a0an illegal rearview mirror decoration.<\/p>\n
But Gaga\u2019s blouse was far from the only thing that sparkled in this edition of \u201cCarpool Karaoke.\u201d The star was remarkably adept at the format, blending just the right amount of geniality with Corden\u00a0while not indulging his more ridiculous instincts, including an extended gag in which Corden dressed\u00a0in replicas of Gaga\u2019s prior red carpet ensembles, one of which entailed some very unfortunate lunch meat.<\/p>\n
And then there was the singing.<\/p>\n
It may be easy to forget that under all the artifice, Gaga trained at a musical theater conservatory. There\u2019s a reason that Tony Bennett collaborated with her on an entire album, and it\u2019s not just because she looks great in hats. (She does.)<\/p>\n
By far the greatest element of Gaga\u2019s \u201cCarpool Karaoke\u201d\u00a0stint is just how into the singing she gets. When she harmonizes with Corden or performs coordinated voguing or belts out lyrics to her own songs, as though she were laying down a track for them, it\u2019s something akin to magical.<\/p>\n
She\u00a0commits<\/em>. And that\u2019s what you have to do to make it in the \u201cCarpool Karaoke\u201d game.<\/p>\n The segment begins with an impromptu version of Ludacris\u2019 \u201cMove B—- Get Out Da Way\u201d before transitioning into \u201cPerfect Illusion\u201d from \u201cJoanne.\u201d Eventually, the pair delved into Gaga\u2019s back catalog, including \u201cBad Romance,\u201d\u00a0\u201cThe Edge of Glory,\u201d \u201cBorn this Way\u201d and \u201cPoker Face,\u201d before concluding with another song from the new album, \u201cMillion Reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid all that singing, Gaga also takes the time to teach Corden a few voice warmup exercises and doesn\u2019t hesitate to correct his form.<\/p>\n For his part, Corden had plenty of criticism of his own to hand out once Gaga takes over behind the wheel, to show off the nascent driving skills that earned her a driver\u2019s license just months before.<\/p>\n Check out the entire video below with the knowledge that while the language was deemed appropriate for late-night network airing, it may not be wholly appropriate for work.<\/p>\n