Antonio Mcgowan
Lady Gaga is known for her music, but she has also ventured into the fragrance industry. In 2012, she launched her first perfume, Fame, in collaboration with Coty, Inc. and her own Haus Laboratories label. The fragrance was marketed as the world's first black perfume and was accompanied by a series of commercials and ad campaigns. Gaga also starred in a Valentino perfume campaign for their Voce Viva fragrance in 2020.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the perfume | Fame |
| Launch date | August 2012 |
| Tagline | "The First Ever Black Eau de Parfum" |
| Tagline | "Enjoy the first ever fragrance from Haus Laboratories. Fame, a beautiful prospect with a dark heart. X GAGA." |
| Notes | Atropa belladonna, tiger orchid, incense, apricot, saffron, and honey |
| Type of fragrance | Unisex |
| Perfumers | Honorine Blanc, Richard Herpin and Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich |
| Rumored to smell like | Blood and semen |
| Actual smell like | An expensive hooker |
| Director of the commercial | Steven Klein |
| Date of the first promo ad | July 14, 2012 |
| Date of the second ad | August 1, 2012 |
| Date of the second commercial | August 23, 2012 |
| Date of the third commercial | August 23, 2012 |
| Other perfume campaigns | Valentino's Voce Viva |
| Other perfume campaigns | Valentino's Voce Viva |
Reviews of the commercial
- "Pretty apt, considering sleeping would be the likely reaction worldwide."
- "Reminds me of the opening clips from MGS4."
- "You can't sell smell."
- "I can imagine the smell of cigarette smoke, NY sewer trash and cheap club perfume."
- "She looks like a chipmunk begging for a nut at the end (those teeth)."
- "That song is awful, and she's so pretentious."
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What You'll Learn
Lady Gaga's first perfume commercial was for her fragrance Fame
Lady Gaga's first perfume, Fame, was launched in August 2012. The fragrance was revealed in a press release on June 14, 2012, and was produced in the singer's own Haus Laboratories in Paris. The perfume was marketed with the tagline, "The First Ever Black Eau de Parfum".
Fame was the first fragrance created by the American singer. A unisex fragrance, it was released in the United States at the Guggenheim Museum and Macy's stores on August 22, 2012, and worldwide in September through Haus Laboratories in association with Coty, Inc.
The perfume was developed in collaboration with perfumers Honorine Blanc, Richard Herpin, and Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich. Lady Gaga described the fragrance as "a beautiful prospect with a dark heart". The scent was built on three main accords or "doses", as referred to by Gaga: "Madness" (or the dark accord), "Pleasure" (the sensual accord), and "Glory" (the light accord).
The first promo ad for the perfume was released on July 14, 2012, exclusively on LittleMonsters.com. The ad campaign was directed by Steven Klein and included single and double-page spreads in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle. On August 1, Gaga revealed a second ad, which featured more male covering, depending on the market. The second ad was followed by two more commercials that aired on TV on August 23, 2012, a day after the fragrance's official launch at Macy's.
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The perfume was released in 2012
The fragrance was developed in collaboration with perfumers Honorine Blanc, Richard Herpin, and Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich. Gaga also worked with photographer Nick Knight on the bottle design. The perfume was produced in Haus Laboratories in Paris and released in the United States in Macy's stores.
The unique scent was described as fruity with notes of atropa belladonna, tiger orchid, incense, apricot, saffron, and honey. It was also rumoured to smell like blood and semen, which Gaga later dispelled. Instead, she explained that the fragrance captures the feeling and sense of blood and semen on a molecular level.
The release of the perfume in 2012 was accompanied by a large advertising campaign. Gaga shot a commercial for the fragrance, directed by Steven Klein, which aired on August 14, 2012. The commercial featured Gaga in a variety of bold and risqué outfits, including a black liquid dress and a black laser-cut sheer dress. The ad campaign included magazine spreads in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle.
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The commercial was directed by Steven Klein
Lady Gaga's first-ever fragrance, Fame, was launched in August 2012. The perfume was marketed as "The First Ever Black Eau de Parfum". Gaga described it as "a beautiful prospect with a dark heart".
The commercial for the perfume was directed by Steven Klein. Gaga collaborated with world-renowned photographer Klein and stylist Brandon Maxwell to create the campaign. The commercial was shot in February 2012. Klein described the theme of the campaign as "the subject of fame, the dark and light side of it, the pleasures and the pains of fame".
The commercial features Gaga emerging from a giant black mouth-shaped bathtub, wearing a black liquid dress custom-made by slime artist Bart Hess. She also wears a black crown, custom-made by Los Angeles-based sculptor and special effects costume designer Salvatore Salamone. In another scene, Gaga wears a black laser-cut sheer dress, custom-made for the commercial by Jakarta-based couturier Tex Saverio.
The commercial received mixed reviews, with some criticising the song featured in the ad and Gaga's performance. However, the perfume itself was well-received, with many praising its sophistication compared to other celebrity fragrances.
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It was Gaga's first and the world's first black fragrance
Lady Gaga's first fragrance, Fame, is unique in that it sprays black but becomes invisible once airborne. It is the world's first black fragrance.
Gaga described her debut scent as having a "dark heart", and it was released in August 2012. The perfume was created in collaboration with perfumers Honorine Blanc, Richard Herpin, and Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich.
The fragrance was marketed with the tagline, "The First Ever Black Eau de Parfum". Gaga also said, “Enjoy the first ever fragrance from Haus Laboratories. Fame, a beautiful prospect with a dark heart. X GAGA.”
The perfume was launched with a five-minute short film directed by Steven Klein and produced by Ridley Scott, which debuted at a masquerade ball at New York's Guggenheim Museum. The film was described as having the "pedigree of a Hollywood movie", with effects by Digital Domain. The commercial features Gaga wearing a black liquid dress, emerging from a giant black mouth-shaped bathtub. In another scene, she wears a black laser-cut sheer dress, kissing a series of male models.
The bottle was designed by Gaga and photographer Nick Knight and described as "simple and unfussy" by Billboard magazine.
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The commercial received mixed reviews
Lady Gaga's first-ever fragrance, Fame, was launched in August 2012. The perfume was created in collaboration with Coty, Inc. and was released under Gaga's own Paris-based Haus Laboratories label.
The commercial for the perfume, directed by Steven Klein, was released on 14 August 2012. It featured Gaga emerging from a giant black mouth-shaped bathtub, wearing a black liquid dress, a black crown, and a silicone rubber cropped top and maxi skirt. In another scene, she wears a black laser-cut sheer dress, kissing several male models. The commercial received mixed reviews, with some praising Gaga's originality and push to be different, while others criticised it as pretentious and overly dramatic.
One source commented on the styling and fashion choices in the commercial, noting the black latex catsuit and opera-length gloves, the light-catching black latex hat and velvet mask, and the custom-made platform boots. The source also mentioned the Gulliver pose that Gaga strikes in one of the scenes, which was later transformed into a golden statue similar to the cap of the perfume bottle.
The perfume itself was also unique, being the first-ever black eau de parfum that sprays clear and becomes invisible once airborne. The scent was built around three main accords, or "doses", as Gaga referred to them: Madness (representing her dark, wild, and dangerous side), Pleasure (illustrating her ultra-sensual nature), and Glory (a luminous and pure contrast to the dark elements).
While some reviewers appreciated the originality and sophistication of the perfume and its promotional campaign, others found the commercial to be overly dramatic and pretentious. One comment on Reddit described the song in the commercial as "god-awful" and criticised Gaga as being pretentious. Another comment on the same platform mentioned that perfume commercials, in general, tend to be "so far up their own ass", and this particular one was "one of the worst".
Lady Gaga has also appeared in a film for Valentino's Voce Viva perfume, shot during quarantine in Los Angeles. The film, a collaboration between Maison Valentino artistic director Pierpaolo Piccioli, director Harmony Korin, and Lady Gaga, was described as "a celebration of equality".
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Lady Gaga has done perfume commercials for her own fragrance, Fame, and for Valentino's Voce Viva perfume.
Lady Gaga's perfume is called Fame. It was launched in August 2012 and is the first fragrance created by the American singer.
Lady Gaga's perfume is made of atropa belladonna, tiger orchid, incense, apricot, saffron, and honey. Early reports suggested that Gaga wanted the perfume to smell of blood and semen, but she later dispelled this rumor.
