Artist
Lady Gaga Feat. R. Kelly
Why we feature this artist A 2013 duet with a later public reckoning Do What U Want belongs to the complicated history of Lady Gaga's ARTPOP period. The 2013 recording with R. Kelly uses a firm electronic pulse and a prominent R&B vocal exchange, with Gaga del…
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- synth-pop, rhythm and blues
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The story of Lady Gaga Feat. R. Kelly
Why we feature this artist
A 2013 duet with a later public reckoning
Do What U Want belongs to the complicated history of Lady Gaga's ARTPOP period. The 2013 recording with R. Kelly uses a firm electronic pulse and a prominent R&B vocal exchange, with Gaga delivering its central refrain as a statement of resistance. Its subsequent withdrawal is an essential part of the record's history.
The original ARTPOP setting
Universal's October 2013 announcement introduced the duet before the album, listing it among ARTPOP's original fifteen tracks. Musically, it offers a more measured pace than the album's busiest electronic passages. Gaga's strong, relatively direct singing keeps the refrain in focus while the instrumental repeats with a deliberate, almost stubborn steadiness.
Kelly's contribution makes the original a call-and-response recording with a distinct change in vocal character. The song's large hook and contained arrangement gave it an immediate pop shape; it reached the UK top ten during the original release campaign. Those musical facts explain its contemporary visibility without settling the questions that later surrounded the collaboration.
The history did not stop with the single
A separate studio version with Christina Aguilera followed in 2014, replacing the original guest performance and changing the exchange into a meeting of two forceful female voices. It is a different recording, and its credits should remain distinct from the ARTPOP duet.
In January 2019, following allegations against Kelly, Gaga publicly apologised for the collaboration, announced that she intended to remove it from digital services and said she would not work with him again. That statement changes the context in which the original is remembered. The recording remains part of ARTPOP's documented release history, alongside its artist's later decision to repudiate the partnership.
Essential releases
Do What U Want — original duet
The original ARTPOP-era recording featured Kelly; Gaga subsequently publicly rejected the collaboration.
Do What U Want — Christina Aguilera version
A separately credited studio performance replaces the original guest and gives the song a different vocal exchange.