See Lady Gaga Talk ‘Chromatica,’ New Book on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’

Lady Gaga sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for an interview where the singer discussed her album Chromatica, her battles with depression and anxiety, her friendship with Elton John and her new book Channel Kindness.

The face masked Gaga hosted the socially distanced chat from her Los Angeles home studio in a house previously owned by Frank Zappa; this studio is also where Gaga did the majority of work on Chromatica.

“There’s not one song on that record that’s not true, not one,” Gaga told CBS Sunday Morning’s Lee Cowan, adding of the dark undertones in the song’s lyrics. “I just totally gave up on myself. I hated being famous. I hated being a star. I felt exhausted and used up.”

“This is the piano I’ve had for so many years. I’ve written so many songs on this piano. I don’t know how to explain it. But I went from looking at this piano, and thinking, You ruined my life. During that time, I was like, You made me Lady Gaga. My biggest enemy is Lady Gaga. That’s what I was thinking: My biggest enemy is her.  What did you do?”

The singer added, “I don’t hate Lady Gaga anymore. I found a way to love myself again, even when I thought that was never gonna happen. Now, I look at this piano and I go, Oh, my God. My piano! My piano that I love so much! My piano that lets me speak. My piano that lets me make poetry. My piano, that’s mine!“

Gaga credited friends like Elton John — “He always calls me when I’m down. And that usually means I don’t pick up the phone, ’cause I isolate myself. And then I’ll get a message that they’re thinking of me” — with helping her dark times; when asked if she thought about suicide, Gaga admitted, “Oh, yeah. Every day.”

The singer’s struggles inspired the upcoming anthology book Channel Kindness, a collection of “inspirational stories written by young people” and “personal notes of empowerment” released in partnership with Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. The book, which includes an introduction written by Gaga, is out September 22nd.

“Within these pages, you’ll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, prevailed in the face of bullies, started their own social movements, and decided to break through the mental health stigma,” Gaga previously said of the book. “These storytellers share how they felt, created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return.”

Gaga added on CBS Sunday Morning, “Take it from me, if you isolate yourself for too long, you end up staring off into space somewhere by yourself.”