Everything is coming up Lady GaGa these days and, judging from the singer’s newly revealed cover for ARTPOP, it’s mostly because Mama Monster knows how to use shock to her advantage. Using that age old attention-grabbing technique, recently a favorite of Miley Cyrus, Gaga went full-on nude for the album artwork. Well, perhaps “full-on” is a bit misleading – since all the essential parts are tastefully covered by Gaga’s hands and what appears to be a giant blue crystal ball.

Lady Gaga, Machete Kills Still
With all the buzz around ARTPOP, Gaga is also in the midst of promoting her feature film debut in the Robert Rodriguez flick Machete Kills.

That’s a defining feature of the cover – colors, colors everywhere! Of course, Gaga has established herself as one of the most extravagant and fashion-conscious performers out there by using a lot of color throughout her work, but recent videos and fashion choices have led many to believe that she might go in a cleaner, beatnik-like direction and maybe do an all black album cover. Instead, Gaga chose to surprise everyone again and come out with a busy, colorful piece for the artwork, featuring her own name in bold fuschia lettering.

The “art” part of ARTPOP is honored with a collage of classic artworks in the background, including Boticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” which reportedly served as the inspiration behind Lady Gaga’s Artpop video. Shortly before it premiered, Gaga described it as "a piece of my heart. Something I cherish deeply. A real depiction of my mind through his." The him in question is Jeff Koons, the highly controversial (and extremely well paid) American artist. And the surprises by Gaga don’t stop there, as she revealed in another tweet.