On the surface, Lux could seem more like a challenging scholarly challenge rather than a new popular music project by an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken into four different parts and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning classical-tinged album exploring feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical transformation, often by way of the lens of various female saints. The dissolution of a love affair—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward on this record, supported by the lush presence of a major orchestra and contributions from an award-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer ambition by itself makes the work of other artists look quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
That this album manages to escape dry academic posturing feels nothing short of a miracle, with complete praise belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time album to alchemize the past and modern styles, its ambitions are much greater here, with the balancing act more pronounced. What really elevates her fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary artist during her height, you find a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps you into its whirlwind. Even when she's breaking hearts apart, you still want to stay alongside her through the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful energy shines clearly on the stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over several moments. Suddenly, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously over-the-top string surge thuds in like cartoonish impact. The track then segues to the wild track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux is that the listener never exactly know—or even wish to predict—what it is going next."
Almost each track ends at a completely different place than how it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous rhythmic work begins out dark and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly choir enter to soften the song's jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Pop
A key achievement on the album involves straddling the gap of radical experimentation and mainstream accessibility. This is no coincidence that the album has become her highest-charting release to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spins skyward. This trick is repeated on another expansive track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, lambasting an ex- partner labeled an "emotional bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for capital-A artistry amid of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes time to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. Where other big pop albums of 2025 felt like a meager meal, Lux offers a sumptuous feast where the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
