Lady Gaga

While working on the project, we needed to focus on two aspects:

1. The website should be, on the one hand, highly customizable so that Lady Gaga’s can easily add any graphic elements or sections she dreams of. This feature is particularly useful when preparing for an upcoming event, for example, the release of a new album. On the other hand, the artist team must be able to introduce any changes on the website without depending on external agencies or engineers. Robust and custom editorial flow is a must-have.
2. The music industry operates on precise timelines, with website updates coordinated with major events, such as album releases, Grammy ceremonies, and global tours. There is no place for missing deadlines.

Right after the release of the new website, Lady Gaga team saw an 128%  increase in add to cart rate, and a 55% increase in AOV (average order value).

Here’s how we approached developing an official Shopify Hydrogen website for Lady Gaga.

The Challenges

The development faced several significant challenges. The primary was the timing and scope of the project. The music industry operates with insane velocity, and we needed to accommodate the changes into the project. The release date of the new Lady Gaga album changed a few times or promotional plans for some of the newest assets had to be revamped. That’s why new features were added, changes to the UX and UI introduced, and all had to be handled within strict deadlines and confidentiality.

Design implementation presented another major challenge. Melody Yung from Yung Studio and Lady Gaga worked on the website themselves. It was a very personal project for the artist and she had a hands-on approach when it came to design. That’s why the design is very bespoke and set with Lady Gaga brand.

Despite various bespoke features, the site needed to adhere to the highest performance standards. We expected hundreds of thousands visitors after the launch and when Lady Gaga announced any new project, so we needed to carefully choose the tech stack behind the project.

And the last challenge is related to the time of the launch. In the entertainment industry, product launches need to be timed down to the second. This also proved true for Lady Gaga's website. The release was planned at 8 AM PT and the site had to go live at this precise hour. We worked closely with Lady Gaga’s team, so the website was live at 8 AM sharp.

A Holistic Approach to an Ambitious Project

To address the challenges, we needed a holistic approach to the project, robust communication with all stakeholders, and an extraordinary tech skillset and stack.

How to showcase a unique Lady Gaga brand via content?

The most important part of the project was to create a powerful content management system. The custom CMS development focused on creating a tailored and modular editorial experience, so it’s possible for the artist’s team to add any page or content or section she wishes to.

For example, now Lady Gaga's team builds multiple homepage versions simultaneously, with some  created with ready-to-use sections (we already coded them in the CMS and they are available for content editors) and others custom coded. The team can work with various stakeholders simultaneously and publish a chosen version of the website.

CMS can also support any new features that will be developed in the future. If the Lady Gaga team would like to add any new elements, for example interactive quizzes, the site will support it.

Custom editorial workflows wouldn’t be possible without a robust CMS tool. We opted for Sanity CMS, as it’s one of the most versatile tools on the market. We worked with Sanity previously on other high-end projects, for example, Nour Hammour, and we knew Sanity will allow us to deliver editorial experience needed for this project.

We took care of technical requirements for certain assets, so that the team can focus on their creativity. We decided to go with MUX, a robust tool for video infrastructure.As video is a crucial part of branding strategy, showing the newest music videos in the highest quality was crucial.  Lady Gaga’s team can add any size and format and not worry about compression and other technical aspects that could slow down the website.

Translating Bespoke Design into Tech Performant Website

The bespoke layout of the project required very close collaboration with Melody Yung, from Yung Studio, author of the designs. We needed to combine creative designs made by Melody and Lady Gaga, with technical expertise, so that the website will remain performant. Thanks to close collaboration, we were able to come up with creative technological solutions that brought to life custom designs.

The collaboration worked both ways. Thanks to our extensive eCommerce expertise we were able to create a well-optimized PDP. We were actively advising when it came down to design decisions and suggested changes that had a positive impact on the UX and decreased development efforts.

To succeed in such competitive and complex projects, you need a technology team that deeply understands the intricacies of the design and can offer their advice to deliver the best results possible.

Mobile-first design

Lady Gaga has a huge following on social media (more than 57 million followers on Instagram) and her fans often use their mobile devices to interact with the website. That’s why we adhered to the best practices, we implemented a mobile-first approach. The site is not only well-designed but also performant. This process required technical knowledge on our part, especially when it comes to custom coded sections, for example, the 3D music subpage, to make sure it emulates the same engaging experience on the desktop.

Key Features

Since its release on the 27th of January, the site has already changed a few times. Firstly, Lady Gaga's team promoted the new album MAYHEM. More recently, the homepage has been dedicated to the newest single, Abracadara, and features the music video for the song.

This shows how the homepage can implement dynamic design elements, such as images, videos or interactive elements, that the team can adapt to current campaigns almost instantly.

Another page worth mentioning is the music section. It features an innovative 3D presentation of albums with an integrated music player, enhancing the fan experience through interactive exploration of album content.

Product pages incorporate customizable gradient backgrounds and an interactive gallery system.

The site also includes subtle interactive elements that respond to product themes, creating an engaging experience for fans who enjoy discovering hidden features.

Implementation Process

The project required close collaboration between Melody, Lady Gaga’s team, and our development experts. Michal Klim, our CTO, and lead engineer were in constant feedback loops with all people involved. This approach enabled us to maintain development momentum while addressing complex technical challenges. We worked as one team contributing to the website success.

Results

The completed website successfully delivers on all key requirements. It provides Lady Gaga's team with complete control over content updates, supports coordinated campaign launches, and handles high visitor volumes without performance issues. The platform effectively combines creative flexibility with technical reliability, serving as an efficient tool for Lady Gaga's digital presence management.

Technical Achievements In a Nutshell

The platform demonstrates several notable technical accomplishments:

• A scalable architecture supporting hundreds of thousands of daily visitors
• Seamless integration of complex design elements with high-performance requirements
• A sophisticated content management system enabling independent team operation
• Robust eCommerce functionality with customizable presentation options