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On the surface, Lux could seem closer to a challenging academic examination rather than the latest popular music record from an artist who just had a last hit was a collaboration with an international pop icon. Split into four separate sections and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and bodily transformation, frequently through the lens of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive list of contributors. The pure ambition alone makes the work of other artists look quite modest.

Rising Above Academic Exercise

That Lux succeeds in escape dry academic posturing is almost miraculous, and complete praise going to the artist. While it's not her first project to blend the past with the present, the stakes are much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that really raises her fourth release, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous quality to the vocalist's voice that pulls you into its tornado. When she is tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless want to be right there for the journey.

A Signature Moment of Exuberance

This exuberant energy shines clearly on the stunning Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, everything falls away, and there's a spontaneous giggle and a declaration before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from none other than herself.

"The charm with Lux lies in the listener never quite know—or even want to predict—where it will go to next."

Nearly every song concludes at a totally different place than how it began. One moment explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a delicate symphony only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls the artist's earlier trap-infused style starts out dark and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and a heavenly chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged corners.

The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility

Another crucial achievement on Lux is straddling the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that it has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. A song performed primarily in English builds on a refrain that feels to gather more and more infectious hooks as it spins upward. That trick is echoed by another powerful ballad that expands and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.

• A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
• In its words, it aligns the pop culture honesty of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
• Throughout the album, the singing carry a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."

An Opulent Feast for the Ears

Lux is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious grasp for high Art amid of looming artificial blankness. It eschews solipsism for glorious elevation, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully manages its built-in excess. It is a deep well of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but never seem like a chore. While other major pop albums of 2025 felt like feasting on meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient saints, the profound feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.