The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated Mar. 22, we look at whether the latest album from one of the century's greatest pop stars will return her to the top of the chart for the first time in five years.

Lady Gaga has revealed that she almost left one of the fan-favourite songs from her new album Mayhem on the cutting room floor, but her fiancé Michael Polansky stopped her. Speaking to queer comedians Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on their podcast Las Culturistas,