Lady Gaga's 'Carpool Karaoke' Is Must-See TV

If your enthusiasm for James Corden's karaoke-on-wheels format has been waning, worry not. Lady Gaga is here to relight your fire for watching your favorite stars show off their vocal talents while on the road. As with everything Gaga does, she gave it 110 percent. And perhaps that's part of the reason I'm declaring that Lady Gaga is the best Carpool Karaoke guest Corden has ever had. And I know, I know, that's a pretty bold statement. After all, she's got some stiff competition: stars as big as Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, One Direction, and Stevie Wonder have all belted out their most popular hits on Carpool Karaoke. Even Michelle Obama has gotten in on the action. So what makes Gaga so special?

I believe that being the ultimate Carpool Karaoke guest boils down to three important aspects: how good the participant is as a passenger (they are in a car, not a karaoke bar after all), how good they are at karaoke, and how much they're willing to open up about their own lives. With regards to the latter, I'm not talking about carefully finessed, pre-prepared PR statements. If I see a celebrity on Carpool Karaoke, I want to learn things about them I never would have guessed, not something I could've easily read an interview. Arguably Gaga has all three of those qualities in abundance — but if you don't believe me, check out her performance for yourself.

Lady Gaga Is A Great Front-Seat Passenger From The Start

When Corden complains about the traffic, Gaga has his back, launching into a chain of expletives so descriptive that her mouth got blurred out for what felt like a month. Then, she leans out of the window to give the other cars a piece of her mind: "Move!" When was the last time a celebrity on Carpool Karaoke showed this much empathy with the driver's frustrating traffic situation? Basically never.

Gaga even takes the wheel from Corden later in the video to give him a breather. True, she's not the best driver ("That’s park, the one with 'P' on it. It’s amazing, isn’t it?"). But her heart is in the right place, and that's what counts.

Her Karaoke Game Is On-Point

I'm surprising absolutely no one who has a functioning pair of ears with this statement, but it's worth noting: Gaga's karaoke game is insane. Her lungs must be 20 times the size of anyone else's, because that voice? Are you kidding me? There have definitely been singers who have appeared on the show who I've been way more invested in — cough, Britney Spears, cough — but who end up half-singing, half-mumbling, so all you can hear is Corden's voice.

That isn't the case with Gaga. Not only does she belt out the songs with considerable gusto (and some enviable dance moves I'll be borrowing on Saturday night), she even goes off track and harmonizes with Corden at points. Gaga is absolutely the friend you want to take to karaoke — she not only sounds amazing herself, but she's good at making you sound amazing, too.

Fans Learn Crazy Factoids About Gaga's Life

Gaga isn't shy about sharing details of her life. She's truthful about the more mundane aspects (she just got her driver's license) and the wacky stuff (she owns a bunch of Michael Jackson's old clothes, which she keeps in a temperature-adjusted room so they'll last "forever"). Also, she shuts down Corden's suggestion that someone might have to approve her lyrics ("I'm the boss"). She even shows off her warm-up exercise — singing "Hallelujah" over and over at various pitches. It's harder than she makes it sound. When Corden gives it a try, she has no shame about correcting his pitch.

Gaga must be on cloud nine these days. Not only is she on-track for her fourth number one album and set to sing in the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show, but she's the best guest Corden's ever had on Carpool Karaoke. And I'd reckon that's the greatest honor of all.

Images: The Late Late Show With James Corden/YouTube (3)