Lady Gaga released her second studio album, “Born This Way,” this past May, but up to this day she has been under fire for her use of uncensored sexuality, extreme messages, religious symbolism and overall obscurity in her music videos. Following the release of the music video for the album’s title track, she was scrutinized for both her “controversial” lyrics and the mysteriously strange music video. But really, after “Telephone” and “Alejandro,” can we expect or even want anything else? If you’ve heard Gaga perform her song “Speechless,” you have no choice but to agree that she is an exceptional singer. What makes a singer an artist, however, is performance, and if anyone knows how to perform, it has to be Lady Gaga.

Unlike most “artists,” who use music videos as promotional devices, Gaga uses music videos to tell a story and share an ultimate message. The “Born This Way” video has a strange beginning, but when one stops to actually absorb the story, Gaga sings on important issues like good and evil, acceptance and unity. So who cares if she births a baby to symbolize the existence of opposites or uses a machine gun to explain the importance of control and balance in life? The video is bare and purely an expression of a desire for acceptance.

Gaga has since released music videos for “Judas,” “The Edge of Glory,” and “Yoü and I.” All of these are extremely unconventional, but still completely distinct. The “Judas” video, for example, inspired a lot of controversy from the religious sector. Singing a song about a religious leader and going even farther by sexualizing the leader is extremely risky, but Gaga only uses religion to identify with the struggle between purity and temptation. Most viewers get too hung up on the religious aspects and thus miss the real message, which actually has very little to do with religion. As for “The Edge of Glory,” it is pure awesomeness.

“Yoü and I” is one of my favorite videos. The music video shows a bare and exposed Gaga, which makes her seem vulnerable and more relatable. This video is one of Gaga’s more blatant, portraying a personal story of love, loss, and acceptance. She opens herself up to the world and that is one of the bravest things anyone can ever do.

Yes, her music videos are unconventional. Yes, her music videos are highly sexualized. And yes, Lady Gaga can be over the top. But isn’t that the point? Whatever happened to creative liberties and not being afraid to express yourself? The point is, Lady Gaga is an artist, and her music videos are her canvases. They are sure to catch the eye and in the end make one think and possibly have a revelation, as good music (and music videos) can often do.