Heartbeats by Lady Gaga (shortened as Heartbeats) were a line of high performance earphones. They were made by Monster Cable under the product line "Beats by Dr. Dre" and were made available in October 2009. To coincide with the release of Born This Way, they announced the Heartbeats V2 (or 2.0) in July of 2011. The line was discontinued prior or around 2014 when Apple bought the company.
The success of the Heartbeats line lead to the creation of an Artist Series with P. Diddy's Diddybeats in May 2010 and LeBron James' Powerbeats among others.
Background
In the spring of 2009, Lady Gaga was contacted by Dr. Dre and the Noel Lee, the CEO of Monster Cable Products, to discuss a possible collaboration. Monster Cable wanted to expand their products line to reach a broader audience with her appeal to both men and women. Lady Gaga worked directly with the design firm Ammunition to conceive the Heartbeat to enjoy the ultimate in both high fashion and high performance audio. The Ammunition team drew from her design ethos, which incorporates strong imagery from fashion, art, architecture and performance art. "Great design is about ideas and emotions, not just objects," says Robert Brunner, leader of the Ammunition Group. "Working with Lady Gaga, we have created something that expresses her very essence and soul, and ultimately fused fashion and sound in a new way that will delight both the eyes and ears. And the heart."
The result is a unique expression of Lady Gaga that allows women and men to express themselves and their passion for music in exciting new ways. They also reflect her commitment to leading-edge audio performance and musical authenticity. "Heartbeats by Lady Gaga" are designed to deliver pounding bass, incredible clarity, and all the power of today's hottest music.
- "In the deepest hour of the night, I confess to myself three things; I would die if I was forbidden to write, forbidden to love, or forbidden to fashion, Heartbeats embody the trinity of my human-being with one additional vow: that SOUND matters. Wear Heartbeats, love each other, and celebrate the art and lifestyle of music" - Love, Lady Gaga
Products
Heartbeats
Heartbeats by Lady Gaga - Full Ad
Commercial
The Heartbeats were made in three colors: Black chrome, bright chrome and rose red. After a couple of months, the Heartbeats were released with ControlTalk as an option.
Heartbeats V2
The second generation of Heartbeats (V2 or 2.0) were unveiled by HMV UK in the beginning of 2011. Although the listing had three colors, only black punk devil and white punk devil were made. An official press release was made on July 13, 2011 to announce the new products and that they were available now.
The box featured a photograph by Nick Knight and a new signature was used on the earphones. In the press release, it was mentioned that the new look was inspired by "leather and studs." Unlike the previous version, the V2 did not receive promotion by Gaga.
Promotion
The original Heartbeats line got a promotional photoshoot by Meeno on September 4, 2009. The Heartbeats were announced by Gaga and Dr. Dre at IFA Berlin 2009 on September 7, 2009. Later that day, Gaga attended the Monster Cable Party at Tube Club in Berlin wearing the Heartbeats in black chrome. On September 8, she did a press conference at the HMV in London. Another one at the Virgin Megastore in Paris on September 9, 2009. The Heartbeats were officially unveiled on September 30 at a US press conference and multiple media interviews at GILT at The New York Palace Hotel. On September 15, 2009, Beats collaborated with Best Buy to create in-store “Club Beats” areas, a selection of products aimed at DJs. To help promote Club Beats, Best Buy hosted a CD signing event on November 23 to commemorate the release of "The Fame Monster" and the Heartbeats in Los Angeles. The final press conference was at 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 6, 2010.
The Heartbeats in bright chrome were featured in the music videos for "Bad Romance" (2009) and "Telephone" (2010).
