Do What U Want

"Do What U Want" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third studio album, Artpop (2013). Featuring guest vocals from American singer R. Kelly, the song was released as the album's second single on October 21, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. The lyrics involve Gaga's declaring that her thoughts, dreams, and feelings are her own regardless of anything other people say. She wrote and produced "Do What U Want" alongside Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair, with additional writing from Kelly, Martin "Tchami" Bresso and William "DJ Snake" Grigahcine. Blair first presented Gaga with the song's initial concept two years prior to its release. Production on "Do What U Want" was completed in 2013, with Kelly's vocals added soon after. Its sudden popularity upon premiering led to the song becoming the second single from Artpop.

Musically, "Do What U Want" is a mid-tempo synth-pop, electropop and R&B song featuring 1980s-style synthesizers and an electronic instrumental track. The lyrics discuss the media's appetite for publishing opinion and critique, with Gaga telling detractors that her thoughts, dreams and feelings are her own, no matter what one does with her body. Upon its release, "Do What U Want" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's simplicity and production. The single cover for "Do What U Want", a close-up of Gaga's buttocks in a floral thong, was photographed by American fashion photographer Terry Richardson, who had also directed the song's accompanying music video. The video was planned to be released through BitTorrent in December 2013 but was cancelled for unknown reasons.

"Do What U Want" was a commercial success, topping the charts in Greece and Hungary while peaking within the top 10 in Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Norway, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom as well as the top 20 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Live performances of the song were televised on the 2013 American Music Awards, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Saturday Night Live, The Voice and The X Factor. Several remixes of "Do What u Want" were released, including ones with guest vocals from American singer Christina Aguilera and American rapper Rick Ross.

On January 10, 2019, Gaga decided to have "Do What U Want" removed from music streaming services after the airing of a television documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, exposed new allegations of sexual misconduct and assault by Kelly, who had previously been charged regarding similar accusations in 2002 but was acquitted in 2008. The song was removed from new vinyl and CD pressings of Artpop in November 2019.

"Do What U Want" was co-written by Gaga, Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair, R. Kelly, Martin "Tchami" Bresso and William "DJ Snake" Grigahcine. It was produced by Blair and Gaga and features vocals by Kelly. Gaga had been living in Chicago and completing the songs for Artpop, which was being influenced by the R&B and hip hop music predominant there. One day, the singer came to know about an article discussing her weight and she was angered with such news. She decided that it was through her music that she could take a stance against "shallow journalism". After the release of the first single from the album, titled "Applause", the singer was also determined to create something different and unfamiliar to her past hit singles, and "Do What U Want" stemmed from these thoughts.

Blair recalled how in 2011 his friend Martin was playing him a particular beat from his own remix project. Blair liked the music and presented it to Gaga who had begun writing the song's lyrics while on the Born This Way Ball tour. Blair described its beat as "some space age George Jetson R&B sound". After the lyrics were completed in September 2013, Blair suggested bringing Kelly on board as a collaborator. Kelly was in the process of completing his album, Black Panties, and agreed to participate following a telephone conversation with Gaga. Kelly told Billboard that working with the singer was "natural jelling". Gaga told MTV News about the song:

I've been living in Chicago and spending a lot of time there, and that's where R. Kelly hails from. I was working on Artpop and I wrote ['Do What U Want'] on tour. It was about my obsession with the way people view me. I have always been an R. Kelly fan and actually it is like an epic pastime in the Haus of Gaga that we just get fucked up and play R. Kelly. This is a real R&B song and I [said 'I] have to call the king of R&B and I need his blessing.' It was a mutual love.

"Do What U Want" is a mid-tempo synth-pop, electropop and R&B song, drawing influence from 1980s-inspired throbbing synths and an electronic beat. Eric R. Danton of Rolling Stone described it as a "muscular club beat". James Montgomery from MTV News said that a "lurching, lascivious beat" was the main backbone of the song, interspersed with Gaga's loud-voiced vocals, a "corky" chorus and Kelly's "cool, coital" singing. The song's chorus is built around arpeggios. Complex described its "Do what you want, what you want with my body" hook as "catchy and somewhat raunchy". The song's lyrics represent Gaga telling off detractors that her thoughts, dreams, and feelings are her own, no matter what one says about her. Jim Farber of New York Daily News suggested "Do What U Want" to be a response to "everyone who ever made a tart comment about her — which, by now, involves half the planet". Gaga and Kelly alternate singing the lines "Do what u want/ What u want with my body/ Do what u want/ What u want with my body/ Write what you want, say what you want about me/ If you want you know that I'm not sorry".