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.

SHE is already one of the most camp and flamboyant pop stars around, and now Lady Gaga wants to ramp that up to 11 – by writing a musical. The Abracadabra singer has revealed she has set her