I think the countdown signified the official end to ARTPOP
It's annoying because we're ready for the next pop album already because it felt like ARTPOP didn't even happen after waiting 2 years for it. Now we have to sit through this jazz junk, and wait another year for hopefully a decent album.
But it sounds like she wants to take a break from music. ARTPOP did not feel like a good closing to her prime.