Born: 28 March 1986, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Real name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Alias: GaGa
Height: 5' 1"
Discovered: Stefani Germanotta learned to play piano from the age of four, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14. At the age of 11, Germanotta attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side but has stressed that she does not come from a wealthy background, saying that her parents "both came from lower-class families, so we've worked for everything my mother worked eight to eight out of the house, in telecommunications, and so did my father." An avid thespian in high school musicals, Germanotta portrayed lead roles as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure" as she told in an interview, "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didnt fit in, and I felt like a freak." Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in school. "She had a core group of friends; she was a good student. She liked boys a lot, but singing was No. 1," recalled a former high school classmate. Referring to her "expressive, free spirit", Gaga told Elle magazine "I'm left-handed!"
At age 17, Germanotta gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts on August 23, 2003 and lived in a NYU dorm on 11th Street. There she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, social issues and politics. Germanotta felt that she was more creative than some of her classmates. "Once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself," she said. By the second semester of her sophomore year, she withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career. Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll for Tisch if she was unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she said.
Career:
By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles, working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album The Fame. She combined different genres on the album, "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks". The Fame received positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 71/100.
Gaga released The Fame Monster, a collection of eight songs that dealt with the darker side of fame as experienced by her over the course of 20082009, while travelling around the world and are expressed through a monster metaphor. Her second concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, was announced in support of The Fame Monster and began in November 2009.
"Bad Romance" was released as the first single from the album and topped the charts in eighteen countries, while reaching the top-two in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Gaga has been influenced by glam rock artists such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop music artists such as Madonna, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson. The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name, "Lady Gaga".
Gaga's vocals have drawn frequent comparison to those of Madonna and Gwen Stefani, while the structure of her music is said to echo classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop.
Gaga has identified fashion as a major influence. She considers Donatella Versace her muse. Gaga has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally.
Albums:
The Fame (2008)
The Fame Monster (2009)
Trivia:
Her stage name, Lady GaGa, is a reference to the song "Radio Ga-Ga" by Queen.
Has three tattoos, one her on wrist, shoulder blade, and lower back.
Went to the same school with Paris Hilton.
She has been influenced by Madonna, David Bowie, Judy Garland, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Freddie Mercury, Liza Minnelli, and Michael Jackson.
At seventeen, she was one of twenty people in the world to have gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Attended Sacred Heart School, a private Catholic school in New York City. Other students have included J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin.
Bleached her hair blonde in light of the fact that she was being mistaken for Amy Winehouse by interviewers while trying to make it big.
Her song "Telephone" was originally written for Britney Spears's sixth album Circus. However, after it failed to make the album's final track listing, Gaga recorded the song as a collaboration with 'Beyonce Knowles' for her second album, The Fame Monster.
Made the cover of Time magazine's double issue - The 100 Most Influential People in the World - alongside Bill Clinton and Didier Drogba. In the magazine's "Artists" category (which she headed), the singer's tribute was written by Cyndi Lauper.
Quotes:
"Some artists are working to buy the mansion or whatever the element of fame must bear, but I spend all my money on my show." - Lady Gaga
"She's gonna kick everybody's ass. She's awesome, as far as I'm concerned Britney never left." - Lady Gaga about Briney Spears
"Pop music will never be low brow." - Lady Gaga
| Like it? Share! |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |