Who is Lady Gaga?

Her early life

Lady Gaga's original name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was in New York City on March 28, 1986. She is the eldest child of Italian American Joseph Germanotta, an internet entrepreneur, and Cynthia. She is left-handed[17] and began learning to play piano aged four. She wrote her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights (is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone) by age 14. Lady Gaga was raised a Roman Catholic.

At age 17, Gaga gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts 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.[18][28] Gaga wrote an 80-page thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst; research that prepared her for her future career focus in "music, art, sex and celebrity.". However, she didn't finish her studies and to start her career as a singer and sonwriter.

Her career

Lady Gaga started her career by signing contract with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19 and larter with songwriter and producer RedOne. She began experimenting with drugs soon after, while performing at neo-burlesque shows.

"Iwent to a Catholic school but it was on the New York underground that I found myself."

Her father did not understand the reason behind her drug intake and could not look at her for several months
Lady Gaga's real career started with Akon who recognized her vocal abilities, and signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was a commercial success and achieved international popularity with the singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album reached number one on the record charts of six countries, accomplished positions within the top-ten worldwide, and topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart while simultaneously peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. Achieving similar worldwide success, The Fame Monster (2009), its follow-up, produced a further two global chart-topping singles "Bad Romance" and "Telephone" and allowed her to embark on a second global headlining concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just months after having finished her first, The Fame Ball Tour. Her second studio album, Born This Way, is scheduled for release on May 23, 2011 after the arrival of its eponymous lead single "Born This Way", which achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in iTunes history, selling one million copies in five days.

Influence and success

Inspired by glam rock (a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles) artists like David Bowie, Elton John and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Amy Winehouse, Gaga is well-recognized for her outré sense of style in fashion, in performance and in her music videos.

Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards, among twelve nominations; two Guinness World Records; and the estimated sale of fifteen million albums and fifty-one million singles worldwide. Billboard named her both the Artist of the Year in 2010 and the top selling artist of 2010; ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade. Gaga has been included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as Forbes' list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world. Forbes also placed her at number seven on their annual list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.

Albums

• The Fame (2008)
• The Fame Monster (2009)
• Born This Way (2011)

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