‘As a child, she was teased by her peers for being too provocative and eccentric.’ Time has not changed her.
She remained the same extraordinary and unusual girl who captured the world stage years later. Today is the birthday of Hollywood actress, singer and model Lady Gaga. She turned 38 years old.
Stefani Joan Angelina Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, was born in New York to a Catholic family. The parents had a low income,
so they worked from eight in the morning to eight in the evening to ensure quality education for their children.
As a child, Lady Gaga studied at the same school as Paris Hilton, which was very prestigious. Her family was not rich, and she did everything she could to pay for her education.
‘My mother tells me, when I was 3 years old, maybe even younger, I would stand on my toes and press the piano keys with difficulty. Later, piano became my love. I’m a natural musician.’
Gaga started playing the piano at age 4, wrote her first ballad at age 13, and began performing by age 14.
After graduating from high school, her mother convinced her to apply to the New York University School of the Arts’
Department of Music and Theater Conservatory. Gaga was one of 20 applicants who was accepted early to the university.
At the age of 19, Gaga dropped out of New York University and decided to focus on a music career.
The father made a condition before the girl. He said that he will give Gaga the money she needs to make her dreams come true, but if she doesn’t get any results in 1 year, she has to go back and continue her studies.
‘I left my family and moved into the cheapest apartment,’ Gaga recalled years later. In 2005, she formed the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with her friends.
The group attracted music producer Joe Valpis, thanks to whom Gaga and friends recorded the albums ‘Words’ and ‘Red and Blue’.
During one of the music competitions, Gaga attracted the attention of producer Rob Fusari. SGBAnd disbanded and Gaga began writing songs with Fusari.
According to the producer, the stage name ‘Lady Gaga’ was taken from the song ‘Radio Ga Ga’ by the Queen group.
‘Every day, Steph would come to the studio and instead of saying hello, I’d start singing ‘Radio Ga Ga’.’
One day when she was thinking about a stage name, I texted her. ‘Lady Gaga’. She answered: ‘That is exactly what is needed. Don’t call me Stephanie from now on.”
At ‘Def Jam Recordings’ they liked Gaga’s unusual electro-pop songs and signed a contract with her, but broke the contract after 3 months.
Gaga returns to her family and starts performing in clubs. During this period, she tried to attract attention with her neo-burlesque shows,
go-go dances and semi-nude outfits.All this angers Gaga’s father, who has not spoken to his daughter for several months.
Gaga meets Lady Starlight, who helps shape her stage persona. They start performing together in clubs. In 2007, they were invited to perform at the Lollapalooza Music Festival.
Gaga rose to fame with her debut album, The Fame, released in 2008, which was a critical and commercial success.
It included the hits ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Poker Face’. In November 2009, the album was re-released under the name ‘The Fame Monster’,
which included the hits ‘Bad Romance’, ‘Alejandro’ and ‘Telephone’. The Monster Ball Tour that followed became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.
Gaga’s second album, ‘Born This Way’, was released in May 2011 and topped the charts of the biggest music centers. Its most successful singles were ‘Born This Way’ ,‘Judas’ and ‘The Edge of Glory’.
Gaga is known for her bold and diverse contributions to the world of music through her fashion, performances, and music videos.
As of November 2013, Gaga has sold over 24 million albums and over 125 million singles. Her achievements include 13 Grammy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards and 18 MTV Video Music Awards.
‘Billboard’ magazine called Gaga ‘artist of the year’ several times, VH1 included her in the 4th place in the list of ‘100 most influential women in the world of music’.
In 2010-2013, ‘Forbes’ magazine included Gaga in the list of 100 most influential women in the world. ‘Times’ called Gaga ‘the queen of pop’.