Lady Gaga, 1986

An award winning pop star and fashion icon.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born into a wealthy New York family of Italian origin, and was raised in a strict Catholic education. Her dream was to become an actress, but she got nervous in auditions, and ended up getting a 3-second extra gig in The Sopranos TV series. As a plan-B she decided to invest in her music career, which started with playing classic piano from age four.
 
She adopted the nickname “Lady Gaga” given to her by friends based on the 80’s hit song “Radio Ga Ga”. The stage-name allowed her to reinvent herself as a new and extravagant character with uncompromising confidence in her unique personality, expressed in language and appearance.
 
Her musical talent was complemented, and at times overshadowed by her stylish outfits and stage design. She became “the biggest pop star in the world”, a provocative fashion icon, most wanted paparazzi target and social media magnet with more than 30 million followers.
 
She explains that the idea behind her total persona is to create “shock art cultural commentary pieces” – expressing a critical opinion on contemporary society, like the chase after fame. Lady Gaga spoke out about her personal experience of being sexually assaulted and suffering from a mental health disorder, to raise awareness of what later became the #MeToo campaign.
 
She co-wrote and released 7 albums and won more than 100 international and national awards. She featured in the Guinness World Records book as the Most Searched-For Female on the Internet. After a decade of intense music creation she got a leading role in the film “A Star Is Born”, which she wrote original new hits to, coming full circle with her initial desire to be an actress.
 

More Interesting Anecdotes:

• Her father thought that she lost her mind when he first saw her perform, wearing a leopard G-string.
• She listens to jazz and watches horror movies to relax.
• She wrote her first song at 13, titled “I”ll find a way to love again”.
• She performed the national anthem at President Biden and Vice President Harris’s inauguration in January 2021.