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Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986),[9] better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American musician. At Interscope Records, she worked as a songwriter penning music for established artists, such as Akon. During the same time, she began to play her music in clubs throughout New York City. After Akon recognized that Gaga also had vocal talent, he signed her to a joint deal with his own label, Kon Live Distribution whence then she started to work on her own new material for her debut album.

Gaga started to work with a collective called the "Haus of Gaga" in 2008 and released her debut album The Fame, which she explained was "about how anyone can feel famous." The album peaked in countries like United Kingdom and Canada while being critically appreciated. To date, the album has spawned the international number one singles "Just Dance" (nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards) and "Poker Face." After performing as the supporting act for New Kids On The Block and Pussycat Dolls, Gaga started her own headlining The Fame Ball Tour.

Gaga has been influenced by fashion and has been appreciated for her provocative sense of style and her influence on other celebrities. Musically, she is inspired by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen as well as pop singers like Michael Jackson and Madonna.[5]

Biography

1986-2005: Early life

Lady Gaga was born as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in Yonkers, New York to Italian American parents.[10] Her father, Joseph Germanotta, is an internet entrepreneur, and her mother, Cynthia, works as a telecommunications assistant.[10][11][12] She is their eldest child. By the time she was eleven, Gaga was set to join Juilliard School in Manhattan,[13] but instead attended the private Catholic school Convent of the Sacred Heart.[14] Having learned piano by ear at the age of four, Gaga went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mic nights by the age of 14.[4] At the age of seventeen she gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied music.[4] She honed her writing skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion and socio-political order.[15] However, she withdrew from New York University.[2] At age 20, she began working for Interscope Records as a songwriter, penning songs for pop acts such as the Pussycat Dolls. After she moved out of her parents' house,[16] Gaga started performing downtown, in the Lower East Side club scene with bands Mackin Pulsifer and SGBand. Wanting to differentiate herself from the rock and roll typical of the scene, she chose to focus instead on pop music.[17] Speaking about her father's reaction to her drug use and performance in burlesque shows, she said "He couldn't look at me for a few months...I was in leather thongs, so it was hard for him—he just didn't understand."[14] Around the same time, Gaga became involved in a relationship with a heavy-metal drummer named Luke. In the May 2009 issue of Rolling Stone Gaga described their relationship and their break up as "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny, and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind the songs on her debut album The Fame.[18]

Gaga got her stage name when the music producer Rob Fusari compared her vocal style to that of Freddie Mercury, and took the name Gaga from the 1984 Queen single "Radio Ga-Ga." It was Fusari who helped her to write some of her early hits, including "Disco Heaven," "Dirty Ice Cream," and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich."[17]

2006-2007: Career beginnings

File:GagaStarlight.jpg
Lady Gaga (left) and Lady Starlight at their weekly party New York Street Revival and Trash Dance.[19]

Gaga was originally signed to Def Jam when she was 19 years old; it happened after the record executive L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office.[20] However Gaga states Reid never met with her.[20] "I used to wait outside his office for hours, hoping he'd take meetings with me about my songs, but it never happened."[20] After three months, Reid dropped Gaga from the label.[20]

She was spotted a couple of years later by the music executive Vincent Herbert and signed to Interscope in January 2008. Impressed by her ear for melody and knack for spotting a great hook, various acts have hired her as a songwriter, including Akon's Konvict label, as well as Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block.[14] Gaga also sparked the interest of Interscope's Chairman Jimmy Iovine in early 2007.[20] He offered her a label deal via Streamline/Interscope and partnered her with singer-songwriter Akon.[20] It was Akon, who, upon hearing her sing a reference vocal for one of his tracks, recognized that Gaga also had vocal talent.[21] Akon ultimately convinced Jimmy Iovine to sign her to a joint deal with his own label, Kon Live Distribution.[20] Akon would later call Gaga his "franchise player".[22]

Throughout 2007, Lady Gaga collaborated with the similarly named Lower East Side Rock DJ, go-go dancer and performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped Gaga create her onstage fashions.[23] The pair began playing gigs at downtown club venues like Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and Rockwood Music Hall,[19] with their live performance art piece, "Lady Gaga and The Starlight Revue."[24] Billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow,"[25] their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970's variety acts.[26] In August 2007, Lady Gaga and The Starlight Revue were invited to play at American music festival Lollapalooza, where they shocked audiences with their wild performance.[27] The show was critically acclaimed and their performance received rave reviews.[4][19]

Having initially focused on avant-garde, electronic dance music, Gaga found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the vintage glam-rock of David Bowie and Queen into the mix.[6] "Queen and David Bowie were the key for me... I didn't know what to do until I discovered Bowie and Queen," Gaga says. "When I was playing the New York rock clubs, a lot of record labels thought I was too theatrical. Then, when I auditioned for stage musicals, the producers said I was too pop."[6]

It was through her affiliation with Akon that Gaga started to work on her own new material for her debut album with producer RedOne. Already having a solid selection of electro-glam, David Bowie-esque, Queen inspired songs, Gaga wanted to mix her retro dance beats with urban melodies, a pop chorus and still retain a rock 'n' roll edge. The first song they produced was a mash-up of Mötley Crüe's hit "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T."[17]

2008–present: The Fame

By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles, working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album The Fame.[17] "The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous," she explains. "Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle."[4] For this album, Gaga also stated she "married" a lot of different genres, "from Def Leppard drums and handclaps to metal drums on urban tracks."[20] Gaga started to work with a collective called the "Haus of Gaga," who collaborate with their muse on clothing, stage sets and sounds. "In this industry, you get a lot of stylists and producers thrown at you, but this is my own creative team, modeled on Warhol's Factory. Everyone is under 26 and we do everything together."[14] The Fame received mostly positive reviews from critics, according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it has received an average score of seventy-one out of hundred.[28] Times Online described the album as "a fantastic mix of Bowie-esque ballads, dramatic, Queen-inspired midtempo numbers and synth-based dance tracks that poke fun at celebrity-chasing rich kids."[14] The album's lead single, "Just Dance," was released on April 8, 2008, and has reached number one in seven countries.[29] One of those countries was the United States, where "Just Dance" started to receive radio airplay in October, and hit number one in 2009, becoming Gaga's first US number-one single.[30] The second single, "Poker Face," was released on September 29, 2008, and has reached number one in nearly twenty countries, including almost all major music markets in the world. "Poker Face" became Gaga's second consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2009.[31]

Gaga performing at the New Kids on the Block tour.

The Fame peaked at number one in Austria, the UK, Canada, and Ireland, and number four in Australia.[32][33] Afterward, Haus of Gaga turned its focus further upon the American market with Gaga going on her first ever concert tour with fellow Interscope pop group, the reformed New Kids on the Block. Gaga started her stint with New Kids on the Block in Los Angeles on October 8, 2008, and continued through the end of November.[34] She appeared as a featured guest on the song "Big Girl Now" from their new album, The Block.[35] In late October 2008, Gaga released The Fame in the US, where it debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 24,000 units,[36] and has thus far peaked at number four.[37] Worldwide sales stand at 2.3 million copies.[38]

On December 5, 2008, Gaga was added to the BBC Sound of 2009 longlist, which features the best rising music stars.[39] Gaga was confirmed as the support act for Pussycat Dolls on their Europe and Oceania arena dates from January until May 2009. The tour started in Aberdeen, Scotland, on January 18, and ended in Perth, Australia, on May 30.[40]

Gaga's "Just Dance" received a nomination for the Best Dance Recording, but lost to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."[41] On February 18, 2009, Gaga, along with Brandon Flowers of rock band The Killers, joined on stage with electronic dance duo Pet Shop Boys at the 2009 BRIT Awards. Pet Shop Boys performed a medley of their hits when Gaga and Flowers joined for the final number, the 1985 hit single "West End Girls."[42]

On February 20, 2009, Huliq News reported that Gaga donated tickets and a meet and greet, for any show on her Fame Ball tour, in the US or Canada, to raise money for Odyssey Charter School and elementary schools in Los Angeles affected by budget cuts. Bidding began February 17, 2009, on eBay for what was described as "a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet Lady Gaga while positively impacting children's educational needs." The auction, managed by Giving Engine Auction Management, closed February 26, 2009.[43]

Gaga's first North American tour, The Fame Ball Tour, started on March 12, 2009, and was critically appreciated.[44][45] Beforehand, Gaga promised her fans that they can expect plenty of high drama from her upcoming performances. She said, "I consider what I do to be more of an Andy Warhol concept: pop performance art, multimedia, fashion, technology, video, film. And it's all coming together, and it's going to be traveling museum show."[46] Gaga's associated act for the Pussycat Dolls in Australia in May was critically appreciated with reviewers claiming that she upstaged the Pussycat Dolls with her performance.[47][48]

Gaga appeared semi-nude on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for their May 2009 issue for the annual Hot List wearing plastic bubbles only.[38][49] In June 2009, she revealed plans of touring with Kanye West[50] She performed at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards and won the Best International Artist Video award for the music video of "Poker Face".[51]

Influences and style

Gaga wearing a plastic bubble dress on her first headlining Fame Ball tour.

Gaga has been primarily influenced by fashion. She states that she is "very into fashion" and that it is "everything" for her.[14][52] She said,

When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us.[52]

With Times Online, she stated that her love of fashion came from her mother, who was "always very well kept and beautiful."[12] Gaga has also said she channels Versace in everything she does and considers Donatella Versace as her muse in many ways.[14] "She's iconic and powerful, yet people throw darts at her. She's definitely provocative."[14] Melissa Magsaysay of Los Angeles Times reported that Gaga could be Donatella's doppelgänger.[53] Magsaysay stated "her aversion to wearing a top and bottom at the same time…swigging champagne and being fanned by oily men in Speedos [is] very Donatella-esque."[53] Gaga has her own creative production team called "Haus of Gaga" which she handles personally. The team creates some of her fashionable clothes, props on stage and hair-dos.[54]

Towards the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashion sense of Gaga and American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera, noting similarities in their styling, hair and make-up.[14] Aguilera later claimed she was "completely unaware of this person" and even "didn't know if it [Gaga] is a man or a woman."[14] Afterward Gaga released a statement where she welcomed the comparisons because the media attention had provided useful publicity.[55] Gaga said, "She's such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, because a lot of people in America didn't know who I was until that whole thing happened. It really put me on the map in a way."[56][55] However, she later added that she doesn’t just want to be remembered for the "Christina Aguilera scandal" and that "nobody can copy me, because I can’t be copied."[14][55]

Gaga is a natural brunette, though her hair has not been its natural color since 2008. According to Times Online, her hair is bleached because as a brunette, she kept being mistaken for fellow singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse.[12] Her image and fashion sense has been channeled by other celebrities like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.[57] Recent studies indicating a 25% increase in the sales of large knickers in Britain have been accredited to Gaga's influence. According to lingerie expert Annette Warburton, teenage girls as young as age sixteen were buying the black undergarments and wearing them as hot pants to emulate Gaga's style.[58] On the May 2009 issue of Rolling Stone, Gaga stated that she is bisexual and is inspired by beautiful women. According to her it's an aspect of her sexuality that makes her boyfriends "uncomfortable."[18]

Discography

Main article: Lady Gaga discography

Awards and nominations

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009 "Just Dance" (with Colby O'Donis) Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording[41] Nominated
"Poker Face" MTV Australia Award for Best Video[59] Nominated
Herself MTV Australia Award for Breakthrough[59] Nominated
"Poker Face" MuchMusic Video Award for Best International Artist Video[60] Won
MuchMusic Video Award for People's Choice: Favourite International Video[60] Nominated

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b Harris, Chris (June 9, 2008). "Lady GaGa Brings Her Artistic Vision Of Pop Music To New Album". MTV. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  3. ^ Chisling, Matthew (September 8, 2008). "The Fame – Overview". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Biography of Lady Gaga". LadyGaga.com. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  5. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
  6. ^ a b c Thrills, Adrian (January 9, 2008). "Why the world is going gaga for electro-pop diva Stefani". Daily Mail. Mail Online. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  7. ^ Powers, Nicole (July 23, 2008). "Lady Gaga :: The Fame". URB. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  8. ^ "Discography - Lady GaGa". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  9. ^ Saxburg, Lynn (March 28, 2009). "Concert Review: Lady Gaga's Fame Ball". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2009-04-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Lady GaGa - Biography". April 16, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accesdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Bronson, Fred (January 8, 2008). "Chart Beat: Lady GaGa, Luis Fonsi, Taylor Swift, 'Purple Rain'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  12. ^ a b c Warrington, Ruby (February 22, 2009). "Lady Gaga: ready for her close-up". Sunday Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  13. ^ Sturges, Fiona (May 16, 2009). "Lady Gaga: How the world went crazy for the new queen of pop". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Lady GaGa: the future of pop?". Sunday Times. The New York Times Company. December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  15. ^ Florino, Rick (January 30, 2009). "Interview: Lady GaGa". ARTISTdirect. ARTISTdirect, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  16. ^ Webjockey Spiceboyedgar. "Artist Spotlights: Lady Gaga". Riffin'. Retrieved 2009-02-21. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  17. ^ a b c d "Lady GaGa". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  18. ^ a b Hiatt, Brian (May 2009). "The Rise of Lady Gaga". Rolling Stone (1080). New York: Real Media. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  19. ^ a b c Hobart, Erika (November 18, 2008). "Lady GaGa: Some Like it Pop". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h Concepcion, Mariel (September 12, 2008). "Lady Gaga". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  21. ^ Cowing, Emma (January 20, 2009). "Lady GaGa: Totally Ga-Ga". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  22. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2009-06-05). "Akon Calls Lady Gaga His 'Franchise Player'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  23. ^ Cassis, Christine (January 2009). "2009: Keep your ears open to this music". Blast Magazine. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  24. ^ Lee, Ann (January 2009). "Just Who Is Lady GaGa?". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  25. ^ "Lady Gaga". BMI. July 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  26. ^ Martin, Charlotte (January 2009). "GaGa: On stripping, drugs and No 1s". The Sun. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  27. ^ D'Souza, Nandini (October 2007). "Going Ga-Ga for Lady Gaga". W Magazine. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  28. ^ "The Fame". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  29. ^ "Lady Gaga and Colby O'Donis - Just Dance". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  30. ^ "Artist Chart History - Lady GaGa". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  31. ^ "Lady Gaga - Poker Face". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  32. ^ Williams, John. "Lady GaGa's 'Fame' rises to No. 1". Canadian Online Explorer. Canoe. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  33. ^ "Lady Gaga - The Fame". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  34. ^ "International Pop Star Lady Gaga Set to Tour With New Kids on the Block". Reuters. October 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  35. ^ "Big Girl Now (featuring Lady Gaga)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  36. ^ Hasty, Katie (November 5, 2008). "AC/DC Fends Off High Debuts To Remain No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  37. ^ Hasty, Katy (March 11, 2009). "U2 Tops The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  38. ^ a b Gregory, Jason (May 28, 2009). "Lady GaGa gets naked for Rolling Stone cover shoot". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  39. ^ "BBC Sound of 2009: Lady GaGa". BBC. BBC.co.uk. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  40. ^ "Lady Gaga: Tour & Events". Interscope Records. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  41. ^ a b "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Nominations List". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  42. ^ BBC News (February 20, 2009). "Pet Shop Boys to compose ballet". BBC. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  43. ^ odysseycharterschool (February 17, 2009). "eBay View About Me for odysseycharterschool". eBay. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
  44. ^ IGA (2009-01-13). ""The Fame Ball" U.S. Tour!". Interscope. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  45. ^ McConnell, Donna (March 13, 2009). "Bubble wrap! Lady GaGa swaps her leotard for a clear plastic dreamcoat". Dailymail.co.uk. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  46. ^ "Lady GaGa Announces Dates For "The Fame Ball" Tour". Universal Music Group. Universal Music. January 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  47. ^ Northover, Kylie (May 27, 2009). "Fans go gaga as the Lady upstages the Dolls". Theage.com.au. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  48. ^ Adams, Cameron (May 26, 2009). "Lady Gaga upstages Pussycat Dolls at Rod Laver Arena". News.com.au. Herald. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  49. ^ Hiatt, Brian (May 27, 2009). "The Rise of Lady Gaga". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  50. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (June 10, 2009). "Kanye West To Tour With Lady Gaga". MTV. MTV Networks Inc. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  51. ^ Patch, Nick (June 22, 2009). "Fans agog over Lady Gaga at MMVAs; Nickelback takes most hardware". The Canadian Press. Google News. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  52. ^ a b Harris, Chris (December 9, 2008). "Lady GaGa Brings Her Artistic Vision Of Pop Music To New Album -- And A New Kids Song". MTV. MTV Networks Entertainment Group. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  53. ^ a b Magsaysay, Melissa (January 29, 2009). "Is Lady Gaga Donatella Versace's doppelganger?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  54. ^ Garcia, Cathy (March 8, 2009). "Lady Gaga Burning Up Album Charts". Janmedia Interactive. Korea Times. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  55. ^ a b c Reporter, Daily Mail (February 3, 2009). "So who copied who? Lookalikes Lady GaGa and Christina Aguilera embroiled in style row". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  56. ^ "GaGa: I'm thankful for Christina". OK!. December 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  57. ^ McKenzie, Ana (May 6, 2009). "For Lady Gaga, style, talent have powered rise to fame". The Daily Texan. College Media Journal. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  58. ^ "Lady GaGa Inspires Sales Surge for Big Pants". Mirror.co.uk. MGN Ltd. May 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  59. ^ a b "The Vodafone MTV Australia Awards!". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  60. ^ a b "MuchMusic Video Awards 2009 Nominees". MuchMusic. Retrieved 2009-06-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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