Lady Gaga is undeniably one of the most established icons in the music and fashion industry. Her unique sense of style and raw talent set her apart from other celebrities.
Alongside Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and other pop artists, we also came to love Gaga for her captivating performances and infectious hit songs.
Read on to know more about the “Poker Face” singer as she evolved from Stefani Germanotta to Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga Profile
- Age: 34
- Height: 5 ft 1 in / 155 cm
- Weight: 116 lbs / 53 kg
- Date of Birth: March 28, 1986
- Net Worth: $275 million
- Nationality: American
- Ethnicity: Italian with a mix of French-Canadian, English, German, Scottish (also with remote Dutch, Irish, and Swedish roots)
Lady Gaga: Early Life
Although we came to know Lady Gaga for her byname, her given name is actually Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was born on March 28, 1986 in New York City. Stefani Germanotta was raised in the Big Apple with her only sibling, Natali Veronica Germanotta. The rock band Queen’s song, “Radio Ga-Ga”, inspired Germanotta to later call herself Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga was already musically-inclined even when she was growing up. At the young age of four, she could already play the piano and sing well. Then, when she was 11 years old, Lady Gaga was accepted at the famous performing arts school in Manhattan, the Juilliard School. Eventually, Gaga performed live for the first time in a New York club when she was only 14 years old.
When she was 17, the singer-songwriter acquired an early admission grant to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. While studying there, Gaga continued showing great interest and talent in music. She eventually dropped out to seek and pursue her own career goals.
Mother Monster’s Road to Fame
Lady Gaga continued to push her passion for music. She established The Stephanie Germanotta Band, which was also referred to as The SGBand. The public knew the SGBand as a staple in New York’s club and nightlife scene, with Gaga in the spotlight.
Eventually, she was discovered by a talent scout named Wendy Starland. The star’s fortune continued to develop as she met Rob Fusari, who helped her produce music to showcase her talent. Through this, Lady Gaga was eventually discovered by Island Def Jam Records who wanted to collaborate with her. However, they dropped Gaga from their roster after three months. According to Def Jam executive LA Reid, Gaga’s audition demo was not able to meet expectations.
Heartbroken but not discouraged, Lady Gaga used her first major downfall as a motivator to make a name for herself. She performed in various burlesque shows and continued to hone her craft. Eventually, Gaga met another performance artist named Lady Starlight. The pair would later perform together and would even create a show billed as The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow in 2007.
In that same year, Lady Gaga immersed herself in music and songwriting. She was the brain behind the lyrics of popular tracks by Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls, and even Fergie. Gaga found her actual big break when she was signed by “Smack That” hitmaker Akon. He signed Gaga to his KonLive label under Interscope Records. Lady Gaga would later release her debut album, The Fame, through Interscope Records in 2008.
Lady Gaga Discography
What we love about Lady Gaga is how much she worked hard to make a name for herself. She also graced us with her raw talent and captivating live performances through her unique style in music.
Here are the Lady Gaga albums that we have come to enjoy and love over the years:
The Fame (2008)
After being in the limelight of the New York burlesque scene for years, the world finally came to know Lady Gaga in 2009 through her debut album, The Fame. Her single, “Just Dance,” reached the number one spot on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. Also on Billboard, popular Lady Gaga songs such as “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” and “LoveGame” landed in the first place spot. This marked the first time in over 17 years that an artist was able to acquire four songs from a debut album that landed number one in Billboard.
Aside from selling over eight million copies, the album was also nominated for five Grammy awards. Lady Gaga was able to bag Grammy Awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording. The superstar continued to reap her hard work as she eventually won three Brit Awards in 2010. Gaga not only acquired the Best Album award for Fame, she also bagged the Best Breakthrough Act award, as well as the Best International Female award.
The Fame Monster (2009)
Lady Gaga continued garnering career breakthroughs as she released her second album, The Fame Monster. The album debuted in 2009 and immediately made hit songs such as “Alejandro”, “Bad Romance”, and “Telephone”.
In the same year, Lady Gaga held a concert tour that immediately sold out. The singer-songwriter continued to make her mark in the industry as Time magazine deemed her to be one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2010. Gaga continued to impress the public as she was included in the World’s Most Powerful Women list by the renowned Forbes magazine. On top of all her achievements, the superstar also acquired the honor of being Billboard magazine’s artist of the year.
In 2011, Lady Gaga won several Grammy awards, one of which was Best Pop Vocal Album for Fame Monster. Another claimed award was Best Short Form Video for “Bad Romance”. It’s clear that in her early years as an artist, Gaga impressed the public and critics with her innate talents and numerous achievements.
Born This Way (2011)
Lady Gaga continued to grace us with her talents as she released more albums over the years. In 2011, she released Born This Way. Previous musical periods inspired the overall take and sound of this third album. The title track, “Born This Way”, was observed to have a similar theme and vibe as Madonna’s 1989 track “Express Yourself”. The two songs shared the same style in terms of encouraging personal confidence and empowerment among people. Of course, the title track immediately became a hit.
Artpop (2013)
In 2013, Lady Gaga released another album entitled Artpop. The star flaunted her explosive and unique personality in this album’s tracks. She displayed great energy and vigor in her single, “Applause”. While many came to love Artpop, some considered it to be unsuccessful. Compared to her previous albums, Artpop was not able to garner as much commercial success due to lower sales.
Cheek to Cheek (2014)
Eventually, Gaga collaborated with American singer Tony Bennett. The two released an album named Cheek to Cheek in 2014. Lady Gaga exhibited her raw talents as she recorded and released a series of musical standards and classics. These include timeless tracks such as “Anything Goes” and “Cheek to Cheek”.
The album gave the public a refreshing take on Gaga, drifting away from her controversial side and taking on a more reserved approach to music. Cheek to Cheek was able to land a first place spot on the Billboard 200 and jazz charts. Eventually, the album garnered the Grammy award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Joanne (2016)
In 2016, Lady Gaga released yet another album, entitled Joanne. In this album, the singer-songwriter seemed to have stepped away from her loud, flashy appearance. Instead, Gaga exhibited her raw self while still displaying her strong vocal talents. The public was able to get as close as they could to the real Stefani Germanotta as she shared personal thoughts and feelings through her tracks.
The singer-songwriter truly showed heart and spirit in her Joanne songs. However, the public somehow overlooked the album’s potential at first. For an artist who garnered numerous top-10 hit tracks, some found it disappointing that the lead single “Perfect Illusion” only reached the #15 spot on the Hot 100 Singles Billboard chart. Despite the strong efforts done to promote Joanne, the pop radio airplay for the album’s tracks was not as high as that of her previous songs either. Fortunately, Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime performance in February 2017 eventually helped propel the album forward and increase its sales.
A Star is Born Soundtrack (2018)
Aside from her vocal talents, Lady Gaga also showcased her skills in acting. In 2018, she portrayed the lead role as Ally in a remake of A Star is Born alongside Bradley Cooper. Eventually, both the public and critics gave her high praise for her acting. She even acquired an Oscar nomination for her role.
Aside from acting, Gaga also contributed to writing most of the songs in the film’s soundtrack. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper crafted an impressive series of songs that embodied the film’s themes in romance and heartbreak.
“Shallow”, the film’s lead single, won several awards. It became an addition to the list of Lady Gaga Grammys, as “Shallow” garnered two Grammy awards. Additionally, the lead single also won the Best Original Song award from the Oscars.
Chromatica (2020)
After a hiatus on album releases, Lady Gaga is back with yet another explosive album. Gaga released Chromatica just this May 2020. In the album, she showcased a mix of spectacle and her innate talents in the recorded tracks. The Chromatica songs brought the public back to Gaga’s dance-pop era. A fusion of vivid colors and humanity were the central themes of the album.
Chromatica proved to be another commercial success as it debuted at Billboard’s number one on the list of albums. Lady Gaga is now also one of the few female artists with at least six albums that had several number one rankings in Billboard charts.
While the public came to love her latest album, many are also looking forward to Gaga’s achievements in the future. Indeed, she maintains her promising potential to evolve and continues to display her great talent—making fans love her more and more.
Michael Polansky: Lady Gaga’s Current Beau
You read that right, Mother Monster currently has a boyfriend. Lady Gaga has had her fair share of ups and downs in the arena of relationships. Fortunately, she found another chance at love with entrepreneur and CEO Michael Polansky.
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky’s Dating Timeline
The first instance that the public saw Polansky and Gaga together occurred on New Year’s Eve 2019. Fans spotted Polansky and Gaga as as they were getting into a car. At the time, Polansky was not identified yet but of course, the public was intrigued.
Halftime dance w Ga Ga #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/LxftKZIFEj
— Jeff Ross (@realjeffreyross) February 3, 2020
Over a month had passed and another scoop on the pair circled the news on February 1, 2020. Gaga and Polansky were spotted as they were getting cozy in Miami, Florida. The next day, the pair were recorded as they were watching Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
On February 3, 2020, Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky finally became Instagram-official. The singer-songwriter posted a photo of herself cuddling with her beau on a yacht. She expressed how much fun they had in Miami and wrote, “Love to all my little monsters and fans, you’re the best!”
Since then, the couple has been spotted together multiple times. They continued making fans gush as the Lady Gaga Instagram account is now fused with several photos of the couple.
Gaga and Polansky in Isolation
As many may know, the current coronavirus pandemic forced people to stay indoors as much as possible. Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky do self-isolate—together, at least. This was confirmed when Gaga posted a photo of herself with Polansky on her Instagram account. The two were holding hands and of course, being undeniably cute together.
The singer-songwriter said that she and Polansky are taking care of themselves. Gaga also shared that they are getting by thanks to playing card games and video games together. Indeed, Lady Gaga continues to win at life with her successful career, and with being smitten over her beau. Of course, the Little Monsters are all for it.
Lady Gaga: A Fashion Icon
As sure as salt and pepper go together, Lady Gaga and fashion also come hand-in-hand. For years, Gaga has captured the admiration and attention of people through her sense of style. Having the famous Lady Gaga meat dress as a testament, the performer never fails to express herself and her unique taste.
Aside from setting her fashion statements, the Chromatica singer also consistently stands for what she believes in. Last August 30, Lady Gaga presented herself as a fashion icon and role model in the MTV Video Music Awards. All she did was be her naturally flamboyant self as she added protective masks to her outfits.
Here are the Lady Gaga outfits everyone admired as the star made the VMAs her own fashion show:
Area
Lady Gaga walked down the red carpet in an outfit that was inspired by the VMAs’ Moon Person trophy itself. Gaga took us to outer space as she showed up in this shiny silver dress by Area. She also gave us major astronaut vibes as she accessorized with a clear protective helmet by Conrad Muscarella. This acted as an effective and fashionable face shield for the superstar. Moreover, Gaga also channeled her inner Bratz doll as she wore Pleasers’ platform boots.
Iris Van Herpen
For her first outfit change at the MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga wore this kaleidoscopic rainbow-colored dress by Iris van Herpen. The fringe and feather details were elaborately done, making the outfit even more interesting. Gaga wore the same black Pleasers platform boots from her first outfit. To finish off her look, the singer-songwriter wore a bubblegum-pink mask by Cecilio Castrillo.
Christopher John Rogers
Lady Gaga accepted her Best Collaboration award with Ariana Grande in this Christopher John Rogers gown. A metallic shine is embedded on top of the ball gown’s green color, which gave it a regal appeal. Staying consistent her use of protective gear, Gaga wore a face mask with horns on either side. The statement piece was crafted by Lance Victor Moore.
Valentino Houte Couture
As she went on stage to accept her Artist of the Year award, Lady Gaga dominated the stage with this sequined bodysuit. On top of her bedazzled catsuit, Gaga wore an oversized white coat by Valentino. To finish the look, she accessorized with white platform boots by Pleaser. She also wore a protective Maison Met mask that has the same metallic finish as her bodysuit.
Candice Cuoco
The “Poker Face” singer had us in amazement as she wore this metallic silver mask with matching headwear. She also wore a coat by Los Angeles designer Candice Cuoco. Meanwhile, the choker and metal bra costume that Gaga has under her coat was designed by Manuel Albarran.
Vex Clothing
Among our favorite Lady Gaga outfits for this year’s VMAs was from Vex Clothing. This feisty mint lingerie costume by Vex Clothing set the stage ablaze with Gaga’s presence. A digital mask by Smooth Technology completed the whole latex look. For her shoes, Gaga wore black Andre 1 boots.
Haus of Gaga / Pleasers
When the VMAs concluded, Lady Gaga donned the same platform boots by Pleasers that she wore several times that night. The superstar flaunted her five awards as she wore an oversized graphic shirt by Haus of Gaga. A Michael Ngo face mask completed the look and gave the superstar’s look some additional attitude and flair.
Final Thoughts
Lady Gaga has truly made her mark in the music industry. Her innate talents and versatility as an artist continue to inspire and amaze people all over the world. The pop star’s unique, lavish style will also go down in history as she never fails to capture the attention of everyone.
Indeed, Lady Gaga continues to give the public over a million reasons to admire and love her.
