Born on March 28, 1986 as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady Gaga was born to parents Joseph Germanotta and Cynthia Bissett as the oldest of two children. She comes from a loving family and she wrote "Speechless" for her father urging him to get an Aortic Valve Surgery, an open-heart surgery, which he eventually did (Lady Gaga Interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. November 27th 2009). In the same interview, she stated missing her parents while on tour. Isn't that sweet?
Lady Gaga's fame has skyrocketed in less than 3 years, but she is not an overnight success as many think she is. She has been playing the piano since age 4, wrote her first ballad at 13 and by 14, she was performing at open-mike nights. She played NYC clubs all throughout her teen years. At age 17, she was one of 20 students around the globe that was admitted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts early admission program. That is a feat in itself, since it takes amazing talent and smarts to get into Tisch, not to mention early admission. While an NYU student, she fine-tuned her writing skills. After a year and a half, she dropped out to focus on her music career. And since then, she has been working hard and diligently to get to the point where she is now. She attributes never giving up to "having a good mother" (Lady Gaga Interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. May 12th, 2009) Lady Gaga Biography
She inspires me to be the FREAK that I am, and she knows what it feels like to be a freak. She was an outsider in high school. I can imagine with her going to the Roman Catholic Private School, Sacred Heart, in NYC's Upper East Side. She says she was picked on and talked about for "being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn’t fit in, and I felt like a freak" (Lady Gaga Biography from Wikipedia). She has also quoted that "I was the arty girl, the theater chick" (Biography for Lady Gaga: imdb.com). I can relate to both of these quotes. Like Lady Gaga, I was the arty girl in High School, and although I was never really picked on, I was talked about in "not" a nice way. I too was an outsider that was really into fashion and getting dressed up for school; unlike Lady Gaga, I did not have to wear a uniform, so I got to do it up 80's style, as I am much older than Gaga. She is 23, and I am 38. Hey, even an oldie can be into Lady Gaga.
Another thing I admire about Lady Gaga is her love and support of her fans. I love that she encourages her fans to love and embrace themselves, no matter how different they are, whether they are freaks or not. She is truly appreciative of her fans; this is evident as she sang "Teeth" on the TODAY show IN THE RAIN! "Teeth" on The Today Show, July 10, 2010. She was asked if she still wanted to sing her last song since it was raining, and she responded with a yes because her fans camped out for two days to see her. That is dedication to her fans! She even provided pizza and refreshments to those who camped out. Who else does that??? She is thoughtful and truly kind.
She is far from a fame or attention whore as some might surmise. In an interview with Meredith Viera, when discussing the downside of fame, Lady Gaga states "the kind of fame that I cherish is the relationship that I have with my fans, which is so pure and so wonderful..." http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/07/lady-gaga-you-and-i-today-show-video.html She is not into herself and just wants to give of herself. Gaga is simply sharing her talents with the world. Her positive, all accepting point of view is a gift she has given to the world. Her fame will help to push the envelopes of acceptance and loving our fellow human beings.
She is not calculating the riches she may earn as a Pop Star. I've heard her say in several interviews that all the money she makes goes to her costumes and her shows. She just wants to provide her fans the best experience. She is an altruist, and I don't know of any musician or performer that cares more for her fans than Lady Gaga. Also, she is always thankful for her fans. If you view her performances and interviews on YouTube or any other source, she always thanks her fans or says how she loves her fans.
Gaga is an artist of the highest caliber. No one is more relevant to the current times than Lady Gaga. She expresses herself and her vision and is true to herself. She pays homage to musicians and Pop Stars of the past and present, yes that's true, but her interpretation is uniquely Lady Gaga. She understands pop culture well. She is here to stay and will make her mark for many years to come. She is vintage, contemporary and futuristic all at the same time, and I am willing to gamble that she is redefining the concept of "timeless." The Beatle's, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Madonna -- all these icons have become timeless. Lady Gaga will be sure to join these great figures of our Pop Culture.
She is many things but at the top of that list is "true performer." She sings LIVE -- not lip synching to her own songs. She writes and/or co-produces her own music. She dances, and wickedly at that. And most importantly, she directs her own image; she does collaborate with friends and kindred spirits and designers, but for the most part she lives the vision she has for herself for that day, that song, that video.
What's up next for Lady Gaga??? Well her 3rd Album, of course. It is already complete but since she is currently in the middle of The Fame Monster Tour and still plenty of singles to release from that album, I'm sure, her 3rd album isn't slated to be released until 2011. Maybe March or April. She has mentioned that she plans to announce the title on New Years's Eve of this year at MIDNIGHT with a tattoo somewhere on her body (Lady Gaga Biography from Wikipedia). Watch out world!
2011 will be GAGA DOMINATION !!!
