LADY GAGA BIOGRAPHY

LEAH BOOKER

EARLY LIFE• When and where was she born? Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Joanne Angelina

Germanotta) was born on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, New York to parents Cynthia Germanotta and Joe Germanotta.

• Where did she study/go to school? From age eleven she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, at the age of 17 she attended Tisch School of the Arts. She also studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for ten years.

• Is/was she religious? Lady Gaga’s parents, Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta, were active members of the Roman Catholic Church in New York City. Gaga herself had a strict catholic upbringing and for example attended a private girls-only Catholic school (the Convent of the Sacred Heart). Now, she is a selfist and believes in selfism in which god is one’s self. She describes it as “It’s more self-worship, I think, not of me. I’m teaching people to worship themselves.”

EARLY CAREER• Gaga has always had a musical background, at high school she performed in multiple

productions, including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She also appeared in a very small role as a mischievous classmate in the television drama series The Sopranos in a 2001 episode titled "The Telltale Moozadell" and auditioned for New York shows without success. At 19 she left Tisch School of the Arts to focus on her music career where she rented out an apartment on Rivington Street. Gaga recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book and formed a band called the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with some friends from NYU. The band developed a small fan base and played gigs around New York while becoming a local fixture of the downtown Lower East Side club scene.

THE FAME• How did she become famous? In 2008, Gaga's then-boyfriend Rob Fusari brought Gaga to Interscope

records as a songwriter, where she composed hits for Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears (whom she also toured with early on). While singing a reference vocal for a song she had written, Gaga caught the ear of R&B songwriter Akon; he signed Gaga to his own label.

• What is she best known for? Her debut album, The Fame is what brought Gaga to the music spotlight however her follow up album, The Fame Monster is what some say she is best known for. It was nominated in a total of six categories at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards including Gaga's second consecutive Album of the Year nomination, ultimately winning for Best Pop Vocal Album.

• How successful has she become? Since her music career began, Lady Gaga has had 439 nominations in which 195 of those she has won. Her single “Just Dance” was one of the best-selling singles worldwide and Gaga achieved a greater unexpected success when "Poker Face", another sleeper hit, reached number one in most major music markets worldwide in early 2009, selling 9.8 million singles worldwide. In March 2012, Gaga was ranked fourth on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing $25,353,039. Most recently, she received a Golden Globe for her acting role in American Horror Story: Hotel and has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Til It Happens to You“.

MUSICAL STYLE AND INFLUENCES• What genre(s) of music is she associated with? Her music style has been described

as electropop and as dance-pop, however she professes that she is "liberating" herself by constantly reinventing her sound and image.

• Has her image of music been influenced by any other music icons? Gaga takes influence from numerous musicians from dance-pop singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Queen. The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name after she admitted that she loved Freddie and commented that he was one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music. Gaga's been compared to Madonna since the start of her career, some even say that "Born This Way" borrows its melodies from Madonna’s "Express Yourself.“ Gaga has also gone on to say "there is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Madonna fan than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally."

CONTROVERSY• Has she been involved in any controversy? Lady Gaga has attracted a lot of public

attention from her ‘outrageous’ outfits to her themes of religion and equality in her music. Most known, Gaga’s music video ‘Judas’ features a religious story about the betrayal of Jesus causing controversy amongst audiences with people calling it offensive and disrespectful to religious culture. Arguably, some question whether or not the meat dress Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards had people questioning if it was art, a statement against oppression, or just downright disgusting?

• What affect has this had on her career? Whilst this different approach to pop music has landed Gaga some negative press and mixed opinions of her work, it is undeniable that her individuality is what has made her the start she is today. Whether you love or hate her, you cant deny her (positive and negative) popularity and success.

IDEOLOGIES AND BELIEFS• What is she passionate about? Gaga is an outspoken activist for LGBT rights worldwide. She attributes

much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered a gay icon. She also spoke at the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, D.C. in support of LGBT movement, and described the appearance as "the single most important moment" of her career.

• Is she involved in any charities and campaigns? Besides her career in music, Gaga has also contributed to various charities. For natural disasters, Gaga has helped various relief efforts. She donated the proceeds of her concert of January 24, 2010, at New York's Radio City Music Hall to the country's reconstruction relief fund. All profits from her official online store on that day were also donated. Gaga announced that an estimated total of $500,000 was collected for the fund. On November 6, 2012, Gaga pledged to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. As well as that, the sales of Gaga-endorsed Viva Glam lipstick and lipgloss from cosmetic brand, MAC, have raised more than $202 million to fight HIV and AIDS. Also in 2012, she launched the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), a non-profit organization that focuses on youth empowerment and issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development.