Lady Gaga Biography
Birth Name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Date of birth: March 28, 1986 (age 24)
Place of Birth: New York City, NY
Early Years
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (AKA Lady Gaga) was born March 28, 1986 in New York City to an Italian family. Her musical career began at the age of 4 when she began learning to play the piano. She wrote her first piano ballad when she was just 13 and began performing at open mic nights. Lady Gaga was raised Roman Catholic and attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girl private school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Her father was an internet entrepreneur and her mother worked at home in communications.
Lady Gaga was a thespian in her school and played numerous roles in plays such as Guys and Dolls and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She was very studious and disciplined in her studies but felt a bit like an outcast as classmates thought she was “too provocative or too eccentric”
At age 17, Lady Gaga was admitted into NYU’s Tisch School of Arts where she studied music and worked to improve her songwriting skills.
Career
Lady Gaga signed with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19 but was dropped from the label after just three months. She was soon introduced to songwriter/producer RedOne and produced the song “Boys Boys Boys” with them. She began writing songs for other artists but soon began experimenting with drugs while performing at neo-burlesque shows.
Lady Gaga got her name from Rob Fusari, a producer who helped her write some of earlier songs. Stefani was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name when Fusari text her that she should use Lady Gaga, after the Queen song Radio Ga Ga. She immediately took to it. Fusari sent some of their songs to his friend, producer, and record executive Vincent Herbert, who immediately signed Lady Gaga to his label, Streamline Records.
Lady Gaga soon moved to Los Angeles and worked on her album, The Fame. She combined numerous genres on the album, and the lead single “Just Dance” topped the charts in six countries. The album was nominated for a Grammy (Album of the Year) and won the Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
Lady Gaga’s next album, The Fame Monster, was a collection of 8 tracks where “Bad Romance” again topped the charts. In the US, Gaga became the first artist in digital history to have three singles (along with “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”) to pass the four million mark in digital sales. The song won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance while its accompanying music video won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. The album’s second single “Telephone”, which featured singer Beyoncé, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She was also chosen by Barbara Walters as one of the “10 Most Fascinating People of 2009.” Lady Gaga’s third album, Born This Way, was released May 23, 2011.