- Stage Name: Lady GaGa
- Real Name: Joanne Stefani Germanotta
- Born: March 20, 1986
- Age: 24
- Home Town: New York
Joanne Stefani Germanotta grew up listening to glam rock bands. "I always loved rock and pop and theater. When I discovered Queen and David Bowie is when it really came together for me and I realized I could do all three," says GaGa. At age 4 she learned how to play the piano by ear, and wrote her first piano ballad at 13. When she turned 14 she started playing at open mic nights at local venues. As a kid she took to theatre, by 17 she was one of 20 kids to be accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. At the age of 20 she landed a gig working as a songwriter at Interscope Records, and has wrote songs for artists like The Pussy Cat Dolls and other Interscope Artists.
Lady GaGa who got her name from a Queen Song "Radio Gaga" released her first album The Fame on October 28, 2008. On her album she wrote all of the lyrics, melodies, and played most of the synth parts. The album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and it peaked at number 4 on Billboard's 200 (the album chart). Hit songs from her debut album include "Just Dance", "Poker Face.", "Love Game" and "Paparazzi". Gaga's first hit "Just Dance" got her nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards, and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. After the song hit she went on tour with the New Kids on The Block as their opening act. After the tour her second single "Poker Face" was released and landed the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now having two #1 hit singles it was time for Gaga to go on her first headlining tour. She went on the Fame Ball Tour, and came to Colorado in March. After the tour, she released her third single "Love Game", and it hit #1 on Billboard's Top 40 Airplay chart along with her first 2 singles. Gaga is only the third artist in the Top 40 Airplay Chart's history (16 years) to accomplish this. With 3 hit singles under her belt and 2 tours it was time to release another single "Paparazzi". As of November 1st, Paparazzi hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Lady Gaga would now have four #1 singles in a row off of her debut album. Gaga is on fire!
In May 2009, Gaga was everywhere; she appeared on her first Rolling Stone cover. After shooting her cover it was time to do a song with another artist. She was featured on Wale's hit single "Chillin'". After "Chillin'" came MTV's VMA's. Lady Gaga was nominated for 9 Moonman, and took home 3: Best New Artist, Best Art Director, and Best Special Effects. She also performed "Paparazzi". After the VMA's she received Billboard's Rising Star of 2009 award. Soon after it was time for SNL. Gaga went on the show and did a skit with Madonna, which they actually got together with the SNL writers and they helped write their skit together. She also performed and gave everyone watching a sneak preview of a new single "Bad Romance" off her re-release of The Fame album. The re-released album, named The Fame Monster, was released November 23rd and has an additional 8 songs on top of the The Fame album! The album has sold 1.1 million copies and went certified platinum, which brought Gaga more #1 hits and a new tour. The song she previewed on SNL "Bad Romance" became Gaga's fifth #1 hit single. Also off the new album was "Telephone" featuring Beyonce, which peaked at number one on the Top 40 billboard charts and her newest single "Alejandro". Gaga has been working on a third album, but sadly, it won't be released until early next year. She plans on announcing the album's title on New Years Eve at midnight by tattooing it to her body. She was also just recently featured in a Rolling Stone cover story, once again doubling the sales of the magazine.
Lady Gaga has surpassed President Obama, Twilight, and Starbucks in Facebook friends and has over 11 million Likes, making her page the most liked page for a living person. Visible Measures released a list of web videos that have exceeded 100 million views, called the "100 Million Club", which has had Gaga's name on it for a very long time. But now Lady Gaga has basically started her own list, which should be called the "One Billion Club", since she now has hit one billion views for her web videos. Also, Lady Gaga has been named Forbes' 4th Most Powerful Celebrities. Everybody is crazy over Gaga! With her new tour kicking off, Lady Gaga will be here in Denver for a 3rd time on July 28 and she'll also be headlining Lollapalooza on August 6th.
