Lady GaGa life and biography

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American pop singer. She began performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side in 2003 and enrolled at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Lady GaGa is a theatrical dance-pop singer/songwriter whose commercial debut single, the international chart-topping smash hit "Just Dance," established her as an up-and-coming superstar upon its release in 2008. Born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, NY, she attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girl Catholic school in Manhattan, before proceeding to study music at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts at age 17. Influenced by flamboyant glam rockers such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury (indeed, her stage name is drawn from the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga") as well as '80s dance-poppers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, she began playing the piano at a young age and later began writing songs and performing as a teenager. In 2007 she began to make a name for herself on the downtown Manhattan club scene with a performance art show billed as Lady GaGa and the Starlight Revue (co-featuring Lady Starlight; born Colleen Martin, a DJ and makeup professional), and music industry insiders began to take note. While Lady GaGa was initially signed to Def Jam in 2007, nothing came of that association, and ultimately it was pop-rap superstar Akon who took her under his wing, signing her to his vanity label Kon Live in association with Interscope Records.

In addition to working for Interscope as a songwriter, Lady GaGa began preparing the launch of her solo career. Her debut single, "Just Dance," was released to radio in April 2008, and her full-length album debut, The Fame, followed in August. Featuring fellow Akon affiliate Colby O'Donis, "Just Dance" took much of 2008 to catch on. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in August, at which time it had already become a massive club hit, but it didn't reach number one until January 2009. Internationally, the song proved similarly popular, reaching the Top Ten throughout much of Western Europe and beyond. In the wake of Lady GaGa's international breakthrough success with "Just Dance," the follow-up single, "Poker Face," was an even greater success, topping singles charts across the board, from the U.S. and Western Europe to Australia and New Zealand. Both songs were produced by Akon affiliate RedOne, who, along with Rob Fusari, co-wrote and produced much of The Fame, itself an international success in critical as well as commercial terms.

Her second studio album, Born This Way, is scheduled for release on May 23, 2011 after the arrival of its eponymous lead single Born This Way which achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in iTunes history, selling one million copies in five days.

Watch below Lady GaGa's music video Born This Way :



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Besides her career in music, GaGa has enhanced her repertoire as a philanthropist who has contributed to various charities and humanitarianism works.

Although declining an invitation to record a benefit song, GaGa held a concert of The Monster Ball Tour following the 2010 Haiti earthquake and dedicated it to the country’s reconstruction relief fund. This concert, held at the Radio City Music Hall, New York, on January 24, 2010, donated any received revenue to the relief fund while, in addition, all profits from sales of products on Gaga’s official online store on that same day were donated. Gaga announced that an estimated total of $500,000 was collected for the fund.

Gaga also contributes in the fight against HIV and AIDS with the focus upon educating young women about the risks of the disease. In collaboration with Cyndi Lauper, Gaga joined forces with MAC Cosmetics to launch a line of lipstick under their supplementary cosmetic line, Viva Glam. Titled Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi for each contributor respectively, all net proceeds of the lipstick line were donated to the cosmetic company’s campaign to prevent HIV and AIDS worldwide. In a press release, Gaga declared, "I don't want Viva Glam to be just a lipstick you buy to help a cause. I want it to be a reminder when you go out at night to put a condom in your purse right next to your lipstick." Hours after the devastating tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, Gaga tweeted a message and a link to Japan Prayer Bracelets, which she designed herself; 100% of the money generated will go to Japan relief efforts.

Music style:

Lady Gaga has been influenced by pop singers Michael Jackson and Madonna, as well as glam rock stars such as David Bowie and the band Queen. The Queen song 'Radio Ga Ga' inspired her stage name. Artist Andy Warhol, poet Rainer Maria Rilke, fashion icon/actress/singer Grace Jones, and fashion as a whole, have all been cited as inspirations as well. She has often been likened to Blondie singer Debbie Harry, while Gaga's vocals have drawn frequent comparison to Madonna and Gwen Stefani, while the structure of her music is said to be reminiscent of classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop. In reviewing her debut album "The Fame", "The Sunday Times" asserted 'in combining music, fashion, art and technology, Lady Gaga evokes Madonna, Gwen Stefani circa Hollaback Girl, Kylie Minogue 2001 or Grace Jones right now.'

Gaga has stated that she is 'very into fashion' and that it is 'everything' to her. Her love of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was 'always very well kept and beautiful.' She claims that: 'When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether-performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us.' She has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally. The team creates many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos. Gaga has six known tattoos, among them a peace symbol which was inspired by the late John Lennon who "The Guardian" stated was Gaga's 'hero,' and a curling German script on her left arm which quotes the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

Discography:

* The Fame (2008)
* The Fame Monster (2009)
* Born This Way (2011)

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