Lady Gaga?Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American pop singer-songwriter. After enrolling at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2003 and later performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side, Sony VAIO VPCW111XXW Battery

she signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of recording artist Akon who, recognizing her vocal abilities, signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.Sony VAIO VPCW115XG Battery

Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success and achieved international popularity with the singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". Sony VAIO VPCW115XGP Battery

The album reached number one on the record charts of six countries, topped theBillboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart while simultaneously peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and accomplished positions within the top ten worldwide. Sony VAIO VPCW115XW/P Battery

Achieving similar worldwide success, The Fame Monster (2009), its follow-up, produced a further three global chart-topping singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro" and allowed her to embark on her second global concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just months after having finished her first, The Fame Ball Tour. Sony VAIO VPCW115XW/T Battery

Her second studio album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts in all major musical markets after the arrival of its singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" – the first-mentioned achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes, selling one million copies in five days.Sony VAIO VPCW115XW/W Battery

Inspired by glam rock artists like David Bowie, Elton John and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, Gaga is well-recognized for her outré and ever-changing sense of style in music, in fashion, in performance and in her music videos.Sony VAIO VPCW117XC/P Battery

Her contributions to the music industry have accrued her numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards, among twelve nominations; two Guinness World Records;[4] and the estimated sale of 13–15 million albums and 40–51 million singles worldwide.Sony VAIO VPCW117XC/T Battery

Billboard named her the Artist of the Year in 2010,[7] ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade.[8] Gaga has been included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.Sony VAIO VPCW117XC/W Battery

Life and career

1986–2004: Early life

Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in New York City.[10] The first child of Italian American Joseph Germanotta, an internet entrepreneur, and Cynthia (néeBissett),[11] Gaga has one sister, Natali, who was born in 1992.Sony VAIO VPCW119XJ Battery

Gaga is left-handed[13] and began learning to play piano aged four, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13, and began performing at open mike nights by the age of 14.[14] Raised as a Roman Catholic[15] on Manhattan's Upper West Side after the family moved there in 1993,Sony VAIO VPCW119XJ/P Battery

Gaga attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side, from the age of 11. Despite the comparative wealth between the Upper East and West Sides, Gaga stressed that she did not come from a wealthy background, stating that her parents "both came from lower-class families, Sony VAIO VPCW119XJ/W Battery

so we've worked for everything—my mother worked eight to eight out of the house, intelecommunications, and so did my father."[19] She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure" as she told in an interview, Sony VAIO VPCW11AXJ Battery

"I used to get made fun of 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." Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in at school. "She had a core group of friends; she was a good student. She liked boys a lot, but singing was No. 1," recalled a former high school classmate.Sony VAIO VPCW11S1E/P Battery

An avid actor in high school musicals, Gaga portrayed the lead roles of Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.[23] 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".Sony VAIO VPCW11S1E/T Battery

At 16, she began to sing and play in front of live audiences and unsuccessfully auditioned for parts in New York shows. When her time at the Convent of the Sacred Heart came to an end, her mother encouraged her to apply to New York University to study drama and performance – specifically the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21), which is a faculty of the Tisch School of the Arts.Sony VAIO VPCW11S1E/W Battery

Aged 17, Gaga gained early admission and lived in a NYU dorm on 11th Street. There, she studied music and sharpened her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, social issues and politics.Sony VAIO VPCW121AX Battery

Gaga wrote a thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst; research that prepared her for her future career focus in "music, art, sex and celebrity." Gaga felt that she was more creative than some of her classmates. "Once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself," she said. Sony VAIO VPCW126AG Battery

Being part of such a prestigious performance course, Gaga tried for and passed auditions while at CAP21, including the part of an unsuspecting diner customer where MTV's Boiling Points, a prank reality television show, was being filmed. However, by the second semester of her sophomore year, she withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.Sony VAIO VPCW127JC/P Battery

Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll at Tisch if she was unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she said.

2005–07: Career beginnings

Settled in a small apartment on Rivington Street towards the summer of 2005,Sony VAIO VPCW127JC/T Battery

Gaga recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book accompanying the children's book The Portal in the Park, by Cricket Casey. She also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with some friends from NYU – guitarist Calvin Pia, bassist Eli Silverman and drummer Alex Beckham – in September of that year.Sony VAIO VPCW127JC/W Battery

The band played a mixture of songs: some self-penned, along with classic rock numbers like Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er".[16]Playing in Lower East Side bars like The Bitter End and the Mercury Lounge, the band developed a small fan base and caught the eye of music producer Joe Vulpis.Sony VAIO VPCW127JC/WZ Battery

Soon after arranging time in Vulpis' studio beneath a New Jersey liquor store in the months that followed, SGBand were selling their extended plays Words and Red and Blue at gigs around New York while becoming a local fixture of the downtown Lower East Side club scene.Sony VAIO VPCW12AAJ Battery

While at the peak of their career, SGBand performed at the 2006 Songwriters Hall of Fame New Songwriters Showcase at The Cutting Room in June where Wendy Starland, a singing model, appeared as a talent scout for music producer Rob Fusari who was searching for a female singer to front a new band. After Starland had informed Fusari of Gaga's ability, he contacted her. Sony VAIO VPCW12AKJ Battery

By this time, SGBand had grown apart and Gaga left to work with the music producer in New Jersey where she would travel daily to work on songs she had written and compose new material.[16] While in collaboration, Fusari compared some of her vocal harmonies to those of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen.Sony VAIO VPCW12AVJ Battery

It was Fusari who helped created the moniker Gaga after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". Gaga was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga."[31] He explained, "Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'.Sony VAIO VPCW12S1E/P Battery

That was her entrance song. [Lady Gaga] was actually a glitch; I typed 'Radio Ga Ga' in a text and it did an autocorrect so somehow 'Radio' got changed to 'Lady'. She texted me back, "That's it." After that day, she was Lady Gaga.[32] She's like, "Don't ever call me Stefani again."Sony VAIO VPCW12S1E/T Battery

The New York Post, however, has reported that this story is incorrect, and that the name resulted from a marketing meeting.

Although the musical relationship between Fusari and Gaga was unsuccessful at first, the pair soon set up a company titled Team Lovechild, in which they recorded and produced electro-beat pop tracks and sent them to music industry bosses.Sony VAIO VPCW12S1E/W Battery

Joshua Sarubin, the head of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, responded positively and vied for the record company to take a chance on her "unusual and provocative" performance. After having his boss Antonio "L.A." Reid in agreement, Gaga was signed to Def Jam in September 2006 with the intention of having an album ready in nine months.Sony VAIO VPCW213AG/L Battery

However, she was dropped by the label after only three months.Devastated, Gaga returned to the solace the family home for Christmas as well as the nightlife culture of the Lower East Side. Becoming fascinated with some of the emerging neo-burlesque shows, Gaga began Go-Go dancing in bars dressed in little more than bikini.Sony VAIO VPCW213AG/P Battery

She began experimenting with drugs in addition performing in many shows.[17] "I was onstage in a thong, with a fringe hanging over my ass thinking that had covered it, lighting hairsprays on fire, Go-Go dancing to Black Sabbathand singing songs about oral sex. The kids would scream and cheer and then we'd all go grab a beer. Sony VAIO VPCW213AG/T Battery

It represented freedom to me. I went to a Catholic school but it was on the New York underground that I found myself."Her father, however, did not understand the reason behind her drug intake and could not look at her for several months.During this time, she met performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped mold her on-stage persona.Sony VAIO VPCW213AG/W Battery

Starlight explained that, upon their first meeting, Gaga wanted to perform with her to songs she had recorded with Fusari. Like SGBand, the pair began playing gigs at many of the downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall.Sony VAIO VPCW215AG/L Battery

Their live performance art piece was known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue" and, billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow", their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts. Soon after, the two were invited to play at the 2007Lollapalooza music festival in August that year.Sony VAIO VPCW217JC Battery

The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received positive reviews. Having initially focused on avant-garde electronic dance music, Gaga had found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music.Sony VAIO VPCW217JC/L Battery

While Gaga and Starlight were busy performing, producer Rob Fusari continued to work on the songs he had created with Gaga. Fusari sent these songs to his friend, producer and record executiveVincent Herbert. Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007.Sony VAIO VPCW217JC/P Battery

She credited Herbert as the man who discovered her, adding "I really feel like we made pop history, and we're gonna keep going."Having already served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing, which was later acquired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.Sony VAIO VPCW217JC/T Battery

As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls.[43] While Gaga was writing at Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.Sony VAIO VPCW217JC/W Battery

He then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live Distribution[33] and later called her his "franchise player." As 2007 came to a close, her former management company introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne, whom they also managed.Sony VAIO VPCW218JC Battery

The first song she produced with RedOne was "Boys Boys Boys",[46] a mash-up inspired by Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.". Gaga continued her collaboration with RedOne in the recording studio for a week on her debut album and also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records,Sony VAIO VPCW218JC/L Battery

an Interscope imprint established by producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum, after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the single "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)".

2008–10: The Fame and The Fame Monster

By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles and worked extensively with her record label in order to finalize her debut album The Fame (2008).Sony VAIO VPCW218JC/P Battery

She combined different genres on the album, "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks."[33] The Fame received positive reviews from contemporary critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 71/100.Sony VAIO VPCW218JC/T Battery

The album peaked at number one in United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland, and the top-five in Australia, the United States and fifteen other countries.Worldwide, The Fame has sold over fourteen million copies.Sony VAIO VPCW218JC/W Battery

Its lead single "Just Dance" topped the charts in six countries—Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and later received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording.[51] The following single "Poker Face" was an even greater success,Sony VAIO VPCW219AJ/L Battery

reaching number-one in almost all major music markets in the world, including the United Kingdom and the United States.[52] It won the award for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards, over nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The Fame was nominated for Album of the Year; Sony VAIO VPCW219AJ/P Battery

it won theGrammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album.[53] Although her first concert tour happened as an opening act for fellow Interscope pop group, the reformed New Kids on the Block,[54] she ultimately embarked on her own worldwide concert tour, The Fame Ball Tour, which was critically appreciated and began in March 2009; Sony VAIO VPCW219AJ/W Battery

ending in September of that year.[55] The cover of the annual "Hot 100" issue of Rolling Stone in May 2009 featured a semi-nude Gaga wearing only strategically placed plastic bubbles.[30][56] In the issue she said that while she was beginning her career in the New York club scene, she was romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer. Sony VAIO VPCW21AAJ Battery

She described their relationship and break-up, saying of it, "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny [of Grease], and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of the songs on The Fame.[56] She was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Sony VAIO VPCW21AKJ Battery

winning the award forBest New Artist, while her single "Paparazzi" won two awards for Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects.[57] In October Gaga received Billboard magazine's Rising Star of 2009 award.[58] She attended the Human Rights Campaign's "National Dinner" the same month,Sony VAIO VPCW21AVJ Battery

before marching in the National Equality March for the equal protection of LGBT people in all matters governed by U.S. civil law in Washington, D.C.

Written over the course of 2008–09, The Fame Monster, a collection of eight songs, was released in November 2009. Sony VAIO VPCY115FGS Battery

Each song, dealing with the darker side of fame from personal experience while she traveled the world, is expressed through a monster metaphor. Its first single "Bad Romance" topped the charts in eighteen countries, while reaching the top-two in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI Battery

In the U.S., 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.Sony VAIO VPCY115FXBI Battery

The album's second single "Telephone", which features singer Beyoncé, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and became Gaga's fourth UK number-one single[65] while its accompanying music video, although controversial, received a more positive reception from contemporary critics: Sony VAIO VPCY118EC Battery

praising her for "the musicality and showmanship of Michael Jackson and the powerful sexuality and provocative instincts of Madonna".[66] Her following single "Alejandro" paired Gaga with fashion photographer Steven Klein for a music video similarly as controversial—critics complimented its idea and dark nature,Sony VAIO VPCY118GX/BI Battery

but the Catholic League attacked Gaga for her alleged use ofblasphemy.[68] Despite the controversy surrounding her music videos, they made Gaga the first artist to gain over one billion viral views on video-sharing websiteYouTube.[69] Musically, Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S BatteryThe Fame Monster has also received abundant success. Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S Battery

Equating to the amount of Grammy nominations her debut received, The Fame Monster garnered a total of six; the album won for Best Pop Vocal Album and earned her a second-consecutive nomination for Album of the Year. The success of the album allowed Gaga to start her second worldwide concert tour,Sony VAIO VPCY11AFJ Battery

The Monster Ball Tour, just weeks after the release of The Fame Monster and months after having finished The Fame Ball Tour.[72]Upon finishing in May 2011, the critically acclaimed and commercially accomplished[75] tour ran for over one and a half years and, according to Billboard, grossed 227.4 million dollars,Sony VAIO VPCY11AGJ Battery

making it one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time and the highest-grossing for a debut headlining artist.[76]Additionally, Gaga has performed other songs from the album at international events such as the 2009 Royal Variety Performance where she sang "Speechless", a power ballad, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II;Sony VAIO VPCY11AHJ Battery

the 52nd Grammy Awards where her opening performance consisted of the song "Poker Face" and a piano duet of "Speechless" in a medley of "Your Song" with Elton John;[78] and the 2010 BRIT Awards where a performance of an acoustic rendition of "Telephone" followed by "Dance in the Dark" dedicated to the late fashion designer and close friend, Sony VAIO VPCY11AVJ Battery

Alexander McQueen, supplemented her hat-trick win at the awards ceremony.

Excited about bringing back Polaroid and "combining it with the digital era", Gaga was named Chief Creative Officer for a line of imaging products for the international optic company in January 2010 with the intent of creating fashion, Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E/S Battery

technology and photography products.[81] Her production team, Mermaid Music LLC, was sued in March by Rob Fusari; claiming that he was entitled to a 20% share of its earnings. Gaga's lawyer, Charles Ortner, described the agreement with Fusari as "unlawful" and declined to comment;Sony VAIO VPCY11S1E Battery

five months later, the New York Supreme Court dismissed both the lawsuit and a countersuit by Gaga. In April, Gaga was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the year. While giving an interview to The Times, Gaga hinted at havingSystemic lupus erythematosus, commonly referred to as lupus, which is a connective tissue disease.Sony VAIO VPCY11V9E/S Battery

She later confirmed with Larry King that she does not have lupus but "the results were borderline positive".[86] With the television host, Gaga also revealed that she was among several artists who would have opened for Michael Jackson during his This Is It concert series at London's O2 Arena.Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/BI Battery

"I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour," she stated. "We were going to open for him at the O2 and we were working on making it happen." She added: "I believe there was some talk about us, lots of the openers, doing duets with Michael on stage."Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/G Battery

In November 2010, one month after the singer reported assassination fears, a restraining order was issued against Russian Anastasia Obukhova, who had threatened to shoot her in the head.

2011–present: Born This Way

Gaga's second studio album and third major release Born This Way was released on May 23, 2011. Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/L Battery

She announced the title of the album during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Described as "a marriage of electronic music with major [...] metal or rock 'n' roll, pop, anthemic style melodies with really sledge-hammering dance beats" and referred to as an album Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/P Battery

"about what what keeps us up at night and what makes us afraid",[91] She stated, "It came so quickly. I've been working on [the album] for months, and I feel very strongly that it's finished right now. Some artists take years. I don't. I write music every day." Likening Born This Way to "bad kids going to church" that are "having fun on a high level",Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/L Battery

Gaga characterized her new music as "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress" and upon hearing it, Akon remarked that she will take music to the "next level." Its arrival followed the release of its eponymous lead single on February 11, 2011, which was performed live for the first time at the 53rd Grammy Awards two days after its release.Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/P Battery

The song debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 19th number-one debut and the 1,000th number-one single in the history of the charts. Two other singles, "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory", the former being criticized for its references to Biblical characters Judas, Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene,Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/SI Battery

were released before the album, both placing in the top ten of the major musical markets. Upon release, Born This Way sold 1.108 million copies in its first week in the United States, debuting atop the Billboard 200, and topping the charts in more than 10 other countries.Sony VAIO VPCZ110 Battery

Lending her vocals elsewhere, Gaga paired with Elton John to record an original duet for the animated feature film Gnomeo & Juliet. The song, titled "Hello, Hello", was released on February 11, 2011, without Gaga's vocals. The duet version is only featured in the film.Sony VAIO VPCZ110GB/BI Battery

She undertook her job as a fashion columnist for V, where she wrote about her creative process, her studying of the world of pop culture, and her ability to tune into the evolution of pop-culture meme. In May 2011, Gaga told Australian radio show The Kyle & Jackie O Showthat she would be coming to Sydney to perform a one-off concert in July 2011, to promote Born This Way.Sony VAIO VPCZ112GD/S Battery

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Gaga has been influenced by glam rock artists such as David Bowie, Queen and Elton John, as well as pop music artists such as Madonna,Whitney Houston, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson.Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Battery

The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name, "Lady Gaga". She commented: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'. That's why I love the name [...] Freddie was unique—one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music."Sony VAIO VPCZ114GX/S Battery

In response to the comparisons between herself and Madonna, Gaga stated: "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionize pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago." Actress and singer Grace Jones was also cited as an inspiration, along with Blondie singer Debbie Harry.Sony VAIO VPCZ115 Battery

Gaga has the vocal range of a contralto. Her vocals have drawn frequent comparison to those of Madonna and Gwen Stefani, while the structure of her music is said to echo classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop. While reviewing her debut album The Fame, The Sunday Times asserted "in combining music, fashion, art and technology, Sony VAIO VPCZ115FC/B Battery

evokes Madonna, Gwen Stefani circa 'Hollaback Girl', Kylie Minogue 2001 or Grace Jones right now."[115] Similarly, The Boston Globe critic Sarah Rodman commented that she draws "obvious inspirations from Madonna to Gwen Stefani... in [her] girlish but sturdy pipes and bubbly beats."Sony VAIO VPCZ115FC/S Battery

Though her lyrics are said to lack intellectual stimulation, "[she] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace." Music critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Everything about Gaga came fromelectroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s, just ruthlessly catchy naughties pop glazed with Auto-Tune and undergirded with R&B-ish beats. Sony VAIO VPCZ116 Battery

Gaga has identified fashion as a major influence. She considers Donatella Versace her muse. Gaga 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.Sony VAIO VPCZ116GX/S Battery

Her love of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was "always very well kept and beautiful." "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.Sony VAIO VPCZ117 Battery

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." The Global Language Monitor named "Lady Gaga" as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark "no pants" coming in at No. 3.Sony VAIO VPCZ117FC/B Battery

Entertainment Weekly put her outfits on its end of the decade "best-of" list, saying, "Whether it's a dress made of Muppets or strategically placed bubbles, Gaga's outré ensembles brought performance art into the mainstream." In an interview withYahoo! Singapore, Sony VAIO VPCZ118 Battery

when she answered questions for the media, she stated that Cyndi Lauper is someone she admired, and she also stated the reason why her sophomore album, Born This Way, was more rock-supported. She stated that she wanted her album to be for her fans, as they reacted a stronger way for rock songs than pop, which influenced her rock elements in the album.Sony VAIO VPCZ118GC/B Battery

Public image

Critical reception of Gaga's music, fashion sense and persona are mixed. Her status as a role model, trailblazer and fashion icon is by turns affirmed and denied. Gaga's albums have received mostly positive reviews, with critics pointing out her unique place in pop music, Sony VAIO VPCZ118GX/S Battery

the need for new movements in popular culture, the attention Gaga brings to important social issues, and the inherently subjective nature of her art. Her role as a self-esteem booster for her fans is also lauded, as is her role in breathing life into the fashion industry.Sony VAIO VPCZ119 Battery

Her performances are described as "highly entertaining and innovative"; in particular, the blood-spurting performance of "Paparazzi" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was described as "eye-popping" by MTV. She continued the "blood soaked" theme in The Monster Ball Tour, Sony VAIO VPCZ119FJ/S Battery

in which she wore a revealing leather corset and is "attacked" by a performer dressed in black who gnaws on her throat, causing "blood" to spurt down her chest, after which she lies "dying" in a pool of blood. Her performances of that scene in Manchester,Sony VAIO VPCZ119GC/X Battery

England, triggered protests from family groups and fans in the aftermath of a local tragedy, in which a taxi driver had murdered 12 people. "What happened in Bradford is very fresh in people's minds and given all the violence which happened in Cumbria just hours earlier, it was insensitive," said Lynn Costello of Mothers Against Violence.Sony VAIO VPCZ119L Battery

Chris Rock later defended her flamboyant, provocative behavior. "Well, she's Lady Gaga," he said. "She's not 'Lady Behave Yourself.' Do you want great behavior from a person named Gaga? Is this what you were expecting?" She later returned to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards wearing a dress supplemented by boots, a purse and a hat—each fabricated from the flesh of a dead animal.Sony VAIO VPCZ119R/B Battery

The dress, named Time magazine's Fashion Statement of 2010 and more widely known as the "meat dress", was made by Argentinian designer Franc Fernandez and received divided opinions—evoking the attention of worldwide media but invoking the fury of animal rights organization PETA.Sony VAIO VPCZ119R/S Battery

Gaga, however, later denied any intention of causing disrespect to any person or organization and wished for the dress to be interpreted as a statement of human rights with focus upon those in the LGBT community.Sony VAIO VPCZ11AFJ Battery

Contrary to her outré style, the New York Post described her early look as like "a refugee from Jersey Shore" with "big black hair, heavy eye makeup and tight, revealing clothes."[22] Gaga is a natural brunette; she bleached her hair blonde because she was often mistaken for Amy Winehouse.Sony VAIO VPCZ11AGJ Battery

She often refers to her fans as her "little monsters" and in dedication, she had that inscription tattooed on "the arm that holds [her] mic[rophone]." She has another six known tattoos, among them a peace symbol, which was inspired by John Lennon, who she stated was her hero,Sony VAIO VPCZ11AVJ Battery

and a curling German script on her left arm quoting the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, her favorite philosopher, commenting that his "philosophy of solitude" spoke to her. Towards the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashions of Gaga and fellow recording artist Christina Aguilera that noted similarities in their styling, hair, and make-up.Sony VAIO VPCZ11CGX/X Battery

Aguilera stated that she was "completely unaware of [Gaga]" and "didn't know if it [was] a man or a woman."[17] Gaga released a statement in which she welcomed the comparisons due to the attention providing useful publicity, saying, "She's such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, Sony VAIO VPCZ11DGX/SJ Battery

because a lot of people in America didn't know who I was until that whole thing happened. It really put me on the map in a way." When interviewed by Barbara Walters for her annual ABC News special 10 Most Fascinating People in 2009, Gaga dismissed the claim that she is intersex as an urban legend.Sony VAIO VPCZ11FHX/XQ Battery

Responding to a question on this issue, she stated, "At first it was very strange and everyone sorta said, 'That's really quite a story!' But in a sense, I portray myself in a very androgynous way, and I love androgyny." In addition to Aguilera's statement, comparisons continued into 2010 when Aguilera released the music video of her single "Not Myself Tonight". Sony VAIO VPCZ11V9R/B Battery

Critics noted similarities between the song and its accompanying music video with Gaga's video for "Bad Romance". There have also been similar comparisons made between Gaga's style and that of fashion icon Dale Bozzio from the band Missing Persons.Sony VAIO VPCZ11X9E/B Battery

Some have considered their respective images to be strikingly parallel although fans of Missing Persons note that Bozzio had pioneered the look more than thirty years earlier.

During an interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine published in May 2011, Gaga discussed the recent appearance of horn-like ridges on her cheekbones, temples, and shoulders.Sony VAIO VPCZ11Z9E/B Battery

When asked about the necessary makeup to attach the prosthetics, she responded, "They're not prosthetics, they're my bones." She also clarified that they were not the result of plastic surgery, believing such surgery to only be the modern byproduct of fame-induced insecurity to which she does not subscribe.Sony VAIO VPCZ125GX/S Battery

Further probing by the interviewer only got her to state that they are an artistic representation of her inner inspirational light, part of the "performance piece" that is her musical persona, an inevitability of her becoming who she now is.Sony VAIO VPCZ127FC Battery

In view of Lady Gaga's influence on modern culture and her rise to global fame, sociologist Mathieu Deflem of the University of South Carolina since the Spring of 2011 organizes a course titled "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame" with the objective of unravelling "sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga with respect to her music, Sony VAIO VPCZ128GC Battery

videos, fashion, and other artistic endeavors".

Gaga's treatment of her fans as "Little Monsters" has inspired criticism, due to the highly commercial nature of her music and image.[124] To some, this dichotomy contravenes the concept of outsider culture.Sony VAIO VPCZ12M9E/B Battery

Writing for The Guardian, Kitty Empire opined that the dichotomy "...allows the viewer to have a 'transgressive' experience without being required to think. At [her performance's] core, though, is the idea that Gaga is at one with the freaks and outcasts. The Monster Ball is where we can all be free.Sony VAIO VPCZ13M9E/B Battery

This is arrant nonsense, as the scads of people buying Gaga's cunningly commercial music are not limited to the niche worlds of drag queens and hip night creatures from which she draws her inspiration. But Gaga seems sincere." Camille Paglia wrote a cover story "Lady Gaga and the death of sex" on September 12, 2010, Sony VAIO VPCZ13V9E/X Battery

in The Sunday Times in which she asserts that Gaga "is more an identity thief than an erotic taboo breaker, a mainstream manufactured product who claims to be singing for the freaks, the rebellious and the dispossessed when she is none of those."Sony VAIO VPCZ13Z9E/X Battery

Philanthropy

Besides her career in music, Gaga has enhanced her repertoire as a philanthropist who has contributed to various charities and humanitarian 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.Sony VAIO VPCZZZHJ Battery

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.Sony VAIO VPZ117 Battery

Hours after the 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, Gaga tweeted a message and a link to Japan Prayer Bracelets. With the company, she designed a bracelet, with all sales revenue going to Japanese relief efforts.[154] The bracelets raised $1.5 million (as of March 29, 2011).Sony VAIO VPZ118 Battery

Performing at MTV Japan's charity show on June 25, 2011 in Makuhari Messe, Gaga will appear for the benefit of the Japan Red Cross which aids victims suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. However, attorney Alyson Oliver filed a lawsuit against Gaga in Detroit in June 2011,Sony VAIO VPZ119 Battery

noting that the bracelet was subject to a sales tax and an extra $3.99 shipping charge was added to the price. She also believed that not all proceeds from the bracelets would go to the relief efforts, demanding a public accounting of the campaign and refunds for people who had bought the bracelet. Gaga's spokesperson called the lawsuit "meritless" and "misleading".Sony VPCM11M1E/B Battery

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. Sony VPCM11M1E/W Battery

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.Sony VPCM12M1E/L Battery

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."[159]

With the performance of the bilingual song "Americano" from her second studio album Born This Way (2011), Gaga jumped into the debate surrounding SB 1070, Arizona's immigration law. Sony VPCM12M1E/P Battery

She premiered the tune for the first time on the Guadalajara, Mexico stop of her Monster Ball tour telling the local press that she could not “stand by many of the unjust immigration laws" in the United States.[160]

LGBT advocacy

Gaga attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered to be a gay icon.Sony VPCM12M1E/W Battery

Early in her career she had difficulty gettingradio airplay, and stated, "The turning point for me was the gay community. I've got so many gay fans and they're so loyal to me and they really lifted me up. They'll always stand by me and I'll always stand by them. It's not an easy thing to create a fanbase."Sony VPCM13M1E/L Battery

She thanked FlyLife, a Manhattan-based LGBT marketing company with whom her label Interscope works, in the liner notes of The Fame, saying, "I love you so much. You were the first heartbeat in this project, and your support and brilliance means the world to me.Sony VPCM13M1E/P Battery

I will always fight for the gay community hand in hand with this incredible team." One of her first televised performances was in May 2008 at the NewNowNext Awards, an awards show aired by the LGBT television network Logo, where she sang her song "Just Dance".Sony VPCM13M1E/W Battery

In June of the same year, she performed the song again at the San Francisco Pride event.

After The Fame was released, she revealed that the song "Poker Face" was about her bisexuality. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke about how her boyfriends tended to react to her bisexuality, Sony VAIO VGN-SR11M Battery

saying "The fact that I'm into women, they're all intimidated by it. It makes them uncomfortable. They're like, 'I don't need to have a threesome. I'm happy with just you'." When she appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2009, she praised DeGeneres for being "an inspiration for women and for the gay community".Sony VAIO VGN-SR11MR Battery

She proclaimed that the October 11, 2009, National Equality March rally on the National Mall was "the single most important event of her career." As she exited, she left with an exultant "Bless God and bless the gays," similar to her 2009 MTV Video Music Awardsacceptance speech for Best New Artist a month earlier.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D Battery

At the Human Rights Campaign Dinner, held the same weekend as the rally, she performed a cover ofJohn Lennon's "Imagine" declaring that "I'm not going to [play] one of my songs tonight because tonight is not about me, it's about you." She changed the original lyrics of the song to reflect the death of Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered because of his sexuality.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/B Battery

Gaga attended the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards accompanied by four service members of the United States Armed Forces (Mike Almy; David Hall; Katie Miller and Stacy Vasquez). All of whom, under the U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy, had been prohibited from serving openlybecause of their sexuality.Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/P Battery

In addition, Gaga wore a dress fabricated from the flesh of a dead animal to the awards ceremony. Gaga wished that the dress, more widely known as the "meat dress", was interpreted as a statement of human rights with focus upon those in the LGBT community adding that "If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, Sony VAIO VGN-SR140D/S Battery

pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones."[138] She later released three YouTube videos urging her fans to contact their Senators in an effort to overturn the policy. In late September 2010, she spoke at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's "4the14K" Rally in Deering Oaks Park in Portland, Maine. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E Battery

The name of the rally signified the number – an estimated 14,000 – of service members discharged under the DADT policy at the time. During her remarks, she urged members of the U.S. Senate (and in particular, moderate Republican Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) to vote in favor of legislation that would repeal the DADT policy. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/B Battery

Following this event, editors of The Advocate commented that she had become "the real fierce advocate" for gays and lesbians,[170] one that Barack Obama had promised to be.[171]

Gaga has most recently appeared at Europride, a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, held in Rome in June 2011. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/P Battery

In a nearly twenty-minute speech, she criticized the intolerant state of gay rights in many European countries and described homosexuals as "revolutionaries of love" before performing acoustic renderings of "Born This Way" and "The Edge of Glory" in front of thousands at the Circus Maximus. Sony VAIO VGN-SR140E/S Battery

She stated that "Today and every day we fight for freedom. We fight for justice. We beckon for compassion, understanding and above all we want full equality now". Gaga revealed that she is often questioned why she dedicates herself to "gayspeak" and "how gay" she is, to which, she told the audience: Sony VAIO VGN-SR140N/S Battery

"Why is this question, why is this issue so important? My answer is: I am a child of diversity, I am one with my generation, I feel a moral obligation as a woman, or a man, to exercise my revolutionary potential and make the world a better place." She then joked: "On a gay scale from 1 to 10, I'm a Judy Garland fucking 42."Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/B Battery

The discography of American pop singer Lady Gaga consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs), twelve singles(including one featured single), six promotional singles, one video album and fourteen music videos. Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/P Battery

As of May 2011, she has sold more than 69 million singles and 22 million albums worldwide.[1] In the United States, she has sold almost 7.2 million albums as of June 2011.

Gaga made her debut in August 2008 with the studio album The Fame, ] an album that drew inspiration from '80s music while incorporating dance music and clear hooks. Sony VAIO VGN-SR165E/S Battery

As of May 2011, has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The Fame peaked at number two in the United States and was subsequently certified triple platinum while also seeing large success in Europe where it topped the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EBJ Battery

Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", both peaked at number one in the United States and reached quintuple platinum for sales of five million copies.The singles were also successful internationally, reaching number one in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EBQ Battery

The album spawned three more singles: "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", "LoveGame", which became her lowest-charting single in several countries while "Paparazzi", the album's last single, reached the top ten in many countries worldwide, including number one in Germany.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190EEJ/C Battery

The commercial and critical success of her first album led to plans of a deluxe edition titled The Fame Monster which was ultimately released as a standalone EP in November 2009.[15] It peaked at number one in Australia and reached number five in the United States, where it was certified platinum.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NAB Battery

Its lead single, "Bad Romance", became an international hit and reached number one in twelve countries while peaking at number two in the United States. The subsequent singles, "Telephone" and "Alejandro", were top ten hits in many countries.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NBB Battery

Consisting of various remixes of songs from both The Fame and The Fame Monster, Gaga's first compilation album The Remix was released in 2010. It peaked at number six in the United States while reaching the top five in Canada and the United Kingdom.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NDB Battery

The remix album has sold 500,000 copies worldwide, therefore making it one of the best-selling remix albums of all time.

The singer's second studio album Born This Way was released in May 2011 and reached the number-one spot in the United States along with twenty other countries. Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NEB Battery

The album's eponymous lead single "Born This Way" was an international hit, peaking at number-one in nineteen countries including the United States, where it became her third number one single. Born This Way also spawned two other singles, "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory".Sony VAIO VGN-SR190NGB Battery

The Fame is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008 by Interscope Records. Gaga worked with several producers on the album, mainly RedOne, Martin Kierszenbaum, and Rob Fusari.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PAB Battery

The songs are mostly inspired by Gaga's love of fame in general, and deal with the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle, visualized by her. Musically, the album drew inspiration from '80s electropop andsynthpop while incorporating dance music and clear hooks.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PCB Battery

The album received mostly positive reviews, with critics commending Gaga's ability to discover a melodious hook and comparing her vocal abilities to those of Gwen Stefani. The album went to number-one in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland.Sony VAIO VGN-SR190PFB Battery

In the United States the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Worldwide, the album has sold over 12 million copies.

The first two singles from The Fame, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", were both international hits, with "Just Dance" topping the charts in over six countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VN Battery

"Poker Face" was able to peak at number-one in almost all the major musical markets, and it became her second consecutive number-one hit on the Hot 100 chart. Other singles released includes "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", "LoveGame", and "Paparazzi". Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VN Battery

Gaga promoted the album by performing the songs in a number of live appearances, including her first headlining The Fame Ball Tour. The Fame is featured as a bonus disc on the deluxe edition of Gaga's EP, The Fame Monster.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19VRN Battery

The Fame has won a number of awards, since it was released. The album, and the songs from it were nominated in total of six Grammy Awards, including in the Album of the Year category. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album and the single "Poker Face" won Best Dance Recording.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19XN Battery

On February 16, 2010, it also won Best International Album at the 2010 BRIT Awards.

Background and development

While establishing herself as an artist and working her way up through the New York underground club scene, Gaga released her debut studio album, The Fame.Sony VAIO VGN-SR19XN Battery

Speaking about the title and concept of the album, Gaga explained: "The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous. [...] Pop culture is art. It doesn't make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it's a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle."Sony VAIO VGN-SR210J/S Battery

Gaga stated in an interview with MTV UK that she had been working on the album for two and a half years and completed half of it during the first week of January 2008. As well as writing the lyrics, Gaga worked on the melodies and synth work of the album, with record producer RedOne.Sony VAIO VGN-SR21M/S Battery

According to Gaga, the first track "Just Dance" is a joyous, heart-themed song, which appeal to people going through tough times in their life. "LoveGame", the second track, was inspired by Gaga's sexual crush on a stranger in a night club to whom she said, "I wanna ride on your disco stick". Sony VAIO VGN-SR21RM/H Battery

It was written in four minutes based on the disco stick hook. "Paparazzi" has been interpreted with different meanings. However Gaga explained in an interview with About.com, that the song was inspired by her struggles and hunger for fame and love. Essentially a love song, "Paparazzi" dealt with enticing the media and asked the question, whether one can have both fame and love.Sony VAIO VGN-SR21RM/S Battery

"Poker Face" was inspired by Gaga's boyfriends who enjoyed gambling, and also dealt with her personal experience of bisexuality; her fantasies about women while having sex with men, thus representing her 'poker face'." "Boys, Boys, Boys" was inspired by the similarly titled Mötley Crüe song "Girls, Girls, Girls". Sony VAIO VGN-SR220J/H Battery

Gaga explained that she wanted a female version of the song that rockers would like too. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" summed up her time of self-discovery, living in the Lower East Side and dabbling in drugs and the party scene. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was about breaking up with a boyfriend and finding someone new.Sony VAIO VGN-SR240J/B Battery

"Brown Eyes" was inspired by the band Queen and, according to Gaga, is the most vulnerable song on the album.

Gaga further clarified the ideas behind The Fame, and her inspirations and visions for the album. Sony VAIO VGN-SR240N/B Battery

She believed that the most important thing missing from contemporary pop music was the combination of the visual imagery of the artist with the music. Gaga incorporated theatrics in her live performances of the songs from the album. Hence she hoped that people would take notice of the performance art, Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTH Battery

which she was trying to bring back with the album and its music; according to her, the music put the lifestyle in front of it.

"I just feel like this record is really different- you[']ve got club bangers to more 70s glam to more singer-songwriter records to rock music.Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTJ Battery

The Fame is not about who you are—it's about how everybody wants to know who you are! Buy it and listen to it before you go out or in the car. [...] I think you've really got to allow artists' creativity to marinate. It took me a while but really delving into myself I finally got it. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTQ Battery

I couldn't be more proud of it. It's not just a record[,] it's a whole pop art movement[.] It's not just about one song."

Composition

Musically, the album drew influences from late 1970s glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Queen. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVB/C Battery

Gaga incorporated their glam-rock sound while devising catchy pop melodies and hooks to create what she has dubbed, "theatrical pop". Songs like "Poker Face", "Just Dance" and "LoveGame" are uptempo dance songs, with "Poker Face" carrying a dark sound with clear vocals on the chorus and a pop hook.Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVH/C Battery

"Just Dance" is synth-based while "LoveGame" has a more dance-oriented beat, and "Money Honey" has a moderate techno groove. All of them combined synths of clipped marching beats, sawing electronics and contained mild R&B-infused beats. "Paparazzi" carried a sultry beat while "Summerboy" had influences of the music ofBlondie.Sony VAIO VGN-SR290NTB Battery

"Eh, Eh" is credited as a ballad compared to the rest of the dance-fueled tracks from The Fame.[2] The song has an eighties synth pop feeling in it[20] while incorporating the "Eh, Eh" hook from Rihanna's single "Umbrella" (2007).[21]

Lyrically, the songs on The Fame talk about being famous and achieving popularity;Sony VAIO VGN-SR29VN/S Battery

"Poker Face" is about sexual innuendo and teasing.[18] Gaga explained in an interview with the Daily Star that the lyrics carry a bit of an undertone of confusion about love and sex.[22] According to the BBC, the "Mum-mum-mum-mah" hook used in the song is copied from Boney M's 1977 hit "Ma Baker".Sony VAIO VGN-SR29XN/S Battery

"Just Dance" talks about being intoxicated in a party, with lyrics like "What's going on on the floor? / I love this record, baby but I can't see straight anymore".[24] "LoveGame" portrays a message about love, fame and sexuality which is akin to the central theme of album.Sony VAIO VGN-SR2RVN/S Battery

"Paparazzi" portrays a stalker who is following somebody being his or her biggest fan.[26] The lyrics also portray the desire of capturing the attention of the camera as well as achieving fame.[27] Gaga explained that,

"This idea of The Fame runs through and through. Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAB Battery

Basically, if you have nothing—no money, no fame—you can still feel beautiful and dirty rich. It's about making choices, and having references—things you pull from your life that you believe in. It's about self-discovery and being creative. The record is slightly focused, but it's also eclectic.Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAH Battery

The music is intended to inspire people to feel a certain way about themselves, so they'll be able to encompass, in their own lives, a sense of inner fame that they can project to the world, and the carefree nature of the album is a reflection of that aura. I like to funnel interesting ideas to the rest of the world through a pop lens." Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/P Battery

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews. It earned a collective score of 71 out of 100 from Metacritic.[34] Matthew Chisling from Allmusic stated, "Fueled by heavy dance tracks and popping electronic beats, The Fame [...] is a well-crafted sampling of feisty anti-pop in high quality.Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/S Battery

Lady Gaga pulls out all the stops on The Fame, injecting hard-hitting synthesizers and crashing slicks and grooves. From its opening track until it closes, The Fame fails to come up short on funky sounds to amuse fans of this dance genre." Nicole Powers of URB complimented the album's "’70s disco and ’80s electro pop" influences and "the irony-laden lyrics, Sony VAIO VGN-SR49VN/H Battery

delivered in a style that owes a little something to Gwen Stefani," adding that "Gaga writes deluxe ditties that compel the listener to 'Just Dance.'" Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly gave The Fame a B?, saying that "The Fame is remarkably (and exhaustingly) pure in its vision of a world in which nothing trumps being beautiful, dirty, and rich.Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/P Battery

In this economy, though, her high-times escapism has its charms". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian complimented Gaga for being good at melodies. According to him "The Fame arrives packing an immensely addictive melody or an inescapable hook, virtually everything sounds like another hit singleSony VAIO VGN-SR51B/S Battery

The Fame certainly sounds like it could be big."[3] Evan Sawdey of PopMatterswrote negatively of the tracks "Eh Eh", "Paper Gangsta", and "Brown Eyes", ultimately but called it "a solid dance album," noting that "much of the album’s success can be attributed to rising club producer RedOne."[Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF Battery

Joey Guerra from the Houston Chronicle commented that although the songs present in the album are not innovative, Gaga deserved credit for bringing real dance music to the mass.[35] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club and Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine compared Gaga's vocals with that of Gwen Stefani. Koski said that the album is "fueled by a glitter-laced, Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/P Battery

dance-inciting energy that bodes well for extended club play, which is really the whole point."[24] Cinquemani said that "Gaga's lyrics alternate between cheap [...] and nonsensical drivel [...], and her vocal performances are uneven at best [...] [t]he songs that work, include "Poker Face", "Starstruck", "Paper Gangsta" and "Summerboy"—Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/S Battery

rest almost solely on their snappy production and sing-along hooks."[32] Freedom du Lac from The Washington Post criticized the album for lacking originality.[21] Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe wrote that "[a]t first blush, Lady GaGa's frothy disco confections could easily be mistaken for the mindless booty bait dangled by, say, the Pussycat Dolls. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/W Battery

But listen a little closer to the sly, snarky lyrics and glam grooves on this feisty debut and you'll hear that this former downtown New York spice girl has at least a few things on her dirty mind."[29] Critic Robert Christgau said that the album was "shallowness at its most principled."Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MR Battery

Daniel Brockman from The Phoenix, noted that in the album "Gaga ups the ante in terms of catchy songwriting and sheer high-in-the-club-banging-to-the-beat abandon."The Fame garnered five Grammy nominations at the 52nd Grammy Awards on December 2, 2009. The album itself was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Electronic/Dance Album.Sony VAIO VGN-SR59VG Battery

Chart performance

In the United States, The Fame debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 with sales of 24,000 on the issue dated November 15, 2008. After fluctuating down the charts, the album reached number ten on the issue dated March 7, 2009.[40] It then reached a peak of number four on the chart.Sony VAIO VGN-SR59VG/H Battery

The album also toppedBillboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart; it has been at the number-one spot for over 100 non-consecutive weeks .[42] On March 2010, the album was certified three-times platinum for shipments of three million copies, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).Sony VAIO VGN-SR70B/S Battery

The Fame has sold over 4.4 million copies in the United States and is the second best-selling digital album, selling 961,000 digital copies. With the release of The Fame Monster, which was also combined with The Fame as a deluxe edition, the album jumped from thirty-four to six on the Billboard 200 with sales of 151,000.Sony VAIO VGN-SR72B/P Battery

On the issue dated January 16, 2010, The Fame moved to a new peak of two on the Billboard 200 after being on the charts for sixty-two weeks.

In Canada, the album reached number-one, and has been certified seven times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 560,000 copies, and sold 390,000 copies as of December 2009.Sony VAIO VGN-SR72B/S Battery

The album debuted at number six, and peaked at number two in New Zealand as well as being certified double platinum. In Australia, the album debuted at twelve and peaked at three. The album has been certified three times platinum in Australia, by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies.Sony VAIO VGN-SR73JB/S Battery

The Fame debuted in the United Kingdom at number three. After spending ten weeks in the top ten, it replaced Ronan Keating's Songs for My Mother at the top position. Since then, the album spent four consecutive weeks at the number-one spot.Sony VAIO VGN-SR74FB/S Battery

It has since been certified four-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI),[60] and has sold 2.63 million copies as of June 2011.It has also become the first album to reach the platinum certification based on digital sales after selling 300,000 units in the UK.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90FS Battery

In Ireland, the album entered the charts at number eight, and in its fifth week climbed to number-one for two consecutive weeks. In mainland Europe, the album peaked at number one on the European Top 100 Albums[65], the Austrian Albums Chart and the German Album Chart.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90NS Battery

It also reached the top twenty in Mexico, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland.[68] Worldwide, the album has sold 12 million copies.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90S Battery

Singles

"Just Dance" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on June 17, 2008, through digital distribution. The song was critically appreciated with reviewers complimenting its club anthem-like nature and the synth pop associated with it.Sony VAIO VGN-SR90US Battery

It achieved commercial success by topping charts in the United States, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song received a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category but lost to electronic duoDaft Punk for their song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".Sony VAIO VGN-SR91NS Battery

"Poker Face" was released as the second single from the album. It was also well-received by the critics, most of whom have praised the robotic hook and the chorus. The single achieved greater success than "Just Dance" by topping the charts in almost all the countries it was released to.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91PS Battery

"Poker Face" became Gaga's second consecutive number one on the Hot 100. On December 2, 2009, "Poker Face" received three Grammy nominations in the categories of Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and won for Best Dance Recording.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91S Battery

"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was the album's third single in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark and fourth in France. The song received mixed reviews. Some critics compared it to nineties Europop while the others criticized it for bringing the party-like nature of the album to a halt and thus being an embarrassment to the album.Sony VAIO VGN-SR91US Battery

It failed to match the success of the previous singles in Australia and New Zealand by reaching fifteen and nine respectively. It peaked at two in Sweden and at seven in France. "LoveGame" was released as the third single in the United States, Canada and some European nations. Sony VAIO VGN-SR92NS Battery

It was the fourth single in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song was critically appreciated for its catchy tune and the "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick" hook. The song has reached the top ten in countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada and the top twenty in others.Sony VAIO VGN-SR92PS Battery

"Paparazzi" was announced as the third single in the United Kingdom and Ireland with a release date of July 6, 2009, the forth single in the United States, and the fifth single overall. The song has reached the top five in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.Sony VAIO VGN-SR92S Battery

It has also reached the top ten in the United States. The song has been appreciated for its fun-filled, club-friendly nature and is deemed the most memorable and telling song from the album. The associated music video for the song was shot as a mini-movie with Gaga starring as a doomed starlet who is almost killed by her boyfriend, Sony VAIO VGN-SR92US Battery

but in the end takes her revenge and reclaims her fame and popularity.

Promotion

To promote the album, Gaga did several performances worldwide. Her first televised appearance was on Logo's NewNowNext Awards on June 7, 2008.Sony VAIO VGN-SR93DS Battery

She also performed on So You Think You Can Dance, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno She performed in Vietnam for the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant during the swimsuit competition. On January 31, 2009, she performed on television in Ireland on RTÉ One's show Tubridy Tonight.Sony VAIO VGN-SR93JS Battery

Three songs from The Fame were used in the second season of The CW's series Gossip Girl: "Paparazzi" in the episode "Summer, Kind of Wonderful",[92] "Poker Face" in "The Serena Also Rises",[93] and "Money Honey" in "Remains of the J".[94] Gaga also performed "Poker Face" on American Idol on April 1, 2009.Sony VAIO VGN-SR93PS Battery

To celebrate the launch of the show Dirty Sexy Money, ABC created a music video of Gaga's song "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich", directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was initially announced as Gaga's second single, but "Poker Face" was chosen instead. There were two videos released for the song – Sony VAIO VGN-SR93YS Battery

the first was composed of clips from Dirty Sexy Money, and the second was the actual music video. The song charted on the UK Singles Chart due to digital downloads and peaked at number eighty-three.

The album received further promotion from her first headlining concert tour The Fame Ball Tour, which started on March 12, 2009 in San Diego, California. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94FS Battery

It was Gaga's first concert tour with North American shows in March, followed by dates in Oceania and a solo trek through Europe. Dates in Asia soon followed, as well as two performances at England's V Festival and two shows in North America that had been postponed from April. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94GS Battery

Gaga described the tour as a traveling museum show incorporating artist Andy Warhol's pop-performance art concept.[99] Tickets were distributed for charity also. Alternate versions of the show with minimal variations were planned by Gaga to accommodate different venues.Sony VAIO VGN-SR94HS Battery

The show consisted of four segments, with each segment being followed by a video interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore. The set list consisted of songs from The Fame only. Gaga appeared on the stage in new costumes including an innovative dress made entirely of bubbles and premiered an unreleased song called "Future Love".Sony VAIO VGN-SR94VS Battery

An alternate set list with minor changes was performed for European dates. The show received positive critical appreciation with critics complimenting her vocal clarity and fashion sense as well as her ability to pull off theatrics like a professional artist.Sony VAIO VGN-NS10E/S Battery

The Fame Monster

Originally intended to be a re-release of The Fame with eight additional tracks, Gaga and her record label announced that The Fame Monster would be a standalone album containing the eight new songs. The deluxe edition of the album contains The Fame in its entirety along with The Fame Monster.Sony VAIO VGN-NS10J/S Battery

The album deals with the darker side of fame, as experienced by Gaga over the course of 2008–09 while travelling around the world, and are expressed through a monster metaphor. Gaga compared the feel of her debut album and The Fame Monster with the Yin and yang concept. Sony VAIO VGN-NS10L/S Battery

Cover artwork was done by Hedi Slimane and has a gothic look which Gaga had to convince her record company to allow her to shoot. The composition takes its inspiration from Gothic music and fashion shows. Contemporary critics gave a positive review of the album, with the majority of them complimenting the songs "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Dance in the Dark".Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/L Battery

In some countries the album charted together with The Fame while in others like the United States, Canada and Japan, it charted as a separate album. It has reached top ten in most of the major markets. She announced The Monster Ball Tour supporting the album, which started on November 27, 2009, and continued through until Spring 2011.Sony VAIO VGN-NS110E/S Battery