Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She initially performed in theater, appearing in high school plays, and studied at CAP21 through New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue a musical career. After leaving a rock band, participating in the Lower East Side's avant garde performance art circuit, and being dropped from a contract with Def Jam Recordings, Gaga worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing. There, recording artist Akon noticed her vocal abilities and helped her to sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and his own KonLive Distribution.

Gaga rose to prominence with her debut album The Fame (2008), a critical and commercial success which produced global chart-topping singles such as "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". A follow-up EP, The Fame Monster (2009), was met with a similar reception and released the successful singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro". Her second full-length album Born This Way was released in 2011, topping the charts in more than 20 countries, including the United States, where it sold over one million copies in its first week. The album produced number one single "Born This Way". Her third album ARTPOP, released in 2013, topped the US, UK, Mexican and Japanese charts and included the successful singles "Applause" and "Do What U Want". In 2014, Gaga released a collaborative jazz album with Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek, which became her third consecutive number one album in the United States. For her work in the television series American Horror Story: Hotel, Gaga won a Golden Globe Award in 2016. In 2016. She became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s when her fifth studio album Joanne (2016) topped the nation's charts. In February 2017, Gaga headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show which had a total audience of over 150 million across various platforms worldwide, making it the most viewed musical event in history.

Gaga is noted for her diverse contributions to the music industry via her self-empowering messages, fashion, and live performances. With global album and single sales of 27 million and 146 million respectively, as of January 2016, she is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Her achievements include 13 MTV VMA awards, 12 Guinness World Records, 6 Grammy Awards, and a Songwriters Hall of Fame's Contemporary Icon Award—first artist ever to win—for "attaining an iconic status in pop culture". She regularly appears on Billboard's Artists of the Year lists and Forbes's power and earnings rankings. In 2013, Time listed Gaga as one of the Most Influential People of the Decade, while in 2015, she was named Billboard 's Woman of the Year. For her work in the television series American Horror Story: Hotel, Gaga also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film in 2016. Outside of entertainment, she is noted for her philanthropic endeavors and social activism, including LGBT rights and HIV/AIDSprevention. In 2012, Gaga established the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on youth empowerment.

Legacy

ATAB — The Global Language Monitornamed "Lady Gaga" as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark "no pants".

Gaga has been regarded as a trail blazer throughout several points in her career, sometimes utilizing controversy to bring attention to various issues. With the meteoric success of The Fame, Gaga is credited as being one of the frontrunners of the rise in the popularity of synthpop in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Writer Brian Solis says,"It's all about how you cultivate your community," Solis said. "Celebs have never shied away from causes and in many ways it's expected that they will use their celebrity to gain attention for those causes. But it's what (Gaga) does over time and how her community responds that starts the lean-over into the influence factor. Polaroid CEO, upon working with Gaga, says,"she's a true artist who inspires her fans and the creative community. The relationship she has with her fans is exceptionally close and she is consistently in contact with them via social networks, making her messages accessible, authentic and far reaching." Her work has influenced Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, Ellie Goulding, Halsey, Nicki Minaj, Nick Jonas, Sam Smith, Tyler Oakley, Lohanthony, Lorde, Greyson Chance, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Noah Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Zara Larsson, Katherine Langford and MGMT.

Gaga's outlandish fashion sense has also been one of her characteristic aspects. The Global Language Monitor named "Lady Gaga" as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark "no pants" a close third. 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 outréensembles brought performance art into the mainstream." Time placed Gaga on their "All-Time 100 Fashion Icons List" amongst some of Gaga's inspirations such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and The Beatles, stating: "Lady Gaga is just as notorious for her outrageous style as she is for her pop hits. After all, Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, has sported outfits made from plastic bubbles, Kermit the Frog dolls, and raw meat."

Gaga has been commemorated in the scientific names of several organisms. A new genus of ferns, Gaga, and two species, G. germanotta and G. monstraparva have been named in her honor. The name monstraparva alluded to Gaga's fans known as "little monsters" since their symbol is the outstretched "monster claw" hand, which resembles a tightly in-rolled young fern leaf prior to unfurling. Gaga also has an extinct mammal, Gagadon, and a parasitic wasp, Aleiodes gaga, named for her.

Discography

Studio albums

The Fame (2008)
The Fame Monster (2009)
Born This Way (2011)
ARTPOP (2013)
Cheek to Cheek (2014)
Joanne (2016)
A Star Is Born (2018)

Compilation albums

Singles

Just Dance (2008)
Poker Face (2008)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) [2009]
LoveGame (2009)
Paparazzi (2009)
Bad Romance (2009)
Telephone (2010)
Alejandro (2010)
Born This Way (2011)
Judas (2011)
The Edge of Glory (2011)
Yoü and I (2011)
Marry the Night (2011)
Applause (2013)
Do What U Want (2013)
G.U.Y. (2014)
Perfect Illusion (2016)
Million Reasons (2016)
Shallow (2018)

Promotional singles

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich (2008)
Vanity (2008)
Christmas Tree (2008)
Dance in the Dark (2009)
Hair (2011)
Venus (2013)
Dope (2013)
Winter Wonderland (2014)
A-Yo (2016)

Non-album singles

Til It Happens To You (2015)
The Cure (2017)

Filmography

Film

The Zen of Bennett (2012)
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)
Machete Kills (2013)
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer (2015)
Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
A Star Is Born (2018)

Concert film

Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden (2011)
Lady Gaga: iTunes Festival (2013)
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! (2014)

Television

American Horror Story: Hotel (2015-2016)

Concerts

Headlining tours

Co-headlining tours

~~Fame Kills: Starrting Kanye West and Lady Gaga (2009-10)~~ [Cancelled]
Cheek to Cheek Tour (With Tony Bennett) [2014-15]

Residency shows

Lady Gaga Live at Roseland Ballroom (2014)
Lady Gaga Enigma (2018-19)

Promotional concerts

ArtRave (2013)
Dive Bar Tour (2016)

Fragrances

Fame (2012)
Eau de Gaga (2014)

Awards and achievements

Gaga has won nine Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, several Guinness World Records, and the inaugural Songwriters Hall of Fame's Contemporary Icon Award. She received a National Arts Awards' Young Artist Award, which honors individuals who have shown accomplishments and leadership early in their career, and she won the Jane Ortner Artist Award from the Grammy Museum in 2016. Gaga has also been recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) with the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award, and was a finalist for The Advocate's Person of the Year in 2016. In 2019, she became the first person to win an Academy, a Grammy, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award in one year for her contribution to A Star Is Born's soundtrack.

Gaga is one of the best-selling music artists with estimated sales of 27 million albums and 146 million singles as of January 2016. Some of her singles are also among the best-selling worldwide. She has grossed more than $512.3 million in revenue from her concert tours and residencies, becoming the fifth woman to pass the half-billion total as reported to Billboard Boxscore. Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010). Named Woman of the Year in 2015, she is the 11th top digital singles artist in the US with a total of 61 million equivalent units certified according to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She became the first woman to receive the Digital Diamond Award certification from RIAA, is one of three artists with at least two Diamond certified songs ("Bad Romance" and "Poker Face"), and is the first and only artist to have two songs pass 7 million downloads ("Poker Face" and "Just Dance").