Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), who performs under the stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She began her career as a songwriter for established artists, including Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block, as well as American singer and producer Akon. After Akon recognized that Gaga also had vocal talent, he signed her to a joint deal with his own label, Kon Live Distribution, and then she started to work on her own new material for her debut album.
Gaga released her debut album The Fame in 2008, which she explained was "about how anyone can feel famous". To date, the album has spawned the international number one hit singles "Just Dance" (nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards) and "Poker Face". Gaga has been influenced by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen as well as pop singers like Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Having learned piano by ear at the age of four, Gaga went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mic nights by the age of 14. Speaking to her father's reaction to her drug use and performance in burlesque shows, "He couldn't look at me for a few months...I was in leather thongs, so it was hard for him—he just didn't understand.", their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970's variety acts. In August 2007, Lady Gaga and The Starlight Revue were invited to play at American music festival Lollapalooza, where they shocked audiences with their wild performance. The show was critically acclaimed and their performance received rave reviews. "Queen and David Bowie were the key for me...I didn't know what to do until I discovered Bowie and Queen", Gaga says. "When I was playing the New York rock clubs, a lot of record labels thought I was too theatrical. Then, when I auditioned for stage musicals, the producers said I was too pop." One of those countries was the United States, where "Just Dance" started to receive radio airplay in October, and hit number one in 2009, becoming Gaga's first US number-one single. The second single, "Poker Face", was released on September 29, 2008 and has reached number one in nearly twenty countries, including almost all major music markets in the world. "Poker Face" became Gaga's second consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2009.
The Fame peaked at number one in Austria, Canada and Ireland and four in Australia. She appeared as a featured guest on the song "Big Girl Now" from their new album, The Block. In late October, Gaga released The Fame in the US, where it debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 24,000 units, Gaga was confirmed as the support act for Pussycat Dolls on their Europe and Oceania arena dates from January until May 2009. The tour started in Aberdeen, Scotland on January 18, and ends in Perth, Australia on May 30.

Gaga's "Just Dance" received a nomination for the Best Dance Recording, but lost to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Gaga's first North American tour, The Fame Ball Tour started on March 12, 2009 and was critically appreciated. Beforehand, Gaga promised her fans that they can expect plenty of high drama from her upcoming performances. She said, "I consider what I do to be more of an Andy Warhol concept: pop performance art, multimedia, fashion, technology, video, film. And it's all coming together, and it's going to be traveling museum show."

Philanthropy

On February 20, 2009, Huliq News reported that Gaga donated tickets and a meet and greet, for any show on her Fame Ball tour, in the US or Canada, to raise money for Odyssey Charter School and elementary schools in Los Angeles affected by budget cuts. Bidding began February 17, 2009 on eBay for what was described as "a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet Lady Gaga while positively impacting children's educational needs". The auction, managed by Giving Engine Auction Management, closed February 26, 2009.

Fashion

Gaga states that she is "very in to fashion" and that it is "everything". She said,

"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." Magsaysay stated "her aversion to wearing a top and bottom at the same time ... swigging champagne and being fanned by oily men in Speedos is very Donatella-esque". However, she later added that she doesn’t just want to be remembered for the "Christina Aguilera scandal" and that "nobody can copy me, because I can’t be copied."
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|"Poker Face" || MTV Australia Awards for Best Video
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|| Herself || MTV Australia Awards for Breakthrough ||
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