There’s not many of us that haven’t heard of Lady Gaga. Her catchy pop songs, unique sense of fashion and acting credits have seen her become an accomplished creative professional. She has an impressive list of achievements including seven Billboard Music Awards, 21 BMI Pop Awards, nine Clio Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, 14 Guinness World Records, six International Dance Music Awards, 10 Japan Gold Disc Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards, 13 MTV Video Music Awards, 21 RTHK International Poll Pop Awards, 8 Virgin Media Music Awards and nine World Music Awards to name a few.
Lady Gaga, who’s real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, developed an early love of music when she learnt to play the piano at age four. She attended a Catholic School in New York City where she honed her love of music and began performing in nightclubs as a teenager. She was one of only 20 students in the world granted early acceptance to study at New York’s University Tisch School of the Arts. Although she left after two years to further develop and manage her own career.
In 2007, she began performing a burlesque show called “Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue” where singer Akon discovered her and signed her to his label. She drew creative inspiration off David Bowie, Grace Slick, the New York Dolls and Freddie Mercury of Queen. Her stage name, “Lady Gaga” derived off Queen’s song, “Radio Ga Ga”. She wrote and recorded her first album, “The Fame” which was released in 2008. Her debut single, “Just Dance”, along with singles, “Poker Face”, “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi” all reached number one on the charts.
Through this time Lady Gaga also developed her own fashion identity through her creative team, Haus of Gaga. This included amazing wigs and space-age bodysuits.
Several albums followed including “The Fame Monster” and in 2011 “Born This Way”. Her third album “ArtPop” released in 2013 didn’t resonate as much with the fans as the other albums had. In 2014 she recorded “Cheek to Cheek” a collection of jazz duets with Tony Bennett. In 2016 she performed the anthem at the Superbowl and followed this up in 2017 with a powerhouse performance at the Superbowl halftime where she performed a medley of her hits.
Expanding her creative talents has also taken Lady Gaga into the world of acting. She has co-starred in American Horror Story: Hotel, with her portrayal of The Countess earning her a Golden Globe. There have been other roles along the way but one that earned her significant acclaim is her role as “Ally” alongside Bradley Cooper in “A Star Is Born”. The duet “Shallow” she performed with Cooper, rewarded her with Golden Globe, Grammy and Oscar wins.
At the end of 2018, Lady Gaga commenced a Las Vegas residency at MGM’s Resort Theater. She performed two separate shows over 27 dates, Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano and Lady Gaga Enigma.
February 2020 saw her release the single, “Stupid Love”, her first music in three years. In April this year, she partnered with Global Citizen to support healthcare workers and WHO, organising the virtual concert, “One World: Together At Home” featuring stars such as Elton John, Keith Urban, Celine Dion, Lizzo and Jennifer Lopez. The event went on to raise more than $127 million to fight the Covid19 pandemic.
If there’s one thing that Lady Gaga shows us, it’s persistence and never giving up on your dreams. Having the courage to keep your dreams firmly in your vision and take steps towards them is something embodied by Lady Gaga. As you look back over her career to date, it’s evident that every step she has taken has moved her closer to her dreams. She’s always backed herself, taken some risks and worked incredibly hard along the way. She’s not afraid to stand out, be different or try new things in her career. Above all, she’s comfortable with her uniqueness and individuality which has allowed her audience to fall in love with her.
Lady Gaga has made an impact in the music and acting world by embracing challenges. It is these challenges which have revealed her authenticity and vulnerability. She is also deeply passionate about communicating messages of hope and struggle which have shaped who she is as a person. Her music reveals messages about her life, love and family. She’s also used her fame for good. It’s enabled her to give back and revealed a deeply compassionate side to her personality.
It is through the words of her speech at the 2019 Oscars, in accepting the award for “Best Original Song” (Shallow) where she inspired all of us with dreams for our career.
“If you are at home and sitting on your couch and you are watching this right now, all I have to say is this is hard work. I have worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about – you know – it’s not about winning, but – what it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion, and it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or beaten up, it’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.” – Lady Gaga
As you think about where you are in your career right now and the dreams you have, I hope this inspires you to never give up on your dreams. Keep going. Find a way. The future is yours. Don’t let some bumps in the road take you off course. You deserve your dreams and they are yours to reach.
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