Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in New York City on March 28, 1986. She studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before leaving to pursue a recording career. Her stage name references Queen's song "Radio Ga Ga," and her early performances in New York's club scene combined pop songwriting with theatrical costumes.

Her debut album, The Fame, arrived in 2008 and produced the international hits "Just Dance" and "Poker Face." "Just Dance" featured Colby O'Donis, while "Poker Face" won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. Her 2009 release The Fame Monster added "Bad Romance," "Alejandro," and "Telephone," the latter a collaboration with Beyoncé accompanied by an elaborate short film. At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, she accepted the Video of the Year prize for "Bad Romance" wearing a dress made of raw meat.

Born This Way, released in 2011, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the title track, an anthem embracing LGBTQ identity. The album also featured "Judas," "The Edge of Glory," and "Marry the Night." She followed it with ARTPOP in 2013 and Joanne in 2016; the latter drew on family history and incorporated country and rock influences. Her 2020 album Chromatica returned to dance pop, featuring "Rain on Me," a duet with Ariana Grande that won a Grammy.

Beyond solo pop, Gaga recorded Cheek to Cheek with Tony Bennett in 2014, an album of jazz standards that topped the Billboard 200. They reunited for Love for Sale in 2021, centered on songs by Cole Porter; Bennett died in 2023. She sang the United States national anthem at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021.

On screen, she played the Countess in American Horror Story: Hotel, earning a Golden Globe for her performance. She starred opposite Bradley Cooper in the 2018 film A Star Is Born, portraying singer Ally and cowriting "Shallow." The song earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and her acting received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. She later portrayed Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci and Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux.

In 2012, she and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, launched the Born This Way Foundation to support young people's mental health and well-being. Gaga headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show in Houston in 2017. Her 2025 album Mayhem included "Disease" and "Abracadabra," continuing her work in electronic pop and spectacle.