Biography

Pop icon Lady Gaga's debut album, 'The Fame,' included the hits 'Just Dance' and 'Poker Face.' Her follow-up effort, 'The Fame Monster,' was nominated for six Grammys.SynopsisLady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in New York City. She attended New York University's Tisch School for the Arts but left to find creative expression. Her debut album, The Fame, was a huge success, and the single "Poker Face" topped charts in almost every category, in almost every country. Lady Gaga has since earned acclaim for subsequent albums, including a collaboration with Tony Bennett, and her performance on the American Horror Story series, winning a Golden Globe for her role as the Countess.Early LifeStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, New York, to Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta. Now known as Lady Gaga (the inspiration for her name came from the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga"), she has become an international pop star.Gaga learned to play the piano by the age of 4. At the age of 11, she was accepted to the Juilliard School in Manhattan, but instead attended a private Catholic school in the city. She continued studying music and performing, writing her first piano ballad at the age of 13, and she held her first performance in a New York nightclub at the age of 14.A few years later, Gaga was granted early admission to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts—she was one of only 20 students in the world to receive the honor of early acceptance. While there, she studied music and worked on her songwriting skills. She later withdrew from school to find creative inspiration. To make ends meet, she took three jobs, including a stint as a gogo dancer, while she honed her performance-art act.Professional DebutIn 2005, Lady Gaga was briefly signed by Def Jam Records, but was dropped just months later. Being dropped by the label propelled the singer to perform on her own in clubs and venues on New York City's Lower East Side. There, she collaborated with several rock bands, and began her experimentation with fashion.In 2007, at the age of 20, Gaga began work at Interscope Records as a songwriter for other artists on the label, including Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block and The Pussycat Dolls. R&B singer Akon discovered Gaga while she was performing a burlesque show that she created, called "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue." Impressed, Akon signed the performer to his label under the Interscope umbrella, Kon Live. Through 2007 and 2008, Gaga wrote and recorded her debut album, The Fame. The record received positive reviews and was successful in the United States. With the help of her own creative team, "Haus of Gaga," the performer also began to make a name for herself internationally.Commercial BreakthroughLady Gaga's debut single, "Just Dance," was released to radio in early 2008, and received both popular and commercial acclaim. The song was then nominated for a Grammy Award (for best dance recording) in 2008. The song lost to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," but this didn't keep Gaga from reaching No. 1 on the mainstream pop charts in January 2009. The second single off The Fame, "Poker Face," earned Gaga even more success. The song topped singles charts in almost every category, and in almost every country. Both songs were produced by Akon's affiliate RedOne, who co-wrote most of Lady Gaga's album.Later in 2008, Lady Gaga opened for the newly reformed New Kids on the Block. She also collaborated with them on the song "Big Girl Now" from the group's album The Block. The following year, Gaga released an album of eight songs, The Fame Monster, followed by 2011's Born This Way. In 2013, Lady Gaga released her third studio album, Artpop. The album didn't resonate as strongly with her audience as her previous works. Among the shake-ups in her inner circle, she and her manager parted ways.Lady Gaga attends the premiere screening of FX's 'American Horror Story: Hotel' at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on October 3, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Working With Tony and Golden GlobeIn 2014, she released an album of jazz duets with crooner Tony Bennett entitled Cheek to Cheek, which later won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In an interview with Parade, Lady Gaga said of her latest collaboration, “Working with Tony has reaffirmed everything I knew but that you start to forget when your life changes and it gets really noisy. For ­Tony, it’s all about great music.”Gaga continued to showcase her versatility and strength as a vocalist at the Academy Awards telecast in Feburary 2015, paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music and actress/singer Julie Andrews by performing selections from the musical. Later that year, she also showed her gifts as an actress by co-starring in American Horror Story: Hotel, earning a Golden Globe for her portrayal of The Countess. At the ceremony, a visibly stunned and emotional Gaga acknowledged that acting was her first dream before she embraced music, and thanked her fellow cast members and producer Ryan Murphy for their support.The following year, Gaga returned to the Grammy stage, joined by guitarist/producer Nile Rodgers, in a tribute to the late David Bowie. Paying homage to one of her biggest musical heroes, a red-wigged Gaga rollicked through a short medley of Bowie's hits. Then in February 2016, she performed at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, performing "Til It Happens to You" after being introduced by Vice President Joseph Biden. The song was from the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground, which looked at the issue of rape on college campuses. Assault survivors were brought to the stage toward the close of the song, with the performance earning a standing ovation.Personal LifeOn Valentine’s Day 2015, Lady Gaga became engaged to Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney. After five years together, in July 2016, it was reported that the couple called off their engagement and parted ways.[h/t: Bio]