Intervieweee: Lady GaGa
Interviewer: Paris Hilton
Date: January 27, 2009

Lady GaGa made pop songs cool again. The chanteuse, Stefani Joanne Germanotta in real life, is a fresh change in an industry where pop music comes off as manufactured.

For one, the Lady writes her songs. Another interesting thing is she designs most of her unorthodox stage clothes, which, for the most part, carry over to everyday use. Perhaps more than her musical style, Lady GaGa is known for her ineffable fashion choices.

Born on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers, New York, Lady Gaga grew up in a decidedly Catholic family of Italian immigrants. Her parents sent her to Manhattan’s private school for girls, Convent of the Sacred Heart, the same one Paris and Nicky Hilton attended.

But the musician was perceptible even then. Lady Gaga is a classically trained pianist who penned her first ballad when she was 13. At 14, she began to display her piano skills at open microphone gigs.

Upon high school graduation, she gained admission to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her most seminal years were yet to come though.

Dropping out of university in 2007, Lady Gaga delved into the Lower East Side’s underground club scene. Initially, she put on piano shows, wherein she wore leotards and decked her hair with orchids. Later on, she went go-go dancing in dive bars, where she would strip down to no more than leather thongs. To command spectators’ attention, she would set cans of hairspray alight.

Only after a deadly drug session did Lady Gaga decide to refine her act. Channeling glam rockers David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, she fashioned herself into today’s over-the-top theatrical singer. She christened herself after the QUEEN’s song, Radio Ga-Ga, and began wearing her hair platinum blonde a la Donatella Versace.

In between “Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue” engagements, she lobbied for parts in stage musicals and tried to land a record deal. Def Jam eventually signed her in 2007, but only in name. The following year, Interscope groomed her for a solo career under Akon’s record label.

Then the stage was set for The Fame, a record of electronic pop melodies wrapped around worldly insights on celebrity culture. It yielded three singularly popular singles, “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “Lovegame.” With these, Lady GaGa has become pop music’s newest emissary.