When Lady Gaga was a little girl, she would sing along on her mini plastic tape recorder to Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper hits and get twirled in the air in daddy's arms to the sounds of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The precocious child would dance around the table at fancy Upper West Side restaurants using the breadsticks as a baton. And, she would innocently greet a new babysitter in nothing but her birthday suit.

It's no wonder that little girl from a good Italian New York family, turned into the exhibitionist, multi-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for theatrics that she is today: Lady Gaga.

"I was always an entertainer. I was a ham as a little girl and I'm a ham today," says Lady Gaga, 23, who made a name for herself on the Lower East Side club scene with the infectious dance-pop party song "Beautiful Dirty Rich," and wild, theatrical, and often tongue-in-cheek "shock art" performances where Gaga - who designs and makes many of her stage outfits -- would strip down to her hand-crafted hot pants and bikini top, light cans of hairspray on fire, and strike a pose as a disco ball lowered from the ceiling to the orchestral sounds of A Clockwork Orange.

"I always loved rock and pop and theater. When I discovered Queen and David Bowie is when it really came together for me and I realized I could do all three," says Gaga, who nicked her name from Queen's song "Radio Gaga" and who cites rock star girlfriends, Peggy Bundy, and Donatella Versace as her fashion icons. "I look at those artists as icons in art. It's not just about the music. It's about the performance, the attitude, the look; it's everything. And, that is where I live as an artist and that is what I want to accomplish."

It's been a while since a new pop artist has made her way in the music industry the old-fashioned/grass roots way by paying her dues with seedy club gigs and self-promotion. This is one rising pop star who hasn't been plucked from a model casting call, born into a famous family, won a reality TV singing contest, or emerged from a teen cable TV sitcom. "I did this the way you are supposed to. I played every club in New York City and I bombed in every club and then killed it in every club and I found myself as an artist. I learned how to survive as an artist, get real, and how to fail and then figure out who I was as singer and performer. And, I worked hard."

Gaga adds with a wink in her eye, "And, now, I'm just trying to change the world one sequin at a time."

Awards
2018 - Academy Award - Best Original Song - Shallow
2018 - Golden Globe Award - Best Original Song - Shallow

Lady Gaga Videos

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Perfect Illusion

Lady Gaga explodes on the charts with this 2016 rock-oriented dance tune. With pulsing, guitar driven verses and powerful vocals, this is a can't-miss song for show choirs and other choreographed performances.

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Perfect Illusion

Lady Gaga explodes on the charts with this 2016 rock-oriented dance tune. With pulsing, guitar driven verses and powerful vocals, this is a can't-miss song for show choirs and other choreographed performances.

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Perfect Illusion

Lady Gaga explodes on the charts with this 2016 rock-oriented dance tune. With pulsing, guitar driven verses and powerful vocals, this is a can't-miss song for show choirs and other choreographed performances.

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Million Reasons

After all of the wild costumes, crazy hair and over the top antics, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be an excellent singer and a fine musician. This power ballad draws out emotions and dynamics and will make a big statement in your program. You've given me a million reasons to go, but I just need one good one to stay.

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Million Reasons

After all of the wild costumes, crazy hair and over the top antics, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be an excellent singer and a fine musician. This power ballad draws out emotions and dynamics and will make a big statement in your program. You've given me a million reasons to go, but I just need one good one to stay.

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