When Lady Gaga started performing in New York City's underground rock scene, few could have predicted the international superstar she would become. In just three years, she's gone from a little known bar performer to one of the best-known names in entertainment. Her rise has been meteoric, but it's come purely from her own hard work, natural talent, and unerring persistence. She's gone from renting "the cheapest apartment [she] could find" to selling over 10 million albums and 35 million records world-wide. Her brilliantly produced dance music and over-the-top, extremely creative personas has made her the most successful artist in a crop of rising starts, and she has already had a number of top singles that have rocked the world.
Lady Gaga started playing the piano at the age of four, and she's been performing ever since. She dropped out of college to pursue a career in music, and has never looked back. She was signed by Def Jam soon after moving to New York, but the label dropped her after just three months. However, the connections she gained in that process spurred her current career on. She also began performing within New York's gay community, which influenced much of her costume and design choices. By the time 2008 came, she had nearly finished developing her first album and was ready to release her debut single, "Just Dance."
The rest is history. "Just Dance" became one of the biggest hits of the decade, and its impact reached across the world. Her success only grew from there. "Poker Face," her second single, wasn't nearly as successful on its own, but it established Lady Gaga as much more than a one-hit wonder. Her third single, "Paparazzi," blew the door wide open. It made her and her previous singles even more popular, and introduced her as a fully fledged superstar. The Fame went on to sell over 10 million copies.
Her second album, The Fame Monster, was a smaller, more compact release than The Fame, and didn't sell nearly as well as a result. However, it was also re-sold with The Fame as a double disc, and the two releases combined to sell over a million copies. The lead single, "Bad Romance," became yet another enormous hit, further cementing her reputation as an international icon. She continues to be one of the world's most famous entertainers, and is currently touring across the world.
Of course, the music is only half the package with Lady Gaga. She has become infamous for her costume and artistic choices, and she is nearly expected to shock the world with every new major performance. She's also become the subject of a phenomenal number of tabloid stories, from romance rumors to tall tales of being transgendered. She has an incredible aptitude for keeping herself in the minds of the public; a talent that will keep her in headlines and stories for years to come.
Between her explosive musical talent and her iconic status, it's a near-certainty that Lady Gaga will continue to be an international superstar for years to come.
