Lady Gaga was born in 1986 in New York. She attended NYU but left to pursue her creative interests, writing songs for other artists until being discovered. Her 2008 debut album The Fame was a commercial success led by the hit single "Poker Face." Gaga is known for her eccentric fashion sense and performances that fuse music with visual art. She draws influence from various artists and employs theatrics to create a unique style. Gaga funds all of her elaborate outfits and tours through her own company, Haus of Gaga, though she once declared bankruptcy without realizing the costs. Her dedicated fans are known as "Little Monsters."

2. Earlier life; when and how did her career begin?
• Lady Gaga was born as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28,
1986 in Yonkers, New York. She attended New York University's Tisch
School for the Arts but left to find creative expression. She wrote songs for
other artists until being discovered by R&B singer Akon. Her debut
album, The Fame , was a huge success, and the single "Poker Face" topped
charts in almost every category, in almost every country.

3. Lady Gaga’s image
• While Chris Molanphy from Rolling Stone named Gaga the "Queen of Pop" in a ranking published by
the magazine in 2011; public reception of Gaga's music, fashion sense and persona are polarized. Her
status as a role model, self-esteem booster for her fans, trailblazer and fashion icon who breathes new
life into the industry is by turns affirmed and denied. Gaga's albums have received mostly positive
reviews and critics have pointed out her unique place in pop music, the need for new movements in
popular culture, the attention Gaga brings to modern social issues, and the inherently subjective nature
of her art. Gaga said: "When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage.
It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's
everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring
that back.

4. Influences
• Musically, Gaga takes influence from numerous musicians from dance-pop singers like
Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Queen whilst
employing the theatrics of artists like Andy Warhol and of her musical theatre roots in
performance. "I am a real family girl. When it comes to love and loyalty, I am very
old-fashioned. And I am quite down-to-earth for such an eccentric person", she insists.
Gaga has identified fashion as a major influence and has been stylistically compared to
Leigh Bowery, Isabella Blow, and Cher. She commented that "as a child, she somehow
absorbed Cher's out-there fashion sense and made it her own.

5. Who creates her outfits and tour concepts?
• The Haus of Gaga is the personal creative team of pop performance artist Lady Gaga
and is responsible for much of her distinctive and individual style. The Haus creates
most of the clothing, props, stage sets, and makeup for Gaga's live performances and
other visual representations of her work, as well as individual pieces that artistically
represent the style and themes emphasized by Gaga. These creations are brought
together in combination with visuals and sound to create a complete collection for
music videos and other appearances.
How is this funded? Lady Gaga funds all of her outfits
and tours herself, at one point she went into
bankruptcy without realising.

6. Lady Gaga’s fans
• Any Lady Gaga fan is known as a Little Monster. While working on her second
album, Gaga developed the theme of monster, both in physical form, and to describe
her inner fear (Monster of death, alcohol, drugs, etc.). During the summer of 2009, she
first started to use the name during her live performances to refer her fans. The name
fit them well because her fans crawl and scream during her show like monsters would
do.