HSBHC: Halftime Show Blog - Lady Gaga

From a very young age, Stefani Germanotta had always shown an interest in music. Stefani began playing piano at age 4 and by age 14, she was performing original songs at open mic nights. Today, she is known as Lady Gaga, the GRAMMY®-Award winning singer and songwriter, fashion icon, philanthropist and Golden Globe-winning actress.

The road to Gaga started in New York. At age 17, she was accepted into New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied musical theatre. During her sophomore year, she withdrew from Tisch to jump- start her music career. She jumped from band to band and producer to producer, recording tracks and performing where she could. She eventually worked for Sony, where she wrote songs for Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, and the Pussycat Dolls.

Toward the end of 2007, she scored a record deal with Cherrytree Records. She moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to work on her debut album, The Fame. When the record was released later that year, it topped the charts in multiple countries. Her first single, “Just Dance,” went on to receive a GRAMMY nomination. Her second single, “Poker Face,” won Best Dance Recording in 2009. Soon after, she released The Fame Monster EP, which included more hit songs, such as “Bad Romance.”

Following her album’s success were her back-to-back debut tours, The Fame Ball Tour and The Monster Ball Tour. On top of her stellar vocals, her concerts featured exquisite light shows, intricate stage props, fresh dance numbers, and, of course, her notorious fashion choices. From red hot leather bikinis to dresses made of raw meat, Gaga’s onstage outfits have been dubbed one of her characteristic trademarks. It even got her placed in Time’s All-Time 100 Fashion Icons List, alongside some of her fashion influences, like Madonna and Michael Jackson.

As the years went on, Gaga continued to produce albums and smash hits. In 2011, she released her single “Born This Way” from her album of the same name. This song was not only an international success, but a representation of the Lady Gaga culture. Her role as “Mother Monster” inspires her fans, the “Little Monsters,” to encourage diversity and celebrate what makes them different. In 2012, she launched the “Born This Way” Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to support self- confidence, anti-bullying, and youth empowerment.

Gaga has recently stepped away from her dance-pop image. In 2014, she produced a jazz album with Tony Bennett called Cheek to Cheek. In 2015, during the 87th Academy Awards, she performed a medley of songs from the Sound of Music, which further enforced her new, classy appearance. Finally, she starred in the fifth season of American Horror Story and received a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Her latest album, Joanne, debuted on October 21 and is her fourth album to reach number one in the U.S. You can catch her newest singles, along with many of your old favorites, at the Super Bowl halftime show this February.