Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (
STEF-ən-ee JUR-mə-NOT-ə; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as
Lady Gaga, is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She is known for reinventing her image and showcasing versatility in entertainment. Gaga started performing as a teenager by singing at
open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied
Collaborative Arts Project 21 before leaving to pursue a music career. After a contract cancellation by
Def Jam Recordings, Gaga worked as a songwriter for
Sony/ATV Music Publishing. In 2007, she signed with
Interscope Records and
KonLive Distribution. Her breakthrough came the following year with her debut studio album,
The Fame, and its singles "
Just Dance" and "
Poker Face". The album was later reissued along with
The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles "
Bad Romance", "
Alejandro" and "
Telephone".
Gaga's five succeeding albums all debuted atop the US
Billboard 200. Her second full-length album,
Born This Way (2011), explored
electronic rock and
techno-pop and sold
more than one million copies in its first week. The
title track became the fastest-selling song on the
iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Following her
EDM-influenced third album,
Artpop (2013), and its lead single "
Applause", she released the
jazz album
Cheek to Cheek (2014) with
Tony Bennett, and the
soft rock album
Joanne (2016). She ventured into acting, winning awards for her leading roles in the miniseries
American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and the musical film
A Star Is Born (2018). Her contributions to the
latter's soundtrack, which spawned the chart-topping single "
Shallow", made her the first woman to win an
Academy Award,
BAFTA Award,
Golden Globe Award and
Grammy Award in one year. Gaga returned to dance-pop with her sixth studio album,
Chromatica (2020), which yielded the number-one single "
Rain on Me". In 2021, she released her second and final collaborative album with Bennett,
Love for Sale, and also starred in the biopic
House of Gucci. (
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