When it comes to artists there isn’t always a clear explanation and even when there is it doesn’t always completely make sense. There are stories of live artists who sewed their mouths and eyes shut, of ones who stared at thousands of people until they cried, of one man who nailed his testicles to a public square in Russia. Many of these live art movements are politically motivated and some are just motivated by the creative world. In the more mainstream pop world, one particularly creative artist reigns supreme. Lady Gaga. Yet, who or what is a Lady Gaga?
Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and while it was a name she used for many years she soon threw it away for Lady Gaga. The artist by this name came to our screens when she released the mega single ‘Just Dance’ and since that time she has released 8 albums, starred in moves, grabbed an oscar and 11 Grammys. Fair to say, Lady Gaga is pretty good at what she does.
Yet she is also known for the spectacular whether it is turning up to a red carpet in a dress made of meat or just a wild outburst on stage, it is fair to see that Lady Gaga embodies everything we care to think of about an eccentric pop star. So where did the famous artist get her name?
There is an interview where Lady Gaga goes into detail on this name but it has since been deleted for legal reasons we will shortly reveal. Lady Gaga was dating her producer at the time who has a much more boring name, Rob Fusari. Rob used to say that Lady Gaga or Stefani at the time had a vocal range similar to that of the legendary Freddie Mercury. He used to say it so often that after a while whenever Stefani entered the room he would just start to sing the famous Queen track, Radio GaGa.
As time went on he would just refer to her as GaGa and soon the nickname stuck. Suddenly everyone was calling her Gaga in their circle and Stefani liked it. She had tried so many different things under her own name she decided it was time for a change and she told Rob that she would like to release her next track under the title Lady Gaga. Gaga because it sounded wild, free, and crazy. Lady because it sounded the opposite and LG felt that an inherent contradiction suited her perfectly.
The rest as they say is history. Yet why then was that interview (with Oprah) deleted and can no longer be found? Well because the ugly ex-boyfriend raised his ugly head upon hearing the story and tried to cash in. He agreed that it was him who came up with the term Gaga and that he had actually messaged her one day and autocorrect switched Radio to Lady. He says the name Lady Gaga was all because of him. He tried to sue her.
The battle never made it to court but Lady Gaga and her team removed all references to the emergence of her name from the internet. Soon a new rumor started to be spread around that she was a marketing-made pop princess and that her name and her identity were created at a board room table.
The truth will likely be never shared as if it was it may cost someone millions of dollars. We can guess that the real story is some part of all three but in the end, Lady Gaga’s brilliance is far more than marketing and a name. She is one of the world’s great performers and is rumored to be getting a residency in Vegas once the coronavirus pandemic is over. Well deserved.
