Lady Gaga's Artist Evolution, From NYU Art Student to 'Artpop' Pro
Lady Gaga is, undoubtedly, a performance legend. After all, is there any artist who can pull off a mid-performance makeup change or dance in the kind of skyscraper heels that most of us can hardly walk in?! And that's just her performance skills alone, because there's also no denying that her powerhouse vocals are unlike any other.
From "Bad Romance" off her 2009 album The Fame Monster to "Million Reasons" from her latest hit album Joanne, we bet you constantly have one of her chart-toppers on repeat. So in honor of her birthday, we thought there was no better way to celebrate than to see how far she's come starting from her undergrad years at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, all the way to her recent country transformation. We guarantee looking through her musical timeline will make you fall in love with her music more than you ever have before... so what are you waiting for? Click through now.
Lucas Oleniuk1/10She's always been a star.
Though she ended up withdrawing second semester of her sophomore year to focus on her music, Gaga was 1 out of 20 students who got early admission into a music theater conservatory at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. We can't help but wonder what her classmates are up to now?
Newspix2/10But where did Lady Gaga come from?
ICYMI, Gaga's real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was recommended by a talent scout to producer Rob Fusari and he claims that her stage name was inspired by the Queen song, "Radio Ga Ga." He said that whenever Stefani (at the time) would enter the studio, Rob would automatically start singing the song, which resulted into him repeatedly referring to her as the song title. And like true friends, he also began referring to her as Radio Gaga in their text messages. but thanks to an autocorrect, the "radio" was changed to "lady" on his phone and since then, Gaga never wanted to be called anything else.
Jason Squires3/10Starlight, star bright.
Now that her stage name was set, Gaga began her quest to mold her overall artistic aesthetic. Along with diving deeper into her sound, the singer met performance artist Lady Starlight and, boom, began evolving into the bold Gaga we all know and love. They performed at well-known venues all over NYC including Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and Rockwood Music Hall. The duo performance was known as the ultimate pop burlesque rockshow melting multiple genres in one. The two even took their act as far as Chicago's Lollapalooza music festival in 2007.
Kevin Mazur4/10Hold up, thanks Akon.
The mixing of genres continued as singer and rapper Akon ended up being the one who pushed Gaga's solo career. Rob may have gotten her a music publishing deal writing for big names such as Britney Spears and The Pussycat Dolls, but it was Akon who signed her on to own label Kon Live, which was part of Universal Music Group's IGA Records.
Phillip Massey5/10Gaga then quickly rose to fame.
About a year after she was signed, Gaga dropped her debut studio album The Fame. After the success of her hit singles "Just Dance," "Paparazzi," "Poker Face," and "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" all from the one album, fame is exactly what she accomplished.
It's hard to believe that this was also the moment where she opened for The Pussycat Dolls. Once she experienced everything that went along with fame, she showcased its darker sides on her follow-up EP The Fame Monster. Gaga then eventually released the EP as a reissue of her OG album. The compilation featured her single "Bad Romance," which led to Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video. The EP also got Beyoncé's seal of approval as they collaborated on another Gaga classic "Telephone."
Bruce Glikas6/10She was definitely born for this.
Or shall we say... born this way. Though Bey's approval meant she was a natural, Gaga's fans are what made her an icon. Her inspirational single and second studio album Born This Way of 2011 became an anthem for the LGBTQ community and led to Gaga founding a non-profit organization with the same name. The foundation supported by former President Barack Obama focuses on empowering LGBTQ youth and standing against any bullying towards them. Gaga has also consistently used her career as a platform in support of the LGBTQ movement. She spoke at the National Equality March back in 2009 in Washington D.C. and said it was "the single most important moment" of her career. Most recently, she showed major support for the community in her memorable Superbowl performance this year as she was reportedly the first artist to say transgender during the sporting event's halftime show.
Kevin Mazur7/10Pop went Gaga.
Two years later in 2013, Gaga dropped her third studio album Artpop, which included guest vocals from T.I. and R. Kelly. She described her work as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey" featuring a reverse Warholian take on music – meaning Gaga attempted to bring art into pop. She accompanied the album with her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour, merging the influences of (Artpop cover artist) Jeff Koonsand Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. She made a true statement both visually and conceptually that fans will remember forever.
Jason LaVeris8/10The singer jazzed things up.
In 2014, for her fourth official studio album, she released a collaborative body of work with iconic Grammy-award winning jazz singer Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek. It was a worthwhile departure from her pop tracks and went on to win the duo a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. This was a standout moment for the star proving how truly versatile she is as an artist.
BEHROUZ MEHRI9/10American Horror Story to Joanne.
Taking things back to 2015, Gaga made another memorable career move in season five of American Horror Story, which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her role. Though she she didn't receive recognition for her next performance in the show's sixth season the following year, according to Entertainment Weekly it served as inspiration for the direction she went in for Joanne.
Her latest singles "Perfect Illusion" and "Million Reasons" off her fifth studio album may steer away from the pop Gaga she's known for and into an uncharted country Gaga, but she has come full circle with her themes. "[I] returned to something I've believed in so much, which is the art of darkness," she told the magazine. Who knows, maybe she'll bring an even more unexpected spin for the music she has to come. She's already left a lasting legacy and we guarantee she has so much more in store.
