Prelude to a Legacy 10.23.09: Lady Gaga

Posted by Fred Richani on 10.23.2009

Call her what you want. I call her talented.

Stefani Germanotta has been turning heads all her life. Good or bad, she has always found a way to get attention, whether it be via her wardrobe, sex appeal, or musical talent. Who is Stefani Germanotta? She's currently a top singer and songwriter. She's gone Platinum, had her first two singles go number one, and two others peak in the top 10. Her collaborators include Flo Rida, Beyonce, and Akon. Okay, well if you read the headline of this column you would know I'm talking about none other than Lady Gaga.

Germanotta was born to Italian-American parents on March 28, 1986 as their oldest child. From a young age, the New Yorker was always into music and performing arts. In fact, she was signed up to join The Julliard School for performing arts in Manhattan, but opted to attend a private Catholic school instead. Germanotta had been playing piano at that time and still does, starting at the age of four. At 13 she wrote her first ballad and by age 14, the Yonkers native performed open mike nights at local clubs.

After high school, the girl-wonder studied music and worked to enhance her songwriting skills at New York University's (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. That school is not cheap or a pushover when it comes to academics. Props to her for getting in, although the stint in NYU wouldn't last, as she left school to focus on her music career.

Despite claiming to never meet Def Jam executive Antonio "L.A." Reid, she was signed to the label at age 19 after Reid heard her singing by his office. Unfortunately for Germanotta, she was quickly dropped by the company in about three months. This led to Germanotta moving out of her parents' house, getting her own place, and plying her craft independently in the form of burlesque shows. Hey you got to make that money someway! Oh, she also began experimenting with a number of drugs. Of course, her parents were similar to Will Smith's early in his career—they just didn't understand.


Lady Gaga before fame and fortune....and blonde hair

Rob Fusari managed to understand the complex mind of Germanotta. As a music producer, famous for the Will Smith track "Wild, Wild West", Fusari certainly had the experience to assist the young artist. Not only did he help her write songs, but compared the Yonkers native's singing style similar to Freddy Mercury of Queen fame. She was nicknamed "Gaga" by him after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga." And poof—she had a name. Lady Gaga was born.

With the name, Germanotta now had an alias to go with her unique style of burlesque performance and Freddie Mercury-like vocals. After doing a few shows with performance artist Lady Starlight to positive reviews, the two were invited to perform at the music festival Lollapalooza. Their performances received critical acclaim with Lady Gaga's hybrid style of pop, electronica, and glam rock reminiscent of Queen and David Bowie.

Lady Gaga's big break as a solo artist would have to wait, as she took a backseat for a short time to write songs for artists signed to Akon's Konvict label, as well as artists the likes of Britney Spears and The Pussycat Dolls. It took some time, but once Akon started paying attention to her talent as a singer, in addition to being a great writer. He was eventually able to convince Interscope Records executive Jimmy Iovine to sign her to a joint deal with his Kon Live Distribution label.



Gaga relocated from her beloved New York to Los Angeles to be more hands on during the creation of her debut album The Fame. By the time the album was released, her lead single "Just Dance" was climbing its way to the top of the charts and eventually to the number one spot. While The Fame did receive generally positive views amongst critics, her talent took a backseat to the public. Yes, she has released some infectious tracks, but with worldwide exposure at her benefit, a global audience got to witness her talent—and unique fashion sense. Not since an artist like Madonna has there been a female powerhouse that's made people turn more heads than Lady Gaga. Only I don't think Madonna was nearly as different (some people might say weird). I'll let the following pictures speak for themselves:









Like I said, it's a VERY unique fashion sense. In a way, you can compare Lady Gaga to NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Okay, not in style, sexual overtones, or musical ability. I mean in a sense that when Tom Brady got his big break and chance to dominate his field, he went full speed ahead and to the NFL by storm. Michael Jordan did the same with basketball. Britney Spears did it a decade ago in the music industry. Madonna did it a decade and a half before Spears.

As I previously mentioned, Lady Gaga has huge commercial success to her credit this early in her career. Her music is not only catchy, but different from anything people have heard in a very long time. Call her fashion sense odd, but it's definitely eye catching. Call her a transvestite, weird, or anything else. She doesn't care. She's got the goods and flaunts them, albeit with at times, questionable attire. That being said, the future looks bright for Gaga. She's got the fame and fortune that so many artists wish they had. Trust me, this isn't a case of "she's so weird she must be good." This is a case of "this girl is different, but with a huge upside in talent and appeal." Love or hate her music. Buy or not buy her albums. You either think she's hot or not. Regardless, Lady Gaga has gotten your attention and something tells me she'll be sustaining it for a very long time.


If you don't like Lady Gaga, then you can kiss her....well you the point