Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒərməˈnɒtə/ STE-fə-nee jər-mə-NOT-ə; born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

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Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga in 2012, during the Born This Way Ball
Background information
Birth name	Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Born	(1986-03-28) March 28, 1986 (age 27) New York City
Genres	Pop, dance, electronic, rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, activist, record producer, businesswoman, fashion designer, actress, philanthropist
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Def Jam, Streamline, KonLive, Cherrytree, Interscope
Website	www.ladygaga.com

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒərməˈnɒtə/ STE-fə-nee jər-mə-NOT-ə; born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, activist, record producer, businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist, and actress. Born and raised in New York City, where she lives,^[1] Gaga primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side. By the end of 2007, record executive and producer Vincent Herbert signed her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. Initially working as a songwriter at Interscope Records, her vocal abilities captured the attention of recording artist Akon, who also signed her to Kon Live Distribution, his own label under Interscope.
Gaga rose to prominence with her August 2008 debut album, The Fame, which was a critical and commercial success. The record included the international number-one tracks "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". In November 2009, her extended play, The Fame Monster, was released to a similar reception, and produced the hit singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone", and "Alejandro". Its accompanying Monster Ball Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. Gaga's second album, Born This Way, was released in May 2011 and topped albums charts in most major markets. It generated chart-topping songs "Born This Way", "Judas", and "The Edge of Glory". Her third album, Artpop, was released in November 2013. Its lead single, "Applause", was released in August 2013, followed by the second single "Do What U Want" that October.
Influenced by David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Queen, Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse, and outré contributions to the music industry through her fashion, performances, and music videos. As of November 2013, she had sold an estimated 24 million albums and 125 million singles worldwide and her singles are some of the best-selling worldwide.^[2][3] Her achievements include five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards. Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010), ranked fourth in VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music, is the fourth best selling digital singles artist in US according to RIAA,^[4] is regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine, including The World's 100 Most Powerful Women from 2010 to 2013,^[5] and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine.^[6][7] Outside of her musical career, she is a prominent LGBT activist.