The legendary performer, Lady Gaga, with her wild personality, bizarre sense of fashion, and massive hits like Poker Face, didn’t just gently step onto the music industry’s threshold—she exploded the scene with a million different colors. Right from the start, Lady Gaga was more than just a pop star; she was a movement, unapologetically speaking out on political and social issues. But as her fame skyrocketed, so did the pressure. Beneath the glitz and wild outfits, Gaga was battling something far more painful than the world realized.
In 2018, fans were heartbroken when she had to cut her Joanne world tour short due to a chronic illness that causes widespread pain, fatigue, and sensitivity called fibromyalgia. Many people aren’t familiar with the condition, and even doctors still struggle to fully understand it. According to the Mayo Clinic, fibromyalgia affects how the brain processes pain, making everyday aches feel unbearable. Gaga described it in her 2020 interview with Oprah Winfrey as pain that’s controlled by the brain itself, saying, “It makes your body hurt through your brain.” She also noted there’s an immune system component to the disease, making it even more complex.
Fibromyalgia is not a sudden onset. It can develop over time due to extreme stress or trauma or sometimes after a single triggering event. For Gaga, it was both. She has been open about being a survivor of sexual assault and suffering from PTSD. However, a serious hip injury in 2013 seemed to push her body beyond its limits. She documented her struggles in the 2017 Netflix documentary Five Foot Two, which includes raw, painful moments of her crying in painful agony. The footage showed a side of Gaga that wasn’t hidden behind glitter and high-energy performances—just a woman in pain, trying to cope.
How Music Became Gaga’s Therapy
There’s no cure for fibromyalgia, so managing it is all about pain relief and lifestyle adjustments. In her talk with Oprah, Gaga spoke about radical acceptance—meaning she had to come to terms with the fact that she would be in constant pain. That meant using a combination of treatments, from strong painkillers to antipsychotics, along with therapy. But true to her nature, she didn’t just rely on medicine and used her art as an outlet.
Before Gaga publicly confirmed her diagnosis, she released Joanne in 2016, a deeply personal album that was a sharp contrast to her previous work. Instead of dance beats and club anthems, she embraced a stripped-down, country-influenced sound. Critics and fans saw it as a raw, unfiltered look at the woman behind the Gaga persona. The Guardian even described it as being “closer to the real Stefani Germanotta.” However, while Joanne reflected on her pain, her 2020 album, Chromatica, was her way of reclaiming joy.
Lady Gaga described Chromatica as the start of her healing journey and a source of hope for those enduring challenging circumstances. Despite all the pain the singer endured, Gaga fought for the right to dance again, turning her suffering into high-energy anthems. Her fans have been right there with her, celebrating her resilience every step of the way.
