Lady Gaga Through the Years: From Avant-Garde Pop Star to Oscar Winner

Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Germanotta, is one of the most famous pop stars of all time, from her explosive entry into the music world with “Just Dance” back in the spring of 2008. The NYC singer churned out tons of chart-topping bangers, including “Alejandro”, “Bad Romance” and “Born This Way.” These tracks, amongst many others, made the singer a household name. But her catchy sounds weren’t the only reason that this singer gained popularity. Welcome to the wild journey of Lady Gaga throughout the past decade or so.

A debut album that shook the world

When Lady Gaga came out with The Fame, it climbed to #2 on the Billboard charts and could be heard on repeat around the world. From “Poker Face” to “Paparazzi”, this breathtaking album showcased the vocal range and heartfelt songwriting from this artist — but it was only the beginning.

Avant Garde costumes

Her innovative costumes were frequently documented by the press and tabloids. Famous looks included that meat dress, sky-high heels that looked more like stilts, and award show looks like the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards where fake blood was dripping from her ribcage.  Her raw beef dress actually ended up being put on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then there was also that time in February 2011 when she showed up at the Grammys being carried in a giant egg across the red carpet. In 2011, she performed “You and I” dressed in male drag.

Performing with legends

A contemporary legend herself, Gaga has a serious following of famous people that love her and are willing to collaborate. For instance, she linked up with musical icon Tony Bennett to record a jazz album together called Cheek to Cheek, soon after becoming close friends with him and doing a North America and Europe tour together. She even performed a medley of The Sound of Music songs at the 2015 Oscars and ended the performance with Julie Andrews herself getting on stage!

Always an advocate

When she’s not performing, acting or creating music, she’s a champion for mental health, female empowerment and body positivity, along with LGBTQ+ activism. Lady Gaga has always stood up for the underdog and her Little Monsters for as long as she’s had a platform to do so. She spoke at a political rally in Maine, speaking against the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy forcing people to lie about their LGBT sexual orientation. There’s also the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit organization launched by Gaga and her mom to provide mental health resources for children across the world.