Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga Shines as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux

Lady Gaga is making a significant return to the big screen with her role in the musical thriller Joker: Folie à Deux. In this highly anticipated sequel, she stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, more widely recognized as Harley Quinn. The film, which premiered in theaters on October 4, follows the success of the 2019 hit Joker, a chilling exploration of the iconic supervillain’s origin story.

In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Gaga expressed the profound impact her character had on her creatively. “I was able to discover the character through the story, through the music that we did live every day, as well as dance and the costumes and the makeup,” she explained. “I kind of had this deep experience with the character, and she just didn’t really leave me creatively, so I decided I wanted to make a whole album inspired by her.”

This exploration culminated in the release of her new album, Harlequin, which debuted on September 27. Serving as a companion piece to the Joker 2 soundtrack, the album features Gaga’s original song “Folie à Deux” and showcases her performances on nine additional tracks.

Who Is Lady Gaga?

Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, achieved meteoric success with her 2008 debut album The Fame, establishing herself as a global pop sensation and Grammy-winning artist. She is best known for chart-topping hits such as “Poker Face,” “Shallow,” and “Rain on Me.” Over the years, Gaga has received critical acclaim for her subsequent albums and collaborations, including her work with Tony Bennett, amassing a total of 13 Grammy Awards.

In addition to her musical accomplishments, Gaga has also made a name for herself in acting. She received a Golden Globe Award for her role in American Horror Story and garnered an Oscar nomination for her performance in the acclaimed 2018 film A Star Is Born. Recognized twice as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Gaga continues to expand her influence in both music and film. She is currently engaged to tech CEO Michael Polansky.

Early Life

Lady Gaga was born on March 28, 1986, in New York City to Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta. She has a younger sister, Natali.

From an early age, Stefani exhibited musical talent, learning to play the piano by the age of four. At eleven, she gained admission to the Juilliard School but ultimately attended a private Catholic school instead. She continued to nurture her passion for music, writing her first piano ballad at thirteen and performing in a New York nightclub at the age of fourteen.

Her dedication to her craft led to early admission at New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, where she was among only 20 students worldwide to receive this honor. While studying, she focused on music and songwriting. Eventually, Stefani left school to seek creative inspiration, taking on three jobs, including one as a go-go dancer, to support herself while refining her performance art.

Music Career of Lady Gaga

In 2005, Stefani Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, briefly signed with Def Jam Records but was released just months later. This setback prompted the young artist to take matters into her own hands, performing in clubs and venues across New York City’s Lower East Side. During this period, she collaborated with various rock bands and began exploring her distinctive fashion sense.

At the age of 20, Gaga secured an internship at Interscope Records, where she wrote songs for prominent artists, including Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, and The Pussycat Dolls. Her breakthrough came in 2007 when R&B musician Akon signed her to Kon Live, a label under the Interscope umbrella, after witnessing her captivating performance in her burlesque show, “Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue.” It was during this time that she adopted her iconic stage name, inspired by Queen’s song “Radio Ga-Ga.”

In August 2008, Gaga released her debut studio album, The Fame, which received widespread acclaim and commercial success in the United States. With the assistance of her creative team, Haus of Gaga, she quickly established herself on the international stage, garnering numerous accolades for her music.

By 2010, Gaga had won her first two Grammy Awards for The Fame and the single “Poker Face.” Following the release of her 2009 EP The Fame Monster, which served as a companion to her debut album, she secured three additional Grammys—one for the EP and two for the song “Bad Romance” and its accompanying music video. Over her 16-year career as a pop icon, Gaga has amassed a total of 13 Grammy Awards and has been nominated for Album of the Year four times and Song of the Year three times, although she has yet to win either of these prestigious honors.

Renowned for her theatrical performances and unique fashion sense, Gaga has delivered numerous memorable shows throughout her career. Notably, she performed the national anthem at Super Bowl 50 in 2016 and headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show the following year. Her halftime performance began dramatically on the roof of NRG Stadium in Houston, where she sang portions of “God Bless America” and “This Land is Your Land,” before descending onto the stage via suspension wires. The medley included her hits “Edge of Glory,” “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Telephone,” “Just Dance,” and “Million Reasons.”

In February 2016, Gaga paid tribute to David Bowie with a medley at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, shortly after his passing. Later that month, she performed “Til It Happens to You” at the 88th Academy Awards. Co-written by Gaga, the song was featured in the documentary The Hunting Ground, addressing sexual assault on college campuses. Her powerful performance, accompanied by assault survivors, received a standing ovation. Although the song did not win the Oscar, Gaga has since received two additional nominations in the category and won the award for A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” in February 2019.

By this time, Gaga was deep into her Las Vegas residency, which commenced in December 2018 at MGM Resorts’ Park Theater. The residency featured two distinct shows over 39 dates: Lady Gaga Enigma, showcasing her most popular songs, and Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano, featuring stripped-down renditions of her greatest hits along with selections from the Great American Songbook. Although widely recognized as a pop star, Gaga has also established herself as a celebrated jazz vocalist, having released two albums with the late Tony Bennett. She revived her Jazz & Piano residency from June to July 2024 at the Dolby Live theater in Park MGM. Shortly after, she opened the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in July, performing Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc En Plume” amidst a colorful display of women holding pink feathered pom poms. She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity on Instagram, although it was later revealed that her performance was pre-recorded due to safety concerns regarding the weather.

Hit Songs

Since the release of her debut single “Just Dance” in 2008, Lady Gaga has consistently produced chart-topping hits. To date, she has placed an impressive 37 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including five No. 1 hits and 18 top 10 songs. The Grammy-nominated “Just Dance” topped the charts for three weeks in January 2009, while “Poker Face” brought Gaga her first Grammy win in 2010 for Best Dance Recording. The following year, she won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Bad Romance,” a track from her EP The Fame Monster.

Gaga continued her success with the release of “Born This Way,” which debuted at No. 1 in February 2011 and remained there for six weeks. In 2019, “Shallow,” a duet with Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born, earned her two Grammys for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media. She also won Best Pop Solo Performance for the song “Joanne” that same year. The following year, Gaga received another Grammy for her performance in A Star Is Born with the emotional track “I’ll Never Love Again,” which also won Best Song Written for Visual Media. She has competed for Record of the Year twice, earning nominations for “Shallow” and her collaboration with Tony Bennett on “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and has been nominated for Song of the Year three times for “Poker Face,” “Shallow,” and “Always Remember Us This Way.” In 2021, Gaga secured the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the hit “Rain on Me,” featuring Ariana Grande. Other notable hits include “Telephone,” “You and I,” “Million Reasons,” and “Paparazzi.”

Albums

Lady Gaga’s debut studio album, The Fame, released in August 2008, achieved significant commercial success, selling over 1 million copies within its first year and earning multi-platinum certification. The following year, she released the EP The Fame Monster in November 2009, regarded as a companion piece to her debut album. Both projects received Grammy Awards and combined grossed over $35 million in sales.

Since then, Gaga has released five additional studio albums and two collaborative records with Tony Bennett. Her latest work, Harlequin, serves as a companion album to the Joker sequel in which she stars.

Discography Highlights:

• The Fame
• The Fame Monster
• Born This Way
• Artpop
• Joanne
• Chromatica
• Harlequin
• Tony Bennett Collaborations: Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale

In addition to her own albums, Gaga has made substantial contributions to various movie soundtracks, most notably for A Star Is Born (2018), which prominently features her and co-star Bradley Cooper. Their duet “Shallow,” one of 12 songs co-written by Gaga for the soundtrack, became a commercial and critical success, topping the Billboard Hot 100, winning two Grammy Awards, and earning the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Other standout tracks include “Always Remember Us This Way” and “I’ll Never Love Again,” which also won a Grammy. Gaga’s soundtrack contributions extend to the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground, the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, and the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux, for which she received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.

Film and Television Appearances

Lady Gaga made a brief cameo as an alien in Men in Black 3 before making her acting debut in the action-comedy Machete Kills in 2013, portraying the character La Camaleón, an assassin. The following year, she appeared as Bertha in the action-crime film Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

Through her music and acting careers, Lady Gaga has established herself as a versatile and influential artist, continuing to push creative boundaries and leave a lasting impact on the entertainment industry.

Fiancé Michael Polansky

Lady Gaga met Michael Polansky, a prominent tech CEO, at a mutual friend’s birthday celebration in December 2019. Their connection was further facilitated by Gaga’s mother, Cynthia, who had encountered Polansky at a charity event and shared her impressions with Gaga. In a September 2024 interview with Vogue, Gaga revealed that her primary motivation for attending the party was to meet Polansky. She recounted, “I kept asking for him, and he finally came over to me, and we talked for three hours.” The couple quickly began dating, making their relationship Instagram official in February 2020. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, they moved in together, which strengthened their bond.

In July 2024, Gaga announced her engagement to Polansky during a filmed conversation with French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at the Paris Olympics, thus ending months of speculation. Later, she disclosed that Polansky proposed on April 1 after they enjoyed a day of rock climbing. In an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in September, she humorously noted her initial skepticism, saying, “I thought he was joking” due to the April Fool’s timing. Although Gaga has yet to share detailed wedding plans, she mentioned in an October interview with Jimmy Kimmel that they often discuss the possibility of a simple courthouse ceremony, followed by takeout Chinese food.

Prior to her relationship with Polansky, Gaga was engaged twice. Her first engagement was to Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney on Valentine’s Day 2015. After five years together, their engagement was called off in July 2016. In the summer of 2017, she became engaged to her talent agent, Christian Carino, but their engagement was confirmed to be over after she attended the Grammys solo in February 2019.

Fashion Style

Beyond her musical achievements, Lady Gaga is renowned for her bold and iconic fashion choices. In 2008, she made headlines with her distinctive long bangs and the avant-garde origami dresses from her creative team, Haus of Gaga. The following year, at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, she captivated audiences with six striking costume changes, including a red lace ensemble complemented by a matching crown that obscured her entire head.

One of her most infamous fashion statements was the raw meat dress she wore to the 2010 VMAs. In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Gaga explained that the meat dress served as a protest against the United States military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which restricted openly LGBTQ individuals from serving in the armed forces. This policy was ultimately repealed in September 2011.

Gaga’s style has evolved over the years, yet her ever-changing looks and hair colors continue to attract attention. In 2016, she attended the Met Gala in a dazzling metallic corset paired with no pants. At the British premiere of A Star Is Born in 2018, she made a stunning appearance in a white gown reminiscent of Victorian fashion, complete with a ruffled collar. Most recently, during her press tour for Joker: Folie à Deux, she donned a striking red dress featuring voluminous shoulders and makeup inspired by the character Harley Quinn.

Net Worth

As of September 2024, Lady Gaga’s estimated net worth stands at $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.