Lady GaGa

Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) is a singer-songwriter and musician from New York. Prior to achieving solo recognition in 2008-9, GaGa wrote songs for the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids On The Block.

In terms of musical influences, she cites a range of artists from David Bowie and Queen to 80's pop such as Madonna.

Lady GaGa was briefly signed to Def Jam records at the age of 19, but was dropped from the label after just 3 months. She was later signed to Interscope in January 2008, where her songwriting talent was recognised and she was partnered with Akon.

Akon helped to propel her career after hearing her laying down reference vocals in the studio and listening to her demos. After this, she began working on songs for her own debut album. She relocated to Los Angeles to finalize the album, The Fame.

Lady Gaga's debut album, The Fame was released on 19 August 2008.