20 Best Fun & Interesting Lady Gaga Facts
What kind of plant was named after Lady Gaga? And what does Gaga really mean, anyway? Find out more about this iconic popstar with our epic list of Lady Gag facts!
Lady Gaga is one of the world's biggest popstars, and one that's well respected for her unique style and sense of imagination. Lady Gaga isn't your regular popstar - and she's popular allover teh world for more thanjust her music. Do you want to find out more about her and the person behind her biggest hits? Then read this epic list of Lady Gag facts!
If you'd rather learn about a different popstar, take a look at these Taylor Swift facts, these Olivia Rodrigo facts, or even these general music facts! Wahoo!
1. Who is she really?
Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in New York City. She had a musical family and began playing the piano at the age of four. She even wrote her first piano ballad at 13! Impressive!
2. Where does "gaga" come from?
The nickname "Lady Gaga" was inspired by the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga." Her producer Rob Fusari called her Gaga after he heard her sing the Queen hit. The word gaga is sometimes used as slang for "crazy", which probably comes from the Tagalog language (which is spoken in the Phillipines).
3. She's really talented!
Well - we all knew this one! But what you might not have known is that she's a classically trained pianist, and used to studty at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. What happened to her studies? She dropped out to pursue her music career!
4. The Meat Dress!
One of her most iconic moments was wearing a dress made entirely of raw meat at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. She did it to protest the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (but more on her political views in a minute)!
5. Who are the Little Monsters?
Lady Gaga calls her fan base "Little Monsters"! But not in a mean way! In fact, it's a sign of affection, and is how she expresses her love and gratitude for her followers - and too right too, because Lady Gaga fans are known to be some of the most enthusiastic fans out there!
6. She's a record breaker
Her debut album, "The Fame," has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and includes massive chart-topping hits like "Poker Face" and "Just Dance." Poker Face in particular was on the US Hot Digital Songs for a whopping 83 weeks in 2009 and 2010! But that's not the only record she's broken!
7. The Monster Ball Tour made a LOT of money!
Another record her bank account was probably very pleased she broke was with her Monster Ball Tour - which became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning over $227 million! That's means a lot of happy Gaga fans watched her perform!
8. Her influences
Lady Gaga has some really diverse musical tastes! She often lists David Bowie, Queen, Madonna, and Michael Jackson as some of her biggest musical influences. But she's worked with much smaller artists too, in both music and fashion - and she appreciates talent wherever she sees it!
9. She's been on screen a lot
Lady Gaga is also a talented actor, and has been cast in lots of different TV shows and movies. There's House of Gucci, A Star is Born, American Horror Story, countless music videos and soundtracks - she's kind of done it all!
10. She's a Golden Globe Winner
Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe for her role in the movie "A Star Is Born" (more on that in a minute) and received critical acclaim for her acting skills. She took the starring role in the movie, alongside Bradley Cooper who also directed the movie! A winning team!
11. She loves French Bulldogs
Lady Gaga is the proud owner of three French Bulldogs, called Koji, Asia and Gustav. She is a fan of French things generally, and can even speak French to a pretty good conversational level! Impressive!
12. Shallow
Is a great example of a song that combines all of Lady Gaga's talents! Firstly - and most importantly - it's a great song! It was also used in the soundtrack to the movie A Star Is Born, and won loads and loads of awards for best original song, record of the year, and is often thought of as one of the greatest movie songs ever written!
13. She's friends with Elton John
Lady Gaga has a lot of friends - everyone from techno producer Surgeon to everyone's gran's favourite - Elton John! Elton has been a mentor to Lady Gaga, and they even released a duet together titled "Hello, Hello" for the movie "Gnomeo & Juliet"!
14. People used to get her confused with Amy Winehouse
Gaga was originally a brunette … and back when she was younger and less well known she was constantly mistaken for Amy Winehouse! This is no insult, and she was definitely honoured, but it also pushed her to dye her hair and create a more unique look. Which she definitely did!
15. Diamond status
Lady Gaga has had loads of tracks go platinum - but she can do better than that! Two of her songs are certified diamond, which is an honor only 74 songs have ever achieved in history. This is when a track goes platinum ten times!
16. The first woman to...
Lady Gaga is a pioneer in lots of ways, but one thing she must be very proud of is how she's the first woman to win all big four awards: that's an Oscar, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe in a single year! Woah! That's one for the history books!
17. She performed at Joe Biden's inauguration
Lady Gaga sang "the Star Spangled Banner" at Joe Biden's presidential ceremony in 2021. She even had to wear a bulletproof vest! This is pretty normal at Presidential inaugurations - but bulletproof vests don't usually look that good! Hers was underneath an amazing black and red dress!
18. In another life, she would have worn a vest a lot
It might be unusual for her to wear bulletproof vests, but at one point in her life she would have wanted to! Before she was a popstar she wanted to be a combat journalist - so would have been reporting from all kinds of dangerous places. Clearly she knows no fear!
19. She's an activist
It's no secret that Lady Gaga is an LGBTQ+ supporter. She co-founded the Born This Way Foundation to support the mental health of young people, especially those who struggle with discrimination. It's a cause you can tell she really believes in!
20. There's a type of fern named after her!
One of the most unusual of Lady Gaga's accomplishments is having a fern named after her! The rare plant is an amazing blue/green colour, with a shape that's a bit similar to one of Lady Gaga's dresses. The science-y bit is that the plants DNA also goes G-A-G-A: which is apparently very unusual. This fern is one of a kind too, just like Lady Gaga!