The discography of Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber consists of one studio album/extended play, four singles, and four digital-only singles. The first half of his debut album, My World which is considered an extended play by most media, charted within the top twenty in six countries, including the top spot in Canada and four and six in the UK and United States. The set and was certified Platinum in Canada and the United States. His debut single, "One Time", charted in the top thirty on over ten charts, and was certified Platinum in Canada and the United States. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl" was a top ten hit in Canada, and a top twenty hit in the United States and Germany, and also charted in other countries. Two digital-only singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", attained chart success. The four remaining songs from the album also charted, making Bieber the first artist in history to do so. The second-half of his debut album, and his first full studio album, My World 2.0, was released on March 23, 2010.^[1] The lead single, "Baby", featuring Ludacris, was released on January 18, 2010, and became Bieber's biggest hit to date, charting within the top five of the United States and Canada. Two digital singles were released in March prior to the album, "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" both charting in the top thirty of the U.S. and Canada. "Somebody to Love" was serviced to radio as the album's second single.

Justin Bieber (pronounced /ˈbiːbər/, BEE-bər; born March 1, 1994)^[1][5] is a Canadian pop/R&B^[2] singer. His performances on YouTube were seen by Scooter Braun, who later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher,^[6] and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.^[3][7]

His debut single, "One Time", was released worldwide during 2009, and charted within the top 30 in over ten countries. It was followed by his debut release, My World on November 17, 2009, which was certified platinum in the United States, which at the time gave Bieber the highest debut by a new artist in the year, and made Bieber the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.^[8] His first full studio release, My World 2.0 was released on March 23, 2010, debuting at number one and within the top ten of several countries. It was preceded by the international hit song, "Baby".

Early life

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994 in Stratford, Ontario. Bieber's mother, Pattie Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant with her son. Bieber was raised as an only child by Mallette, who worked low-paying office jobs, though Bieber maintains contact with his father.^[9] As he grew, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.^[10] In late 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and placed second.^[3] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.^[7]

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's videos by accident.^[9] Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label!"^[9] However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13,^[7] to Atlanta, Georgia to record demo tapes.^[9] A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher,^[11] who arranged an audition with Antonio L.A. Reid at Island Def Jam Music Group, who in turn signed him to Island Records in October 2008.^[7] Justin Timberlake was reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but he eventually signed with Usher.^[12] Bieber and his mother then moved to Atlanta, also the home of Usher and Braun, to base his career.

Career

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.^[13] The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,^[7] and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets.^[14] The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the U.S. and Gold in Australia and New Zealand.^[15][16][17] Bieber's first album My World, was released on November 17, 2009. Three consecutive singles, "One Less Lonely Girl", "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100.^[18] "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the U.S., being certified Gold in the latter.^[18] My World was eventually certified Platinum in the U.S. and Canada and Silver in the UK.^[17][19] To promote the album, Bieber performed in several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program The Dome, YTV's The Next Star and The Today Show,^[10][20] The Wendy Williams Show, Lopez Tonight, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, It's On with Alexa Chung, Good Morning America, Chelsea Lately, and BET's 106 & Park with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson, VP in late 2009.^[21]

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009 on USA television broadcaster TNT.^[22] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.^[23] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.^[24] On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

"Baby", the lead single from the second half of his debut album, which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries.^[18] Two digital singles, "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada.^[18] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews".^[25] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963.^[26] My World 2.0 also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, and Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart ^[18] and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries.^[27][28] To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, Nightline, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 and Park.^[29][30] On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.^[31]

Bieber will begin recording his next album in the summer of 2010 in New York City.^[32] British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz has confirmed he is writing on Bieber's next project.^[33]

Bieber's voice is now deeper than it was when he recorded his albums because of puberty. The singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."^[34]

Image

According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. In contrast to singers whose careers were launched by high profile franchises like American Idol or the Disney Channel, "Justin, his fans passionately believe, is homemade. Long before he released his EP, “My World,” in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views."^[9] Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: ‘Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let’s not use expensive cameras.’ We’ll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it’s theirs," recalled Braun.^[9] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly.^[7] The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.^[35]

Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard, Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.^[9] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", helped develop Bieber's public image. Good created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."^[36]

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,^[9] and has been labeled a "teen hearthrob".^[37]

Crowd control problems

Bieber's popularity has caused safety concerns. While promoting My World, Bieber was scheduled to appear at Long Island's Roosevelt Field Mall, but the performance had to be cancelled.^[38] Over 3,000 screaming fans showed up for the appearance. The event got out of control, and over 35 units from the Nassau County and Garden City police departments had to be called in. Several fans received minor injuries. The police arrested an Island Records senior vice-president, James A. Roppo, reportedly for hindering the police's crowd control efforts by not sending a timely message on Twitter as instructed by the police.^[38] James Roppo pleaded not guilty to all charges.^[39][40] On March 24, 2010 Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, was arrested on one count of second-degree reckless endangerment and one count of second-degree criminal nuisance related to the incident. Braun pleaded not guilty to both charges and was later released.^[41]

On April 26, 2010, a scheduled promotional performance was cancelled by Australian police after several girls were injured in a crowd crush. Bieber was scheduled to sing three songs for the Channel Seven program, Sunrise. An estimated 4,000 pre-teen girls showed up at 3:00am and stormed past safety barricades. In addition to those injured, dozens were treated for hyperventilation. In a Twitter message after the incident, Bieber said: "I want to make this clear... I don't cancel.” Bieber's tweet continued, stating: “I woke up this morning to the police canceling the show for safety reasons. I’m very happy about the welcome and the love from around the world, but I want everyone to still remember my fans safety comes first. At the end of the day I want you all to enjoy the music."^[42]

Arriving at Auckland airport in New Zealand later that day, RadioLIVE New Zealand reported on airport security's efforts to keep Bieber out of trouble. He later tweeted that somebody stole his hat and "knocked down [his] mama." ^[43] The teenage girl who stole the hat then uploaded a video to the Internet, outlining the demands of her extortion attempt.^[44] The next day, she returned the hat amid speculation of possible criminal charges.^[45]

The discography of American recording artist Lady Gaga consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play, eight singles and ten music videos. Her debut album, The Fame, topped the album charts in Canada, Ireland, and the UK. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album in 2010, and was nominated for Album of the Year.^[1] The album was a commercial success, receiving positive reviews and being certified multi-platinum status in many countries. To date, The Fame has sold over eight million copies worldwide.^[2]

Her debut single "Just Dance", featuring Colby O'Donis, topped the singles charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards.^[3] This was followed by "Poker Face", which topped the charts in many countries worldwide including the Billboard Hot 100, and earned numerous Grammy nominations including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and won Best Dance Recording in 2010.^[4][5] Third single "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", was only released in selected markets and charted within the top ten in France, New Zealand and Sweden. "LoveGame" was released as the third single in selected European markets and North America while serving as the fourth single in Oceania and the United Kingdom. "Paparazzi" was released as the third single in the UK and fifth single in Australia. "Paparazzi" topped the German charts and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States.^[6]

In late 2009, Gaga released her second album, The Fame Monster. The album proved to be successful reaching number-one in Australia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom. It reached a peak of five in the United States. The lead single "Bad Romance", reached number one in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom; it reached number two in the US, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and many other European markets.^[7] This was followed by the second single "Telephone", a collaboration with R&B singer Beyoncé. The song has reached number one in the UK and Ireland and the top five in other nations. "Alejandro" was released as the album's third single and charted in a number of countries before release due to digital downloads. Gaga has also collaborated with other artists such as New Kids on the Block, Britney Spears and Claude Kelly. Gaga was also featured in rapper Wale's single "Chillin" and a remix of Beyoncé's "Video Phone".

Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta; March 28, 1986) is an American recording artist. She began performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side whilst enrolling at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She soon signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and got her signed to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Her debut album, The Fame, was released on August 19, 2008. In addition to receiving generally positive reviews, it reached number one in Canada, Austria, Germany and Ireland, and topped the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", co-written and co-produced with RedOne, became international number-one hits, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States as well as the charts of other countries. The album later earned a total of six Grammy Award nominations and won awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording. In early 2009 she embarked on her first headlining tour, The Fame Ball Tour. By the fourth quarter of the year, she had released her second studio album The Fame Monster, with the global chart-topping lead single "Bad Romance", as well as having embarked on her second headlining tour of the year, The Monster Ball Tour.

Lady Gaga is inspired by glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as pop music artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. She has also stated fashion is a source of inspiration for her songwriting and performances. Gaga was ranked the 73rd Artist of the 2000-10 decade by Billboard.^[1] As of May 2010, she had sold over 15 million albums and over 40 million singles worldwide.^[2] In May 2010, Time magazine included Gaga in its annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

1986–2004: Early life

Stefani Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, the eldest child of Joseph Germanotta, an Italian American, and Cynthia Bissett.^[3][4] She learned to play piano from the age of four, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14.^[5] At the age of 11, Germanotta attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic school.^[6][7] An avid thespian in high school musicals, Germanotta portrayed lead roles as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.^[8] She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure" as she told in an interview, "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn’t fit in, and I felt like a freak."^[9][10] Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in school. "She had a core group of friends; she was a good student. She liked boys a lot, but singing was No. 1", recalled a former high school classmate.^[11] Referring to her "expressive, free spirit", Gaga told Elle magazine "I'm left-handed!"^[12]

At age 17, Germanotta gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There she studied music, and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, social issues and politics.^[5][13] Germanotta lived in a NYU dorm on 11th Street but felt that she was more creative than some of her classmates. "Once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself," she said. By the second semester of her sophomore year, she withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.^[14] Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll for Tisch, if she was unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she said.^[8]

2005–2007: Career beginnings

Germanotta had initially signed with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19, after Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman and CEO L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office. After three months, she was dropped from Def Jam,^[15] although they introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne, whom they also managed.^[16] The first song she produced together with RedOne was "Boys Boys Boys",^[16] a mash-up inspired by Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.".^[17] She moved into an apartment on the Lower East Side and recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book accompanying the children's book The Portal in the Park by Cricket Casey.^[18] She also started the Stefani Germanotta Band with some friends from NYU. They recorded an EP of their Fiona Apple–esque ballads, at a studio underneath a liquor store in New Jersey, becoming a local fixture at the downtown LES club scene.^[8] She began taking drugs soon after, while performing at burlesque shows.^[6] Her father did not understand the reason behind her drug addiction and could not look at her for several months.^[6][17] Music producer Rob Fusari, who helped her write some of her earlier songs, compared her vocal style to that of Freddie Mercury. Fusari helped create the moniker Gaga, after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". One day, Germanotta was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name, when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga".^[19] He explained,

"Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'. That was her entrance song. [Lady Gaga] was actually a glitch; I typed 'Radio Ga Ga' in a text and it did an autocorrect so somehow 'Radio' got changed to 'Lady'. She texted me back, "That's it." After that day, she was Lady Gaga. She’s like, "Don’t ever call me Stefani again."^[19]

She was known thereafter as Lady Gaga.^[17] Throughout 2007, Gaga collaborated with performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped create her onstage fashions.^[20] The pair began playing gigs at downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall, with their live performance art piece known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue".^[21][22] Billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow", their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts.^[23][24] In August 2007, Gaga and Starlight were invited to play at the American Lollapalooza music festival.^[25] The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received positive reviews.^[5][21] Having initially focused on avant-garde, and electronic dance music, Gaga found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the vintage glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music.^[26]

Fusari sent the songs he produced with Gaga to his friend, producer and record executive Vincent Herbert.^[27] Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007.^[28] She credited Herbert as the man who discovered her, adding "I really feel like we made pop history, and we're gonna keep going".^[27] Having already served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing, which was later acquired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.^[29] As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears, and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls.^[29] While Gaga was writing at Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities, when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.^[30] He then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal, by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live Distribution,^[15] and later called her his "franchise player."^[31] Gaga continued her collaboration with RedOne, by working with him in the studio for a week on her debut album,^[29] spawning the future singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". She also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records, an Interscope imprint established by producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum, after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the single "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)".^[29]

2008 onwards: The Fame and The Fame Monster

By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles, working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album The Fame.^[17] She combined a lot of different genres on the album, "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks."^[15] The Fame received positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 71/100.^[32] The album peaked at number one in Austria, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland, and the top-five in Australia and the United States.^[33][34] Its lead single "Just Dance", topped the charts in six countries – Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States – and later received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording.^[35] The following single, "Poker Face", was an even greater success, reaching number-one in almost all major music markets in the world, including the United Kingdom and the United States.^[36] It won the award for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards, over nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The Fame was nominated for Album of the Year; it won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.^[37] Although her first concert tour happened as an opening act for fellow Interscope pop group, the reformed New Kids on the Block,^[38] she ultimately headlined her own concert tour, The Fame Ball Tour, which began on March 2009.^[39]

The cover of the annual 'Hot 100' issue of Rolling Stone in May 2009, featured a semi-nude Gaga wearing only strategically placed plastic bubbles.^[40][41] In the issue she discussed that while she was beginning her career in the New York club scene, she was romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer. She described their relationship and break-up, saying of it, "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny [of Grease], and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of the songs on The Fame.^[41] She was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, winning the award for "Best New Artist", while her single "Paparazzi" won two awards for "Best Art Direction" and "Best Special Effects."^[42] In October, Gaga received Billboard magazine's Rising Star of 2009 award.^[43] She attended the Human Rights Campaign's "National Dinner" the same month, before marching in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C.^[44][45] Gaga released The Fame Monster, a collection of eight songs that dealt with the darker side of fame as experienced by her over the course of 2008–09, while travelling around the world and are expressed through a monster metaphor. Her second concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, was announced in support of The Fame Monster and began in November 2009.^[46] "Bad Romance" was released as the first single from the album and topped the charts in eighteen countries, while reaching the top-two in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.^[47][48] "Speechless", a song from The Fame Monster, was performed at The 2009 Royal Variety Performance where Gaga met and sang for Queen Elizabeth II.^[49]

Gaga was chosen as of one the '10 Most Fascinating People of 2009' by Barbara Walters during Walters' annual ABC News special. When interviewed by the journalist, the singer went to dismiss the claim that she is intersex as an urban legend, responding to a question on this issue by stating: "At first it was very strange and everyone sorta said, 'That's really quite a story!' But in a sense, I portray myself in a very androgynous way, and I love androgyny."^[50] In January 2010, she was named chief creative officer for a line of imaging products for Polaroid, stating that she will create fashion, technology and photography products.^[51] In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Gaga donated all of her proceeds from the January 24 show of The Monster Ball (ticket sales, merchandise, etc.), and from her online store; the total amount donated was over $500,000.^[52] She also collaborated with artist Cyndi Lauper, for MAC AIDS Fund's VIVA Glam campaign, which raised over $160 million to fight against AIDS and HIV, and bring awareness about the diseases to women around the world.^[53][54] The second single from The Fame Monster, "Telephone", which features R&B singer Beyoncé, became her fourth UK number-one single, while reaching the top three in Australia, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Canada and the United States.^[55] In March, Rob Fusari sued Gaga's production company Mermaid Music LLC, claiming that he was entitled to a 20% share of its earnings. Gaga's lawyer Charles Ortner described the agreement with Fusari as "unlawful" and declined to comment.^[56] In an interview with MTV United Kingdom, Gaga stated that she had begun work on her new studio album. She said that shes "already written the core of it" and that "it's certainly my best work to date."^[57] In April, it was reported that her music videos gained over one billion viral views, becoming the first artist to reach this milestone.^[58] Later that month, Gaga was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the year.^[59] In May, Gaga hinted at having Systemic lupus erythematosus, a connective tissue disease, in an interview with The Times. She stated that she was tested for the disease, but did not made the results public. She also stated that her third album was almost done.^[2]

Musical style and influences

Gaga has been influenced by glam rock musicians such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as pop music artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson.^[15][60] The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name, "Lady Gaga".^[61][11] She commented: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'. That's why I love the name [...] Freddie was unique – one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music."^[60] Madonna told Rolling Stone that she sees "[her]self in Lady Gaga."^[62] In response to the comparisons between herself and Madonna, Gaga stated: "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionise pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago."^[60] Actress and singer Grace Jones was also cited as an inspiration by her.^[63] She has often been likened to Blondie singer Debbie Harry.^[64][65]

Gaga's vocals have drawn frequent comparison to Madonna and Gwen Stefani, while the structure of her music is said to be reminiscent of classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop.^[66] While reviewing her debut album The Fame, The Sunday Times asserted "in combining music, fashion, art and technology, Lady GaGa evokes Madonna, Gwen Stefani circa 'Hollaback Girl', Kylie Minogue 2001 or Grace Jones right now."^[67] Similarly, The Boston Globe critic Sarah Rodman commented that she draws "obvious inspirations from Madonna to Gwen Stefani... in [her] girlish but sturdy pipes and bubbly beats."^[68] Though her lyrics are said to lack intellectual stimulation, "[she] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace."^[69] Music critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Everything about Gaga came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s, just ruthlessly catchy noughties pop glazed with Auto-Tune and undergirded with R&B-ish beats.^[70]

Gaga has stated that she is "very into fashion" and that it is "everything" to her.^[6][14] She considers Donatella Versace her muse.^[6] Gaga has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally. The team creates many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos.^[71] Her love of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was "always very well kept and beautiful."^[3] She said that: "When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us."^[14] The Global Language Monitor named 'Lady Gaga' as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark 'no pants' coming in at No. 3.^[72] Entertainment Weekly put her outfits on its end of the decade "best-of" list, saying, "Whether it's a dress made of Muppets or strategically placed bubbles, Gaga's outré ensembles brought performance art into the mainstream."^[73]

Public image

Contrary to her subsequent outré style, the New York Post described her early look as like "a refugee from Jersey Shore" with "big black hair, heavy eye makeup and tight, revealing clothes."^[11] Gaga is a natural brunette, however she bleached her hair blonde, because she was often mistaken for Amy Winehouse.^[3] She often refers to her fans as her 'little monsters' and got a tattoo with that inscription as a tribute.^[74] She has another six known tattoos, among them a peace symbol, which was inspired by the late John Lennon who she stated was her hero,^[61] and a curling German script on her left arm which quotes the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, her "favorite philosopher," commenting that his "philosophy of solitude" spoke to her:^[75]

In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?

—Rainer Maria Rilke

Toward the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashions of Lady Gaga and recording artist Christina Aguilera, noting similarities in their styling, hair, and make-up.^[6] Aguilera later said she was "completely unaware of [Gaga]" and "didn't know if it [was] a man or a woman."^[6] Gaga released a statement in which she welcomed the comparisons, due to the attention providing useful publicity, saying, "She's such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, because a lot of people in America didn't know who I was until that whole thing happened. It really put me on the map in a way."^[76][77] Comparisons continued into 2010 when Christina released the music video of her single "Not Myself Tonight". Critics noted similarities between the song and its accompanying music video with Gaga's video for "Bad Romance".^[78]

Gaga attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered to be a rising gay icon.^[79] Early in her career she had difficulty getting radio airplay, and stated, "The turning point for me was the gay community. I've got so many gay fans and they're so loyal to me and they really lifted me up. They'll always stand by me and I'll always stand by them. It's not an easy thing to create a fanbase."^[80] She thanked FlyLife, a Manhattan-based LGBT marketing company with whom her label Interscope works, in the liner notes of her debut studio album, The Fame, saying, "I love you so much. You were the first heartbeat in this project, and your support and brilliance means the world to me. I will always fight for the gay community hand in hand with this incredible team."^[81] One of her first televised performances was in May 2008 at the NewNowNext Awards, an awards show aired by the LGBT television network Logo, where she sang her song "Just Dance".^[82] In June of the same year, she performed the song again at the San Francisco Pride event.^[83] After The Fame was released, she revealed that the song "Poker Face" was about her bisexuality. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke about how her boyfriends tended to react to her bisexuality, saying "The fact that I’m into women, they’re all intimidated by it. It makes them uncomfortable. They’re like, 'I don’t need to have a threesome. I’m happy with just you'."^[41] When she appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2009, she praised DeGeneres for being "an inspiration for women and for the gay community".^[84] She proclaimed that the October 11, 2009, National Equality March rally on the national mall was "the single most important event of her career." As she exited, she left with an exultant "Bless God and bless the gays,"^[44] similar to her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech for Best New Artist a month earlier.^[85]

In 2004, producer Sean "Diddy" Combs returned with Making the Band 3, this time searching for the next female super group.^[4] With the help of choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson, vocal trainer Doc Holiday and talent manager Johnny Wright, he set out on a multi-city search and chose twenty young singers out of almost 10,000 young women.^[4][5] While seven women remained, Combs became discontent with the level of talent remaining in the competition, and eventually decided not to form a band.^[4] He did, however, give a reprieve to three contestants he felt deserved another chance, including then-best friends Aubrey O'Day and Aundrea Fimbres, whose close bond originally formed early in the season.^[4] The three contestants became the first to appear in Season 2 of the show.^[4]

Afterwards, Combs once again pressed his team to audition new young women for the group.^[4] Finally, twenty young women were chosen and moved into a loft in New York City.^[4] Viewers had become invested in O'Day and Fimbres's friendship, naming them "the AUs" and "Aubrea" (portmanteux of their first names put together), as they watched the two compete all over again for positions in the group.^[4][6] As the competition's challenges increased, their friendship seemed to become the foundation upon which the group was being built.^[4] In addition, O'Day emerged as the show's breakout star.^[4][5]