Gaga Nation

If you've read Colby's post about Susan Boyle, don't hold your breath for a Gaga/Boyle duet anytime soon. That's one of the last things I would expect to happen, although we ARE talking about Lady Gaga, so who knows what could happen?

Lady Gaga - where to begin?

Lady Gaga was signed with Def Jam Records at the age of 19, but was shortly dropped from her label. Then, she signed with Interscope Records and with Akon's own label, Kon Live Distribution. She was one of the select few who gained early admission to New York's Tisch School of the Arts at 17.

2009 has been called The Year of Gaga by Vh1. She's been named Woman of the Year by Mtv. She won 9 Billboard awards, 2 International Dance Music awards, 3 VMAs, a Teen Choice award, 3 TMF awards, a UK Music Video award, and 12 others! She's currently nominated for 5 Grammys!

This star, born Stefani Germanotta in New York, is taking the world by storm with her innovative, revolutionary music and fashion! Her debut album, The Fame, was the first debut album to have four #1 singles! And by the looks of it, The Fame Monster, her second album, is well on its way down the same path with songs such as Bad Romance, Speechless, and Telephone ft. Beyonce.

There are many rumors revolving around Lady Gaga. Some of these are that she's from Yonkers (she's from Manhattan), she's a hermaphrodite/male, and that she's fake.

I personally don't believe that she's a hermaphrodite or a man. Well, it's pretty obvious that she isn't a man. But you can find pictures of her from years ago and tell that she is 100% female. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say that she was pretty way back when she was a brunette (Go on Youtube and look for Lady Gaga on Mtv Boiling Points). I remember the first time I saw Lady Gaga without the excessive headpieces and such. It was in her Bad Romance video. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go find it on Youtube or www.ladygaga.com! My reaction was literally, "OMG! Who's this in Lady Gaga's video? That isn't Lady Gaga!"

I also don't think she's being fake. I believe her when she says that this is who she truly is. She's one of the few celebrities I don't believe to act artificial in public. True eccentricity makes for a nice change, don't you think?

Some of Lady Gaga's clothing choices have been just as famous as the singer herself. The Kermit Frog dress or the ....red veil thing at the VMAs or what has been dubbed "The Bird's Nest". I'm going to be honest here and say that I wasn't a big fan of Gaga until Bad Romance came out. So when I saw her at the VMAs, I was a little weirded out by some of her outfits, but not all. For instance, I didn't find the blood-stained performance of Paparazzi to be creepy like some did. When Just Dance came out, I was in love with the song. Up until a few weeks ago, I was a fan of just her music. Now I am a fan of Gaga herself.

Lady Gaga writes her own songs. Her singles have been Just Dance, Poker Face, LoveGame, Paparazzi, and Bad Romance. She is currently headlining her own tour, dubbed The Monster Ball Tour. I've heard her sing live via Youtube, and it's very clear that she has true musical talent. What she sings in live or acoustic performances sounds almost exactly like what you hear on the radio. I, personally, am put off by singers who sound so good on the radio, yet so very bad at their concerts.

Another thing I love about Lady Gaga is her love for her fans, which she calls "monsters". When The Fame Monster was released, she did a signing in Los Angeles and bought pizza for all of the fans that were there and has since bought hot chocolate for early fans at her concerts.

At 23, Lady Gaga has climbed her way to the top of the music industry, where she belongs. I don't see her coming down or being forgotten anytime soon. Whether you know and love her for the rumors about her, what she's wearing, or just her voice and music, you can't deny that she will forever be seen as a pop icon of 2009.

-Amber