Lady Gaga is undoubtedly the biggest pop act in the world today. With her outspoken charm, ridiculously catchy lyrics and outrageous fashion statements, the world’s most controversial star is famous for enchanting and shocking in almost equal measure.

Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in New York City in 1984, Gaga was destined for stardom from an early age. Learning to play the piano aged four, she went on to write her first ballad at 13 and was performing at open mic nights by the age of 14.
The world first took notice in 2008 when her debut single Just Dance, peaked at number two in the US Billboard chart. From then on it’s been a whirlwind of number one singles and record breaking albums culminating in the release of her third record Born This Way earlier this month.
Talented she may be but Lady Gaga cites another reason for her success, claiming she is carrying the soul of her aunt Joanne Germanotta, who died as a result of the immune condition lupus.
Gaga says, “I really believe I have two hearts. I think I actually carry two souls in my body, and that I’m living out the rest of her life and her goodness — she died a virgin, she died never having experienced all these things that we all get to love and experience in our lives.”
Despite the rigours of her long running Monster Ball tour — which started in 2009 and finished this year — Gaga is already planning to get back on the road with her latest album in order to reconnect with her devoted fans who she calls her Little Monsters.
While Gaga grabs headlines for her fashion sense as much as her lyrics, particularly with the infamous meat dress which caused a backlash from animal rights groups, she has been hailed as today’s most influential celebrity, with a record-breaking 10 million fans following her on twitter.

Q: You say you see yourself as a role model and you recently revealed that you had a threesome. Do you think it’s good for young people to experiment sexually?
A: If they like.

Q: Do you have any sex advice for young people?
A: Well, I don’t see sex as a bad thing. I think kids should wait as long as they can before they have sex. And they should use protection from the first time to the last time. But I’m not afraid to talk about sex. Sex is not wrong. Sex is real life.
Q: It’s an inspiration for
you, isn’t it?
A: It’s an inspiration for everyone and I don’t think there is one song that’s ever been written where sex wasn’t an influence. It’s what makes the world go round. I don’t know if threesomes make the world go round, but I suppose they’re fun.

Q: Speaking of sex, what do you think is attractive in a man or woman?
A: All sorts of things. I don’t necessarily think the way I dress or act is the most interesting. Everybody is beautiful in their own way — that’s why I wrote Born This Way. It’s my favourite thing about my fans, some of them might be… I don’t know, very adventurous and very colourful, others are very sleek and wear lots of black, and others are dressed very differently. They are all very diverse and they all embrace who they are. There is no pretence to fit in with my aesthetic at my concerts. My aesthetic is secondary. Fans come first — they are the show.

Q: What do you like about people?
A: Kindness, generosity, and genuineness.

Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: I’m the same. This is what you get.

Q: So, as the godmother of Elton John’s son, Zachary, are these the values you would teach?
A: Sure. I won’t need to, though. He’s got great parents.

Q: How did you feel about your Monsterball tour?
A: Oh, at one time I had, like, no money, because I went completely bankrupt spending all my money on my shows — I couldn’t even stay afloat financially. But I have more control now and I can go and visit all the places I want to.

Q: Is there anything from the tour which sticks out in particular?
A: There are loads of funny things which happened backstage. I don’t like surprises, and I don’t like pranks, but I brought all my friends from New York on tour with me so there are lots of backstage shenanigans! They’ll make fun of my diet because they know I have to stay fit for being on tour, so they’ll be, like, eating mounds of cheeseburgers in my dressing room. It’s awful!

Q: Can you imagine not being famous anymore?
A: I’ve always felt famous. I think fame comes from inside you — I don’t believe it’s something you can touch. It’s not real. It’s all about how you allow it to affect your life. I felt so famous when I was living in New York City all alone and nobody knew who I was. I’d put my little bra and panties on, run down to the drug store, go and meet my friends for a drink, then play a show and think I’d made it. Fame is not about the attention and the cameras — it’s about the influence and the impact I could potentially have on my fans, on the world. That’s most important to me. Now I’m here, what am I going to do next?

Q: So you don’t need the cameras?
A: Well, I like the cameras.

Q: What was your best fashion moment?
A: Right now! This is a Gianni Versace outfit which has never been seen before. It’s a dress which was made before he died. Actually, I’m only going to wear Versace for the next two months. I’m having a love affair with Donatella.

Q: You dedicated your song Fashion For His Love to your friend Alexander McQueen. Would you ever create your own fashion label?
A: I hope so. Well, I can’t tell you, because someone else will steal my idea. It’s art, and art is a lie — it’s a fantasy, and I live halfway between fantasy and reality at all times. We tell that lie over, and over, and over again.

Q: I read that you feel naked without high heels. Why is this?
A: I sometimes feel naked with clothes on, but sometimes I feel less naked with no clothes. Does that make sense? I feel quite comfortable in my underwear or in see-through things. I just feel… I don’t know.

Q: Do you ever look at pictures of yourself and think: ‘Oh my god, what was I thinking?’
A: All the time. But that’s part of the fun of it. You know, I always try to get dressed with a little bit of humour. It’s not about being sexy or just being attractive — it’s about having fun.

Q: Do you read everything that’s written about you?
A: No, thank God!

Q: Everyone is so focused on your appearance — do you ever worry that the music itself and the message it carries might fade into the background?
A: Actually, no. In fact, with Born This Way, with the album, the music has flown into the forefront more than ever. I’m so pleased and excited with how the music has been received. I worked very, very hard on this album. So it’s important to me to put my money where my mouth is and say “I can be as forward visually as I can musically”.

Q: You’re ranked as the most influential celebrity — doesn’t that scare you? Does it seem like there is nothing more to achieve?
A: Well if you’re running a marathon, and you’re about to cross the finish line, you don’t stop and say, “Oh, once I cross it, it’s over”. You run as fast as you can to get there as quickly as you can. So I guess, for me, it’s about how many marathons I can run. How many dreams can I make come true? Not for me, but for my fans.

Q: What would be your dream?
A: What I’m saying is, my dreams have become a reality and have changed. Now my dream is to aid the dreams of others. I want my fans to reach for the stars and beyond — but for themselves.

Q: Let’s talk about your new album, Born This Way. You said you were inspired to write one of the songs, Scheiße, after going clubbing in Berlin, and that Scheiße is actually a really bad word in German. What made you want to write this song?
A: I meant it like, “Shiiiiit! It’s good”. But I also meant it the other way, because this song is really about wanting to be a strong female without all the bullshit that comes along with it.

Q: Do you have groupies as well?
A: I don’t like that word. ‘Groupies’ implies that they just hang around, but I have wonderful people who travel all over the world with me. They are my best friends and my creative partners.

Bang Showbiz