WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Welcome, everyone, to The Deep Dive, the place 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.000 where we take stacks of information articles, 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:06.719 research, critical reviews, and distill them 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:10.320 down to the absolute essential insights. We give 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.279 you the facts you need, the connections you might 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:15.259 have missed, and, well, the deep analysis that 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:17.660 explains why certain figures don't just succeed, 00:00:17.739 --> 00:00:19.679 but fundamentally change the industries they 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.899 inhabit. And today, we are embarking on a deep 00:00:22.899 --> 00:00:26.800 dive into an artist whose entire career really 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:30.199 for 20 years now, has been a masterclass in calculated 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:34.890 chaos and radical reinvention. We are examining 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.530 the file of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:40.969 universally known, of course, as Lady Gaga, a 00:00:40.969 --> 00:00:43.670 cultural chameleon, an industrial powerhouse, 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:45.950 and as we'll argue today, perhaps the most disciplined 00:00:45.950 --> 00:00:47.990 performance artist of her generation. Okay, let's 00:00:47.990 --> 00:00:49.350 unpack this immediately because when we talk 00:00:49.350 --> 00:00:51.609 about versatility, her curriculum vitae is just, 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:54.229 it's unparalleled. It really is. We are not just 00:00:54.229 --> 00:00:56.549 analyzing a pop star who had a moment. We are 00:00:56.549 --> 00:00:58.710 looking at an individual who is simultaneously 00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:01.369 one of the best -selling music artists of all 00:01:01.369 --> 00:01:05.469 time with... Estimated sales of, what, 124 million 00:01:05.469 --> 00:01:07.890 records? That's the number. And a major film 00:01:07.890 --> 00:01:11.030 actress, a serious philanthropist, and a successful 00:01:11.030 --> 00:01:14.790 entrepreneur. The entire entertainment landscape, 00:01:15.049 --> 00:01:17.349 you know, from the basement club to the Oscars 00:01:17.349 --> 00:01:20.349 stage, it all feels like her domain. That holistic 00:01:20.349 --> 00:01:23.489 scope is what defines her legacy already. I mean, 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:25.750 when major publications like Billboard and Rolling 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:27.969 Stone assess the greatest artists in history, 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:31.290 she consistently appears near the top. And that 00:01:31.290 --> 00:01:34.650 ranking. It speaks not only to her commercial 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:36.810 appeal, her ability to sell tickets and records, 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:39.950 but to a deeper, enduring, critical relevance 00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:43.109 that, honestly, few of her peers share. So our 00:01:43.109 --> 00:01:45.510 mission today is to follow that multifaceted 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:47.709 career path and discover the consistent thread 00:01:47.709 --> 00:01:49.849 running through it. Yeah. How does one person 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:53.209 achieve monumental success bouncing between maximalist 00:01:53.209 --> 00:01:55.769 electropop, stripped -down jazz standards with 00:01:55.769 --> 00:01:58.950 Tony Bennett, country -tinged soft rock, and 00:01:58.950 --> 00:02:01.390 then pivot to method acting in prestige dramas? 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:04.269 It's an inquiry. We believe the answer lies in 00:02:04.269 --> 00:02:06.489 her training, the foundational DNA of performance 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:08.930 art and rigorous theatrical discipline that connects 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:11.069 every single one of these seemingly disparate 00:02:11.069 --> 00:02:14.349 projects. And to frame that versatility, you 00:02:14.349 --> 00:02:16.650 know, we can start with the raw metrics. She's 00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:19.110 responsible for seven number one albums and six 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.909 number one songs on the US charts. That right 00:02:21.909 --> 00:02:24.909 there establishes her solid presence within the 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:27.210 mainstream pop machine. But here's where the 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.699 unique power of her appeal becomes evident. She 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:33.520 is the only female artist in history with four 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:37.219 singles that have individually sold 10 million 00:02:37.219 --> 00:02:39.960 copies or more globally. Wow. Think about that 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:42.139 span. We're talking about just dance and poker 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:45.080 face from her early dance pot period, a high 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:47.860 concept spectacle of bad romance. And then a 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:50.879 decade later, the acoustic, emotionally vulnerable 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:53.900 ballad Shallow. The sheer distance between those 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.860 tracks, stylistically and thematically, it just 00:02:56.860 --> 00:02:58.699 highlights her ability to dominate completely 00:02:58.699 --> 00:03:01.080 different cultural spaces. Exactly. And the ultimate 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:04.139 proof of this genre fluidity came in 2019 when 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:06.379 she secured what is often called the quadruple 00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:08.300 crown. The quadruple crown. You have to explain 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:09.900 that for the listener because it truly is an 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:11.979 unheard of feat. It's the ultimate crossover 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:14.719 achievement. She became the first woman to win 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:17.599 an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:21.020 a Grammy Award in a single year. In one year. 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.139 In one year. All of them related to her groundbreaking 00:03:24.139 --> 00:03:27.520 work on the film A Star is Born. This isn't simply 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.020 winning a music award and a film award. It's 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:32.419 sweeping the highest honors in acting, songwriting, 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:34.819 and soundtrack production simultaneously. And 00:03:34.819 --> 00:03:37.240 beyond that historic sweep, she has amassed, 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:41.039 what, 14 Grammys, 22 MTV Video Music Awards, 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:43.919 two Golden Globes. And... demonstrating that 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.719 career span, even a Sports Emmy Award later in 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:49.000 her career for her music direction during a Super 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.199 Bowl pregame tribute. It's incredible. She is 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:54.360 less a specialist and more an artistic generalist 00:03:54.360 --> 00:03:56.340 who just happens to achieve mastery in every 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.780 field she enters. And as you suggested, this 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:01.439 massive public spectacle, the costumes, the viral 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:04.060 videos, the reinventions, it's all actually built 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:06.199 upon an intensely rigorous discipline foundation. 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:09.680 That foundation is Defani Germanotta, the musician 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:11.979 and the actress. So let's rewind to the beginning, 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:15.000 to the roots of that discipline. Stefani Joanne 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:18.540 Angelina Germanotto was born on March 28th, 1986, 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:22.089 into a But pretty privileged environment. Oh, 00:04:22.129 --> 00:04:23.970 very much so. An upper middle class Catholic 00:04:23.970 --> 00:04:26.689 family of Italian ancestry living on the Upper 00:04:26.689 --> 00:04:28.709 West Side of New York City. Right. It's a background 00:04:28.709 --> 00:04:31.389 that screams old New York money and structure. 00:04:31.670 --> 00:04:35.089 Her parents, Cynthia, who is a notable philanthropist, 00:04:35.089 --> 00:04:38.329 and Joseph, an Internet entrepreneur, they ensured 00:04:38.329 --> 00:04:40.769 she had the best education and training. Absolutely. 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:43.899 And the key takeaway from this era is the emphasis 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:46.079 on musical discipline. She started playing the 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:48.220 piano at age four. And the detail that stands 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:51.040 out to me is how she learned. She primarily taught 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.800 herself music by ear rather than relying strictly 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.040 on reading sheet music. Which is so telling. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.939 It is. That ear -based approach is often linked 00:04:58.939 --> 00:05:01.939 to genuine virtuosity and the ability to absorb 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:04.779 and mimic different genres quickly, which, I 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:07.220 mean, it completely foreshadows her later fluidity. 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:10.980 Precisely. That inherent musicality. allowed 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:13.699 her to move beyond just the technical execution 00:05:13.699 --> 00:05:17.620 of classical piano and into interpretation. Coupled 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:19.959 with this, she attended the highly exclusive, 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:23.220 private, all -girls convent of the Sacred Heart. 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.399 Right. But the true Rosetta Stone for her future 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.339 career trajectory is her theatrical training. 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:31.519 Tell us more about that, because this isn't just 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:33.639 a high school drama club. We're talking about 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:36.910 serious, fundamental training. For a full decade, 00:05:37.389 --> 00:05:40.050 she studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg 00:05:40.050 --> 00:05:43.170 Theater and Film Institute. This is crucial context. 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:46.410 The Strasberg method emphasizes psychological 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:49.480 realism. where the actor deeply immerses themselves 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:51.839 into the emotional life of the character. She 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:53.360 wasn't just planning to be a singer. She was 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:54.879 training to become a professional performer. 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:57.939 Lady Gaga, the pop icon, is merely the first 00:05:57.939 --> 00:06:00.339 most extravagant character she ever played. That 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:02.540 reframes everything. So she wasn't pursuing pop 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:04.720 fame haphazardly. She was preparing a theatrical 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.959 vehicle. I mean, she was starring in major high 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.420 school productions like Guys and Dolls. And a 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.120 funny thing happened on the way to the forum, 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:14.379 already using that dramatic training. Yes. And 00:06:14.379 --> 00:06:16.829 yet. Despite this high -achieving discipline 00:06:16.829 --> 00:06:19.350 background, she was simultaneously struggling 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.170 socially. She described her high school self 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:26.310 as very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined, 00:06:26.449 --> 00:06:30.009 but also a bit insecure. And here is the core 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:32.449 friction we see throughout her career. Exactly. 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:35.269 She felt like a misfit and was routinely mocked 00:06:35.269 --> 00:06:37.649 by her peers for being too provocative or too 00:06:37.649 --> 00:06:40.480 eccentric. That early rejection, that feeling 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.899 of being marginalized for her unique style is 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:46.839 so powerful. It defined the very brand, the embrace 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:49.879 of the monster identity and the championing of 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:52.500 outcasts that she would later turn into a global 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:55.199 phenomenon. It was an authentic response to early 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:57.540 pain. This internal tension, this push -pull 00:06:57.540 --> 00:06:59.420 between the polished student and the eccentric 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:02.560 artist led to her first major disruptive choice. 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:06.160 In 2005, during her second year, she withdrew 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.139 from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Right, from 00:07:08.139 --> 00:07:10.620 the Collaborative Arts Project 21. That's a huge 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:12.579 academic commitment to just walk away from. What 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:15.019 was the driving force behind that decision? It 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:18.180 was pure artistic urgency. She felt the structured 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:20.660 academic environment was hindering her creative 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:22.399 output. You know, she was already intellectually 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.699 framing her artistry writing essays on art theory. 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:29.170 religion, social issues, even pop artists like 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:31.850 Damien Hirst. But she needed the freedom of the 00:07:31.850 --> 00:07:34.410 real world stage. She was ready. She was ready 00:07:34.410 --> 00:07:37.389 to transition from studying performance to becoming 00:07:37.389 --> 00:07:39.670 the performance. And before she fully transitioned, 00:07:39.850 --> 00:07:43.230 we find these wonderful, almost surreal early 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:46.129 scream credits that confirm her long -held acting 00:07:46.129 --> 00:07:48.769 ambition. They're great little finds. It's hard 00:07:48.769 --> 00:07:50.610 to believe she had a background appearance in 00:07:50.610 --> 00:07:54.129 the 2000 music video for ACDC's Stiff Upper Lip. 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:55.709 A blink and you miss it moment. and certainly, 00:07:56.050 --> 00:07:58.370 but then we have the more famous uncredited role 00:07:58.370 --> 00:08:01.370 in 2001 in The Sopranos. Oh, right. She played 00:08:01.370 --> 00:08:03.389 a high school student in the episode The Telltale 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:06.370 Mousadel. These early cameos are a great reminder 00:08:06.370 --> 00:08:08.490 that film and television were always a parallel 00:08:08.490 --> 00:08:11.329 ambition, not some late career pivot. So she 00:08:11.329 --> 00:08:14.490 leaves NYU, returns home briefly, but quickly 00:08:14.490 --> 00:08:17.569 plunges into the gritty, dynamic downtown scene 00:08:17.569 --> 00:08:20.750 of the Lower East Side. This is where Stefani 00:08:20.750 --> 00:08:22.889 Germanotta begins to synthesize her training 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:25.990 into the character of Lady Gaga. Exactly. She 00:08:25.990 --> 00:08:28.189 embraced the neo -Berlesque shows, which she 00:08:28.189 --> 00:08:30.209 saw as a bastion of freedom and raw expression, 00:08:30.509 --> 00:08:32.610 allowing her to test the boundaries of costume 00:08:32.610 --> 00:08:35.409 and sexuality. This period provided the real 00:08:35.409 --> 00:08:38.110 -world lab for her performance persona. And it's 00:08:38.110 --> 00:08:40.889 in this period, around 2006, that the naming 00:08:40.889 --> 00:08:43.470 anecdote occurs, that critical turning point. 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:45.789 Yes. She began collaborating with producer Rob 00:08:45.789 --> 00:08:48.350 Fusari, and he was the one who coined the name 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:51.809 inspired by Queen's Radio Gaga. I love this story. 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:54.009 The story, which has since entered music legend, 00:08:54.169 --> 00:08:57.169 is that the final version, Lady Gaga, resulted 00:08:57.169 --> 00:08:59.789 from a simple, almost accidental technical glitch. 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:03.179 Fusari claimed his spellchecker auto -corrected 00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:06.200 radio to lady in a text message. It's fascinatingly 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.019 appropriate that the moniker for an artist obsessed 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:10.600 with technology, artifice, and pop history originated 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.259 from an electronic mistake. It's perfect. But 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:15.480 the path was still bumpy. She signed to Def Jam 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:18.159 in September 2006, only to be dropped three months 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:20.980 later. That early, sharp rejection must have 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:23.720 been devastating. Oh, I'm sure. But it was a 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:25.639 vital crucible for her character development, 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.450 though. That rejection forced the discipline 00:09:28.450 --> 00:09:31.269 of her theatrical training to kick in. She realized 00:09:31.269 --> 00:09:34.309 the persona had to be bigger, bolder, and more 00:09:34.309 --> 00:09:36.809 theatrical to survive the ruthless pop machine. 00:09:37.049 --> 00:09:39.190 And that's when she met performance artist Lady 00:09:39.190 --> 00:09:42.269 Starlight. They developed the Lady Gaga and the 00:09:42.269 --> 00:09:45.669 Starlight Revue. Yes. a kind of traveling neo 00:09:45.669 --> 00:09:48.570 burlesque show that was a theatrical homage to 00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:52.529 1970s variety acts a conscious attempt to bring 00:09:52.529 --> 00:09:55.090 high concept performance art to the underground 00:09:55.090 --> 00:09:57.889 club scene and that show was effective her performance 00:09:57.889 --> 00:10:00.389 at lolapalooza in 2007 caught the attention of 00:10:00.389 --> 00:10:02.809 vincent herbert leading to a sign with Streamline 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:05.610 Records Interscope. And the final seal of approval, 00:10:05.730 --> 00:10:08.850 however, came from a genuine pop superstar. Akon. 00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:11.750 Akon. He was so impressed after hearing her reference 00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:13.889 vocals for another artist's track that he called 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:17.309 her his franchise player and convinced Interscope's 00:10:17.309 --> 00:10:20.309 Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal with his ConLive 00:10:20.309 --> 00:10:22.649 distribution. That kind of high -level belief 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:24.830 must have accelerated her timeline dramatically. 00:10:25.330 --> 00:10:28.230 Absolutely. And simultaneously, she locked down 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.330 a publishing deal with Sony ATV. This meant that 00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:33.690 even as she was prepping her debut, she was already 00:10:33.690 --> 00:10:36.070 writing hits for established artists like Britney 00:10:36.070 --> 00:10:38.610 Spears and Fergie. This gave her insight into 00:10:38.610 --> 00:10:40.610 the mechanics of high -level pop songwriting 00:10:40.610 --> 00:10:43.710 and demonstrated her intrinsic value to the industry 00:10:43.710 --> 00:10:46.870 immediately. So she moves to Los Angeles in 2008, 00:10:47.090 --> 00:10:49.809 and the first major strategic move is establishing 00:10:49.809 --> 00:10:51.830 the creative collective that would translate 00:10:51.830 --> 00:10:54.809 her vision, the House of Gaga. This collective 00:10:54.809 --> 00:10:57.590 was so much more than just a styling team. It 00:10:57.590 --> 00:10:59.870 was consciously modeled on Andy Warhol's The 00:10:59.870 --> 00:11:02.629 Factory. The analogy is perfect. Warhol blurred 00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:05.029 the lines between high art and commercial production, 00:11:05.230 --> 00:11:07.610 creating a rapid -fire studio environment where 00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:10.470 art, design, film, and celebrity were produced 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:13.009 at an almost industrial rate. And that implies 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:16.389 artistic control and speed of output. The House 00:11:16.389 --> 00:11:19.629 of Gaga included designers, filmmakers, and stylists 00:11:19.629 --> 00:11:22.629 who could execute her extravagant changing vision 00:11:22.629 --> 00:11:26.230 almost instantaneously. It meant she wasn't relying 00:11:26.230 --> 00:11:28.970 on external creative directors. She was the director 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:31.720 and the house was her ready -made crew. And the 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:34.379 first major product of this collaboration was 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:38.539 The Fame, released in August 2008. The sound 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:41.299 was meticulously crafted, electropop and dance 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:43.559 pop, designed for maximum commercial impact. 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:46.740 Musically, it was heavily influenced by the structured 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:50.720 sounds of 1980s pop, the energetic pulse of 1990s 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.100 Europop. And specifically leveraged the production 00:11:53.100 --> 00:11:55.580 genius of Red Dome. Let's focus on that production 00:11:55.580 --> 00:11:58.059 style for a moment. Redstone was absolutely key. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:00.120 He gave her that distinctive, highly synthetic, 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:02.860 almost robotic vocal delivery paired with immense 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:05.620 driving beats. And the lyrical themes, focusing 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.879 on the lust for stardom and the aspirational 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:10.460 nature of celebrity, were perfectly matched to 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:12.720 that maximalist sound. The results were immediate 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.279 and global. Just dance and poker face became 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.840 instant anthems. The success of poker face is 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:20.279 almost unbelievable in retrospect. It wasn't 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:23.029 just a U .S. number one. but a global phenomenon 00:12:23.029 --> 00:12:27.110 that sold 9 .8 million copies in 2009 alone, 00:12:27.389 --> 00:12:29.549 making it the world's best -selling single that 00:12:29.549 --> 00:12:31.730 year. And speaking of longevity, that single 00:12:31.730 --> 00:12:34.769 spent a record 83 weeks on Billboard's digital 00:12:34.769 --> 00:12:37.570 songs chart. That is so far beyond a fleeting 00:12:37.570 --> 00:12:40.029 trend that demonstrates a sustained cultural 00:12:40.029 --> 00:12:42.990 dominance that few tracks achieve. And the initial 00:12:42.990 --> 00:12:45.450 success was legitimized by the Grammys. The Fame 00:12:45.450 --> 00:12:48.129 won Best Dance Electronic Album and Poker Face 00:12:48.129 --> 00:12:50.629 won Best Dance Recording. She had successfully 00:12:50.629 --> 00:12:53.750 delivered the pop spectacle. Right. But the next 00:12:53.750 --> 00:12:55.710 project would deepen the performance art aspect 00:12:55.710 --> 00:12:57.850 dramatically. That brings us to the Fame Monster. 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:00.559 Though technically it was released as an EP and 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:03.460 a reissue in 2009, it felt like a crucial shift 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:06.779 in her persona. She embraced a darker, more macabre 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.059 aesthetic. It was the necessary artistic critique 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:11.679 of her own success. The project explored the 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.220 dark side of fame using these monster metaphors, 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:16.539 a direct response to the pressures and the psychological 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:19.659 toll of sudden celebrity. Musically, she drew 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:22.460 inspiration from darker glam rock acts while 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:26.090 keeping the danceability of, say, And the visuals 00:13:26.090 --> 00:13:28.269 for this era were arguably her most defining 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:31.529 up until that point. Bad Romance was an instant 00:13:31.529 --> 00:13:34.649 visual landmark. It truly defined the early viral 00:13:34.649 --> 00:13:37.450 video era. The music video became the most watched 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:40.870 video on YouTube by April 2010 and cemented her 00:13:40.870 --> 00:13:43.330 status as a visionary director of her own image. 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:47.340 Rolling Stone later listed it among the 100 greatest 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:49.679 music videos of all time. And that video was 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:51.919 less a promotional tool and more a short, high 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:54.799 -budget, avant -garde film. Exactly. And that 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.539 high -concept visual style inevitably led to 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:00.090 controversy. She was rapidly establishing herself 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:02.529 as a shock artist, testing societal boundaries. 00:14:02.909 --> 00:14:05.750 The video for Alejandro, with his religious iconography 00:14:05.750 --> 00:14:08.389 and provocative imagery, was gained blasphemous 00:14:08.389 --> 00:14:10.570 by the Catholic League, generating intense media 00:14:10.570 --> 00:14:13.330 attention. And who could forget the 2009 MTV 00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:16.809 VMA performance? The blood -splattering, dramatic 00:14:16.809 --> 00:14:19.610 rendition of Paparazzi. All that was pure performance 00:14:19.610 --> 00:14:22.009 art. An aggressive theatrical statement about 00:14:22.009 --> 00:14:24.230 the consuming nature of fame, literally ending 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:26.049 the performance in a bloody heap. It brought 00:14:26.049 --> 00:14:27.950 the theatricality of the avant -garde directly 00:14:27.950 --> 00:14:30.669 into mainstream primetime. That relentless commitment 00:14:30.669 --> 00:14:32.970 to spectacle, fueled by her theatrical discipline, 00:14:33.330 --> 00:14:36.370 powered her touring success. The Monsterball 00:14:36.370 --> 00:14:40.610 tour, running from 2009 to 2011, grossed a staggering 00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:45.629 $227 .4 million. And to put that in perspective... 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:48.080 That figure set a new record as the highest -grossing 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:51.200 concert tour for a debut headlining artist. The 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:53.679 speed and scale of her commercial ascent were 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.899 just... unprecedented it proved audiences were 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:59.320 hungry for high concept musical theater beyond 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:02.179 the music this period saw her early entrepreneurial 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:05.259 moves leveraging her brand aesthetic into other 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:07.899 products she collaborated with monster cable 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.259 products for the heartbeats by lady gaga headphones 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:12.879 and in 2010 she took on a more significant creative 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:14.960 role partnering with polaroid as their creative 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:18.039 director and launching the gray label line Which 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:19.840 was important. It was, because she wasn't just 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.620 lending her image. She was actively shaping product 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:24.879 design, demonstrating her intent to integrate 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.399 visual technology and art into business strategy. 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:30.080 The Warhol model applied to corporate partnerships. 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.100 But beneath the spectacle, the relentless pace 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:36.179 introduced personal difficulties. The legal challenges 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:39.179 started early. Her former producer, Rob Fusari, 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:42.039 filed a highly politicized lawsuit claiming he 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:44.279 was owed a 20 percent share of earnings and demanding 00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:46.580 damages. Right. And while the New York Supreme 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.899 Court later dismissed both the lawsuit and her 00:15:48.899 --> 00:15:51.200 countersuit, these early battles highlighted 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.340 the high stakes financial landscape of her sudden 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:55.759 success. And at the same time, health challenges 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.000 were starting to surface. She revealed a borderline 00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:01.679 positive diagnosis for lupus and autoimmune disease. 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.480 She stressed that she was managing the symptoms, 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.019 but it was an early indication that the constant 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:09.759 physically grueling commitment to the Gaga persona 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:12.820 was starting to take a serious toll on Stefani 00:16:12.820 --> 00:16:15.480 Germanotta's body. Moving into the 2011 era, 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.799 we reach the apex of her maximalist pop identity 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:21.600 with the album Born This Way. Yes, this album 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.019 was less about the lust for fame, as the fame 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:27.039 was, and more about the burden and identity forged 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.539 by it. Musically, it was still aggressive dance 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:31.899 pop, but she infused elements of electronic rock 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:34.259 and industrial techno, making the sound harder 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:37.340 and more demanding than her debut. And thematically, 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:40.500 it was explicit and highly political, tackling 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:43.700 identity, sexuality, religion and freedom head 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:47.460 on. And the messaging wasn't subtle. She deployed 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:49.639 lyrics not just in English, but included French, 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.279 German and Spanish passages, demonstrating a 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:55.970 globalized, universalist political message. The 00:16:55.970 --> 00:16:58.450 album became a defining text for the LGBTQ plus 00:16:58.450 --> 00:17:00.789 movement globally during that period. The commercial 00:17:00.789 --> 00:17:03.850 success was legendary. The title track earned 00:17:03.850 --> 00:17:05.829 the Guinness World Record for fastest selling 00:17:05.829 --> 00:17:08.250 single on iTunes, achieving over one million 00:17:08.250 --> 00:17:10.769 downloads in less than a week. Incredible numbers. 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:13.349 Strategically, why was the song such a powerful 00:17:13.349 --> 00:17:16.130 cultural force right then? Well, it arrived at 00:17:16.130 --> 00:17:18.349 a cultural moment when identity politics and 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:21.109 the struggle for LGBTQ plus rights were peaking 00:17:21.109 --> 00:17:23.309 in the public consciousness. The song served 00:17:23.309 --> 00:17:25.480 as an anthem. validating marginalized communities 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:28.660 worldwide. Its debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:31.980 was historic, too. It became the 1 ,000th number 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:34.420 one single in the history of the chart, cementing 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:36.950 it as a watershed moment in pop history. Visually, 00:17:37.049 --> 00:17:39.869 this era was her most elaborate persona exploration. 00:17:40.430 --> 00:17:43.609 We saw the continuation of the theatrical high 00:17:43.609 --> 00:17:46.049 -concept approach, including her appearance in 00:17:46.049 --> 00:17:48.849 drag as her male alter ego, Joe Calderon, at 00:17:48.849 --> 00:17:51.750 the 2011 VMAs. And that alter ego wasn't just 00:17:51.750 --> 00:17:54.250 random costumery. It was an extension of her 00:17:54.250 --> 00:17:56.950 acting training. She explained that she created 00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.509 Joe Calderon to explore deeper identity questions, 00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:02.789 specifically what she was looking for in men 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:05.289 and also what I was maybe lacking in myself. 00:18:05.869 --> 00:18:08.750 It was a temporary persona, a method acting exercise 00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:11.470 brought to the global stage. But almost immediately, 00:18:11.569 --> 00:18:13.630 we saw the pendulum swing toward vulnerability. 00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:16.329 She released the music video for The Edge of 00:18:16.329 --> 00:18:18.829 Glory, which sharply contrasted with the high 00:18:18.829 --> 00:18:20.890 production value of her previous work. Oh, yeah. 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:23.569 It just showed her dancing alone on a fire escape 00:18:23.569 --> 00:18:25.970 and walking a lonely street in a simple outfit. 00:18:26.250 --> 00:18:28.609 That contrast was a conscious artistic statement. 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:31.069 It told the audience that even the pop spectacle 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:33.990 had a vulnerable human underneath. It was a brief 00:18:33.990 --> 00:18:36.390 necessary grounding before she launched into 00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:38.650 the monumental tour that followed. The Born This 00:18:38.650 --> 00:18:41.230 Way ball tour was massively successful, generating 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:45.509 $183 .9 million globally. But this is where the 00:18:45.509 --> 00:18:47.809 physical cost of the spectacle finally imposed 00:18:47.809 --> 00:18:51.329 a hard stop. Yes. The tour was abruptly halted 00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:53.410 when she suffered a severe labral tear of her 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:56.319 right hip. It required intensive surgery and 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.240 forced the cancellation of the remaining dates. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:00.579 The financial implications were significant, 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.759 requiring an estimated $25 million in ticket 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.720 refunds. That wasn't just a physical setback. 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:10.000 It was a clear signal that the rigorous, relentless 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.319 physical commitment she demanded of the Gaga 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:15.339 persona had reached a temporary financial and 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:17.559 biological breaking point. And that physical 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:19.819 and financial pressure led directly to the next 00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:22.039 phase, which was characterized by, well, mixed 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:24.839 results. Art Pop released. in 2013. The concept 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:27.299 was ambitious, intended to mirror a night at 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:30.140 the club planning R &B, techno, disco, and rock. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:32.359 Lyrically, she aimed for themes of feminism, 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:34.559 self -empowerment, and overcoming addiction, 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:36.859 intending to create a synthesis of art and pop 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.200 music. But critically, the album struggled to 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:41.559 find its footing. While it debuted at number 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:44.819 one, reviews were divided. Some critics praised 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:47.220 its danceability, calling it great for dancing, 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:49.880 but the overall consensus suggested that the 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:53.170 concept felt disconnected. Many critics felt 00:19:53.170 --> 00:19:55.730 she was focusing too much on her own fame, turning 00:19:55.730 --> 00:19:58.029 inward when her audience wanted outward spectacle 00:19:58.029 --> 00:20:01.609 or vulnerability. This period also saw her continue 00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:04.150 her acting efforts, playing the assassin luck 00:20:04.150 --> 00:20:07.009 chameleon in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills. 00:20:07.150 --> 00:20:09.650 But perhaps the most significant structural change 00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:12.809 was a business pivot. The split from longtime 00:20:12.809 --> 00:20:15.650 manager Troy Carter due to what were cited as 00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:18.430 creative differences. A managerial shift often 00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:21.289 signals a major artistic course correction. She 00:20:21.289 --> 00:20:23.089 soon signed with Bobby Campbell at Artist Nation, 00:20:23.269 --> 00:20:25.309 and that course correction was radical, surprising 00:20:25.309 --> 00:20:27.269 everyone who thought they had her figured out. 00:20:27.329 --> 00:20:30.450 The jazz pivot. Cheek to cheek. Right. This is 00:20:30.450 --> 00:20:32.349 the moment that truly demonstrated her ability 00:20:32.349 --> 00:20:34.869 to ignore commercial expectations and follow 00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:36.849 her artistic interests, which were rooted in 00:20:36.849 --> 00:20:38.970 her childhood piano training. This collaboration 00:20:38.970 --> 00:20:41.529 with the legendary Tony Bennett, released in 00:20:41.529 --> 00:20:44.730 2014, was a genuine shock to the pop landscape. 00:20:45.069 --> 00:20:47.910 It stemmed from a profound personal friendship 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:50.650 and her lifelong fascination with the great American 00:20:50.650 --> 00:20:53.430 songbook. And Bennett's endorsement was the highest 00:20:53.430 --> 00:20:56.079 possible validation, calling her... Without reservation, 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:59.279 the most talented artist I have ever met. And 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:01.900 the critics absolutely validated the move. This 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:04.079 was the moment the public heard her voice stripped 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.619 bare of auto -tune and heavy production. Reviewers 00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:10.420 praised the album, with one noting that it served 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:13.019 up the real thing start to finish, confirming 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:15.759 the purity of her vocal talent and her natural 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.000 affinity for the genre. Commercially, it proved 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.180 that versatility wasn't just some niche side 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:22.859 project. Cheek to Cheek became her third consecutive 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:25.180 number one album on the Billboard 200. And it 00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:27.700 secured the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:29.900 Album, a major accolade that signaled the music 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:33.160 establishment recognized her as a serious classic 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:36.160 vocalist, not just a trendsetting pop star. This 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:39.450 entire section. The struggle of art pop leading 00:21:39.450 --> 00:21:42.490 into the strategic genius of the jazz album demonstrates 00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:45.390 the core thesis. She treats her career like a 00:21:45.390 --> 00:21:48.029 disciplined theatrical repertory company. If 00:21:48.029 --> 00:21:50.490 one production closes early or doesn't land critically, 00:21:50.650 --> 00:21:53.109 she immediately shifts to a completely different 00:21:53.109 --> 00:21:55.849 genre to showcase a different facet of her training. 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:58.599 The success of the jazz album gave her the credibility 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:02.000 to embark on a massive image overhaul, defined 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:04.759 by serious acting roles and critically acclaimed 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:07.680 non -pop performances that garnered immense goodwill. 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:09.920 And the foundational moment of this new legitimacy 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:14.250 was the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. Her performance 00:22:14.250 --> 00:22:17.509 of a Sound of Music medley honoring Julie Andrews 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:20.089 was a massive cultural event. It really was. 00:22:20.250 --> 00:22:22.230 Suddenly the world saw the trained contralto, 00:22:22.369 --> 00:22:25.009 not the meat dress wearer. Exactly. That single 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:27.609 performance dominated social media and proved 00:22:27.609 --> 00:22:29.950 she could execute legacy material with reverence 00:22:29.950 --> 00:22:32.210 and power. Billboard called it one of her best 00:22:32.210 --> 00:22:35.089 performances. It was a strategic masterstroke, 00:22:35.269 --> 00:22:37.250 signaling to Hollywood that she was ready for 00:22:37.250 --> 00:22:40.069 serious roles. And she realized that childhood 00:22:40.069 --> 00:22:42.349 goal of becoming a professional actress almost 00:22:42.349 --> 00:22:45.730 immediately after. She was cast in American Horror 00:22:45.730 --> 00:22:50.390 Story, Hotel from 2015 to 2016, as the vampire 00:22:50.390 --> 00:22:53.500 Countess Elizabeth. Which won her the Golden 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:56.220 Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries. This 00:22:56.220 --> 00:22:58.940 is the payoff for that decade of Lee Strasberg 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:00.859 training we mentioned way back at the beginning. 00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:04.000 That award validated her commitment to dramatic 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.119 performance and proved that her method approach 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:08.319 translated successfully to film and television. 00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:11.339 She also returned for AHS Roanoke the following 00:23:11.339 --> 00:23:14.240 year. And simultaneously, her activism became 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:16.599 more visible and integrated into her professional 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:19.559 life. She co -wrote the Oscar nominated song 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:22.079 Till It Happens to You for the documentary The 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.319 Hunting Ground, which focused on campus sexual 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:26.579 assault. But the performance of the song at the 00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:28.980 Oscars was the true act of advocacy. She was 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:31.140 introduced by then Vice President Joe Biden. 00:23:31.220 --> 00:23:33.640 Right. And she was accompanied on stage by 50 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.369 survivors of sexual assault. It was a profoundly 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:38.910 powerful public health moment, using the highest 00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.529 profile platform in entertainment to raise awareness 00:23:41.529 --> 00:23:44.049 and provide validation. The high stakes, high 00:23:44.049 --> 00:23:46.230 profile performances continued into the realm 00:23:46.230 --> 00:23:49.029 of sports, starting with her stunning rendition 00:23:49.029 --> 00:23:51.170 of the U .S. national anthem at Super Bowl 50 00:23:51.170 --> 00:23:54.769 in 2016, which earned rave reviews for its sheer 00:23:54.769 --> 00:23:57.609 vocal power and control. But the following year, 00:23:57.650 --> 00:23:59.849 when she headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime 00:23:59.849 --> 00:24:02.650 show, she combined her spectacle with genuine 00:24:02.650 --> 00:24:05.349 technical innovation. The show was a production 00:24:05.349 --> 00:24:08.109 marvel, featuring the innovative use of hundreds 00:24:08.109 --> 00:24:10.490 of lighted drones forming various shapes in the 00:24:10.490 --> 00:24:13.230 sky, the first time robotic aircraft were used 00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:15.990 in a Super Bowl program. It was a logistical 00:24:15.990 --> 00:24:18.250 and technical feat that merged performance art 00:24:18.250 --> 00:24:20.690 with cutting -edge technology. And the scale 00:24:20.690 --> 00:24:22.529 of the reach was phenomenal. The performance 00:24:22.529 --> 00:24:25.829 attracted 117 .5 million viewers in the U .S., 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:28.190 actually exceeding the game's viewership, caused 00:24:28.190 --> 00:24:31.250 a massive surge in her song downloads, and earned 00:24:31.250 --> 00:24:33.690 her an Emmy nomination. That's classic Gaga, 00:24:33.910 --> 00:24:36.349 integrating bleeding -edge technology into mass 00:24:36.349 --> 00:24:38.670 entertainment to create cultural moments. In 00:24:38.670 --> 00:24:40.970 the middle of this legitimacy surge, she released 00:24:40.970 --> 00:24:44.769 her fifth solo album, Joanne, in 2016. Named 00:24:44.769 --> 00:24:47.049 after her late aunt, the album was another dramatic 00:24:47.049 --> 00:24:50.009 genre shift, moving into soft rock, country, 00:24:50.210 --> 00:24:53.609 and folk. a highly personal, stripped -down reflection 00:24:53.609 --> 00:24:56.849 on her family life and heritage. It was her fourth 00:24:56.849 --> 00:25:00.549 consecutive U .S. No. 1 album. However, the accompanying 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:03.630 Joanne World Tour was cut short in February 2018. 00:25:04.190 --> 00:25:06.950 The official reason was chronic pain, which was 00:25:06.950 --> 00:25:09.809 later revealed to be fibromyalgia, a condition 00:25:09.809 --> 00:25:12.210 that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain, 00:25:12.390 --> 00:25:15.210 fatigue, and cognitive issues. This marked a 00:25:15.210 --> 00:25:17.670 significant period of vulnerability. The physical 00:25:17.670 --> 00:25:19.809 toll she had been managing since her lupus diagnosis 00:25:19.809 --> 00:25:22.829 was now forcing a career slowdown. Right. And 00:25:22.829 --> 00:25:24.690 this struggle was featured prominently in her 00:25:24.690 --> 00:25:27.430 Netflix documentary Gaga, 5 '2", which gave the 00:25:27.430 --> 00:25:29.710 public an unvarnished, vulnerable look into the 00:25:29.710 --> 00:25:31.730 physical reality beneath the dazzling costumes. 00:25:32.049 --> 00:25:33.970 So the sound of music performance signaled her 00:25:33.970 --> 00:25:36.750 legitimacy. Then the 2018 film A Star is Born 00:25:36.750 --> 00:25:39.470 was the definitive global validation of her acting 00:25:39.470 --> 00:25:42.529 talent. Without a doubt. She starred as struggling 00:25:42.529 --> 00:25:46.029 singer Ally alongside Bradley Cooper in the musical 00:25:46.029 --> 00:25:48.569 romantic drama. And she agreed to the project, 00:25:48.769 --> 00:25:51.609 in part because she appreciated its frank portrayal 00:25:51.609 --> 00:25:53.529 of addiction and depression, which resonated 00:25:53.529 --> 00:25:55.630 with her own public discussions about mental 00:25:55.630 --> 00:25:58.109 health struggles. Her transformation was complete. 00:25:58.309 --> 00:26:01.490 She shed the artifice of Gaga, the massive wigs 00:26:01.490 --> 00:26:04.369 in high fashion, and delivered a raw, grounded 00:26:04.369 --> 00:26:07.250 performance. Critics offered immense praise for 00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:09.589 her knockout performance, noting how charismatic 00:26:09.589 --> 00:26:12.269 and emotionally present she was, without the 00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:15.049 usual trappings of the pop persona. And the critical 00:26:15.049 --> 00:26:17.789 accolades poured in. She received Best Actress 00:26:17.789 --> 00:26:19.789 awards from the National Board of Review and 00:26:19.789 --> 00:26:21.950 the Critics' Choice Awards, along with nominations 00:26:21.950 --> 00:26:24.490 for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA. 00:26:24.650 --> 00:26:26.829 She was now recognized as a serious dramatic 00:26:26.829 --> 00:26:29.509 actor in addition to being a pop icon. And the 00:26:29.509 --> 00:26:31.950 soundtrack was integral to the performance. She 00:26:31.950 --> 00:26:33.950 and Cooper co -wrote and produced most of the 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:36.289 music, and crucially, she insisted that they 00:26:36.289 --> 00:26:38.690 perform all the songs live in the film. Which 00:26:38.690 --> 00:26:41.549 is so important. That insistence on authenticity 00:26:41.549 --> 00:26:44.309 and immediacy is what separates it from so many 00:26:44.309 --> 00:26:47.220 other musical films. And that commitment to the 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:49.220 integrity of the performance paid dividends. 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:52.400 The soundtrack debuted at number one and became 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:55.059 a massive commercial success, extending her record 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:58.019 for the most Billboard 200 number ones among 00:26:58.019 --> 00:27:01.819 women in the 2010s. And the lead single, Shallow. 00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:04.230 just became the definitive song of the year. 00:27:04.309 --> 00:27:06.930 It really did. Shallow alone swept the major 00:27:06.930 --> 00:27:09.269 Best Original Song categories, taking home the 00:27:09.269 --> 00:27:11.470 Oscar, the Golden Globe, the Critics' Choice 00:27:11.470 --> 00:27:13.930 Award, and the Satellite Award. This is where 00:27:13.930 --> 00:27:16.529 we return to that historic quadruple crown sweep. 00:27:16.970 --> 00:27:19.049 Her collective contribution to the soundtrack 00:27:19.049 --> 00:27:21.549 made her the first woman in history to achieve 00:27:21.549 --> 00:27:24.190 those four top awards in a single year. It is 00:27:24.190 --> 00:27:26.609 a defining milestone of cross -platform artistic 00:27:26.609 --> 00:27:29.640 mastery. Shifting gears slightly, this phase 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:32.339 also saw her make a major strategic move toward 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:34.440 logistical stability with her Las Vegas residency, 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:37.420 signing the commitment Lady Gaga Enigma plus 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:40.579 jazz and piano. This residency perfectly encapsulated 00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:42.920 her duality. It was split into two distinct shows. 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:46.859 Enigma focused on her theatrical pop hits, maintaining 00:27:46.859 --> 00:27:49.599 the spectacle and high production value her monsters 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:52.000 expected. While the jazz and piano show featured 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.359 the great American songbook and stripped down 00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:56.519 versions of her own songs, it allowed her to 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.819 feed both sides of her artistic identity, the 00:27:58.819 --> 00:28:01.680 Gaga persona and the Germanada vocalist, without 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:03.640 sacrificing either. And leveraging her status 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:05.940 as a fashion icon and her connection to her fans, 00:28:06.099 --> 00:28:11.450 she launched her own business venture. This was 00:28:11.450 --> 00:28:13.829 a direct extension of the House of Gaga philosophy. 00:28:14.170 --> 00:28:16.890 It was a vegan cosmetics brand launched exclusively 00:28:16.890 --> 00:28:20.130 on Amazon, prioritizing accessibility and immediate 00:28:20.130 --> 00:28:23.490 success. It demonstrated her acumen as a businesswoman, 00:28:23.650 --> 00:28:25.910 achieving immediate success by reaching number 00:28:25.910 --> 00:28:28.450 one on Amazon's best -selling lipstick list shortly 00:28:28.450 --> 00:28:31.000 after launch. As we move into the 2020s, the 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:34.079 theme seems to be consolidation, continued records, 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:36.940 and an even deeper dive into serious acting. 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:39.980 The COVID -19 pandemic hit just as she planned 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:43.059 her next pop album, Chromatica, released in 2020. 00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:46.480 This album was a very deliberate return to her 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:48.859 dance pop roots after the personal reflection 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:51.759 of Joanne. Lyrically, however, it addressed her 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:53.619 deeply personal struggles with mental health 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:55.880 and trauma, framing the dance floor as a place 00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:58.559 of healing. And it became her sixth consecutive 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:01.559 U .S. number one. And the collaboration with 00:29:01.559 --> 00:29:04.220 Ariana Grande, Rain On Me, was a commercial powerhouse 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:06.500 that delivered a major industry record. Yes. 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:09.619 The duet debuted at number one, making Gaga the 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:12.500 third person in history to top the U .S. chart 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:15.859 across three different decades, the 2000s, 2010s, 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:18.680 and 2020s. It's an undeniable achievement in 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:21.460 multi -generational relevance. It is. And it 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:24.220 also won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo Group Performance. 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:26.400 She maintained her high -profile involvement 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:28.680 in public service, leveraging her platform for 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:31.259 political engagement. Having previously endorsed 00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:33.640 Joe Biden, she was tapped to sing the U .S. national 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:37.180 anthem at his inauguration in January 2021. This 00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:39.619 era, however, also saw that surreal collision 00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:42.779 between her global celebrity and mundane, terrifying 00:29:42.779 --> 00:29:45.599 reality. We have to mention the February 2021 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:48.089 incident. the shooting of her dog walker, Ryan 00:29:48.089 --> 00:29:50.549 Fisher, and the theft of her two French bulldogs, 00:29:50.730 --> 00:29:53.849 Koji and Gustave. She immediately offered a massive 00:29:53.849 --> 00:29:57.289 $500 ,000 reward, highlighting the high stakes 00:29:57.289 --> 00:30:00.009 and genuine danger associated with her celebrity. 00:30:00.390 --> 00:30:02.930 Thankfully, the dogs were recovered unharmed, 00:30:02.930 --> 00:30:05.369 and the shooter was later sentenced to 21 years 00:30:05.369 --> 00:30:08.589 in prison. The incident was a jarring reminder 00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:11.349 that the private life of Stefani Germanotta is 00:30:11.349 --> 00:30:13.849 inseparable from the spectacle surrounding Lady 00:30:13.849 --> 00:30:16.920 Gaga. Her acting commitment escalated even further 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:20.200 with Ridley Scott's House of Gucci in 2021, where 00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:22.799 she portrayed Patrizia Reggiani. This is where 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:25.180 the method acting training came into full, intense 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:28.640 force. It was bordering on extreme. She dedicated 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:30.940 herself fully, learning an Italian accent for 00:30:30.940 --> 00:30:33.180 the duration of the shoot and staying rigorously 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:36.119 in character for 18 months. 18 months. What was 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.440 the physical and mental cost of that level of 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:40.819 sustained performance? It took an extraordinary 00:30:40.819 --> 00:30:43.700 toll. Her commitment was so intense that toward 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:45.839 the end of filming, she required the support 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:48.420 of a psychiatric nurse to accompany her on set 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:50.839 to help manage the mental stress of inhabiting 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:53.079 that character for so long. Critics universally 00:30:53.079 --> 00:30:56.539 praised her performance as note -perfect, but 00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:58.559 that story tells you everything about the physical 00:30:58.559 --> 00:31:01.619 and mental cost of her art. For her, acting is 00:31:01.619 --> 00:31:04.160 not pretending. It is temporary inhabitation. 00:31:04.619 --> 00:31:06.839 That same year, she closed the chapter on her 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:09.319 remarkable jazz collaboration with Love for Sale, 00:31:09.460 --> 00:31:11.960 her second and final collaborative album with 00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:14.299 Tony Bennett, which earned them yet another Best 00:31:14.299 --> 00:31:17.119 Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammy. And we saw 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:20.279 more high profile soundtrack work in 2022 with 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:22.720 Top Gun Maverick, where she co -wrote the nominated 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.559 song Hold My Hand and contributed to the score 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:28.279 alongside giants like Hans Zimmer. She truly 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:30.380 operates across all musical fronts simultaneously. 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:32.740 And she cemented her touring dominance again 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:35.779 with the Chromatica Ball in 2022, her first all 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:37.740 -stadium tour. It was a massive undertaking, 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:41.319 grossing $112 .4 million from only 20 dates, 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:43.660 making her the highest grossing female touring 00:31:43.660 --> 00:31:46.059 artist of 2022. Which brings us right up to the... 00:31:46.059 --> 00:31:48.619 the latest high -impact phase, the mayhem era 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:52.059 spanning 2024 and 2025. She starred as Harleen 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:54.599 Lee Quinzel alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the 00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:57.559 musical thriller sequel Joker. Fully adieu. Playing 00:31:57.559 --> 00:32:00.079 Harlequin is a massive commitment to theatricality, 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:02.579 but she immediately leveraged the film role into 00:32:02.579 --> 00:32:05.119 a multimedia event by releasing a companion album, 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:08.039 Harlequin, inspired by the character, in late 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:11.349 2024. Both Harlequin and her subsequent 2025 00:32:11.349 --> 00:32:14.670 pop album, Mayhem, saw her working closely with 00:32:14.670 --> 00:32:17.269 her fiance, Michael Polanski, who served as co 00:32:17.269 --> 00:32:19.410 -executive producer and co -wrote several key 00:32:19.410 --> 00:32:22.609 tracks. This signals a new phase of personal 00:32:22.609 --> 00:32:24.769 and professional partnership driving her output. 00:32:25.130 --> 00:32:27.009 And talk about setting immediate records in this 00:32:27.009 --> 00:32:30.009 new era. Her duet with Bruno Mars, Die With a 00:32:30.009 --> 00:32:32.450 Smile, became a global sensation, topping the 00:32:32.450 --> 00:32:35.990 Billboard Global 200 for 18 weeks. That single 00:32:35.990 --> 00:32:38.609 submitted a stunning new career record, expanding 00:32:38.609 --> 00:32:41.589 on her previous multi -decade achievement. She's 00:32:41.589 --> 00:32:43.750 now the first act to achieve multiple U .S. number 00:32:43.750 --> 00:32:46.309 one songs across the 2000s, the 2010s, and the 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:49.509 2020s. That's multi -generational sustained dominance 00:32:49.509 --> 00:32:52.190 that is just unparalleled in modern music. And 00:32:52.190 --> 00:32:54.390 finally, she absolutely redefined live performance. 00:33:00.150 --> 00:33:03.130 This wasn't just a big concert. It set a new 00:33:03.130 --> 00:33:05.390 record for the most attended concert by a female 00:33:05.390 --> 00:33:08.529 artist, with estimates ranging from 2 .1 to 2 00:33:08.529 --> 00:33:11.970 .5 million attendees. That scale, that ability 00:33:11.970 --> 00:33:13.950 to command a crowd of millions, demonstrates 00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:16.109 that even after a career built on spectacle, 00:33:16.390 --> 00:33:19.109 she can still find ways to generate absolutely 00:33:19.109 --> 00:33:22.140 unprecedented global events. OK, let's pivot 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:24.619 now and talk about the inner engine driving all 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:26.680 this, the artistry itself, which is built on 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:29.259 wildly eclectic influences that she successfully 00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:32.299 synthesizes. The list shows the breadth of her 00:33:32.299 --> 00:33:35.119 performance study. She draws heavily from dance 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:37.500 pop singers like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:39.759 Jackson and Christina Aguilera for the structure 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:42.140 and choreography. Then you have the dramatic 00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:45.240 theatrical influence of glam rock artists like 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:47.720 David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, who fundamentally 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:50.410 shaped her view of celebrity as costume. But 00:33:50.410 --> 00:33:52.410 what's fascinating is how she integrates elements 00:33:52.410 --> 00:33:55.190 of musical aggression. She has cited heavy metal 00:33:55.190 --> 00:33:57.829 acts as key influences, including Iron Maiden 00:33:57.829 --> 00:34:00.890 and Black Sabbath, channeling the volume, attitude 00:34:00.890 --> 00:34:03.490 and raw power of metal through the polished structure 00:34:03.490 --> 00:34:06.210 of dance pop. It's a synthesis of high theater, 00:34:06.390 --> 00:34:10.090 raw power and commercial pop structure. And this 00:34:10.090 --> 00:34:12.289 leads us to the critical revelation about her 00:34:12.289 --> 00:34:15.889 creative process, the role of synesthesia. Right. 00:34:16.329 --> 00:34:19.030 She experiences synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon 00:34:19.030 --> 00:34:21.610 where the stimulation of one sensory pathway 00:34:21.610 --> 00:34:24.889 leads to automatic involuntary experiences in 00:34:24.889 --> 00:34:27.690 a second one. In her case, she sees colors while 00:34:27.690 --> 00:34:30.449 making music. She describes music as assembling 00:34:30.449 --> 00:34:32.989 in my brain and becoming a full piece of color 00:34:32.989 --> 00:34:36.030 with every song being a different shade. This 00:34:36.030 --> 00:34:38.699 is why her music is inherently visual. For her, 00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:40.699 the sound is the fashion, the costume, the video, 00:34:40.820 --> 00:34:43.579 it's all part of the same sensory piece, explaining 00:34:43.579 --> 00:34:46.019 the absolute necessity of the House of Gaga to 00:34:46.019 --> 00:34:48.119 execute that visual soundscape. When we look 00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:50.599 at her voice, technically she's a contralto with 00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:53.179 a vast range, but critics often point out that 00:34:53.179 --> 00:34:55.860 her artistry relies on nuance rather than lung 00:34:55.860 --> 00:34:58.639 power. And she has this core belief that grounds 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:01.760 her high concept ambitions. The idea that... 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:03.980 all good music can be played on a piano and still 00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:06.199 sound like a hit. That belief is the connection 00:35:06.199 --> 00:35:08.820 back to Stefani Germanotta, the disciplined pianist. 00:35:09.079 --> 00:35:11.820 It ensures that no matter how complex the production, 00:35:12.139 --> 00:35:14.440 the song's fundamental architecture is sound, 00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:17.460 allowing her to credibly pivot to jazz standards 00:35:17.460 --> 00:35:20.699 or strip down ballads like Shallow. But the public 00:35:20.699 --> 00:35:23.139 identity is equally rooted in her phenomenal 00:35:23.139 --> 00:35:26.630 visual output. Her music videos often described 00:35:26.630 --> 00:35:29.670 as short films, feature constant costume changes, 00:35:29.730 --> 00:35:32.489 and address heavy themes of sex, violence, and 00:35:32.489 --> 00:35:35.210 power. She identifies as a little bit of a feminist, 00:35:35.449 --> 00:35:37.849 focusing specifically on sexual empowerment within 00:35:37.849 --> 00:35:40.730 these visuals. Billboard recognized her command 00:35:40.730 --> 00:35:43.050 of the medium, ranking her sixth on its list 00:35:43.050 --> 00:35:45.769 of the 100 greatest music video artists of all 00:35:45.769 --> 00:35:49.090 time, noting that she is synonymous with culture 00:35:49.090 --> 00:35:51.289 shifting music videos. And we absolutely cannot 00:35:51.289 --> 00:35:53.210 discuss her visual legacy without discussing 00:35:53.210 --> 00:35:55.389 the most singular, culturally disruptive piece 00:35:55.389 --> 00:35:57.550 of clothing she has ever worn. The meat dress. 00:35:57.710 --> 00:35:59.869 The meat dress. The raw beef dress worn at the 00:35:59.869 --> 00:36:03.050 2010 MTV VMAs, accessorized with matching boots 00:36:03.050 --> 00:36:05.610 and a purse. The public reaction was immediate 00:36:05.610 --> 00:36:08.530 and polarized. PETA found it understandably offensive, 00:36:08.869 --> 00:36:11.739 viewing it as disrespectful to animals. But the 00:36:11.739 --> 00:36:14.400 crucial context, which often gets lost in the 00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:17.360 sensationalism, is that she wore it as a direct 00:36:17.360 --> 00:36:20.760 political protest. She wore it to speak out against 00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:23.739 the U .S. military's highly discriminatory don't 00:36:23.739 --> 00:36:27.099 ask, don't tell policy. Right. Stating that if 00:36:27.099 --> 00:36:29.280 we don't stand up for our rights, we risk having 00:36:29.280 --> 00:36:31.739 as many rights as the meat on our bones. That 00:36:31.739 --> 00:36:34.460 symbolic purpose elevated the dress from mere 00:36:34.460 --> 00:36:37.260 shock value into a piece of political performance 00:36:37.260 --> 00:36:40.690 art. and the legacy confirms its cultural significance. 00:36:41.110 --> 00:36:43.530 It was later preserved and displayed at the National 00:36:43.530 --> 00:36:46.630 Museum of Women in the Arts, and in 2015, it 00:36:46.630 --> 00:36:48.829 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 00:36:49.130 --> 00:36:51.449 It is a perfect metaphor for her entire career, 00:36:51.630 --> 00:36:54.409 an outrageous act executed with such precise 00:36:54.409 --> 00:36:56.889 political intent that it transcends fashion and 00:36:56.889 --> 00:36:59.050 enters the realm of cultural history. It's no 00:36:59.050 --> 00:37:01.210 wonder Time named her one of the all -time 100 00:37:01.210 --> 00:37:04.809 fashion icons, recognizing her continuous outlandish 00:37:04.809 --> 00:37:06.989 use of self -presentation from plastic bubbles 00:37:06.989 --> 00:37:09.329 to Kermit the Frog dolls as a perpetual evolving 00:37:09.329 --> 00:37:12.010 art project. Moving from the spectacle to the 00:37:12.010 --> 00:37:14.550 substance, we look at the immense scale of her 00:37:14.550 --> 00:37:17.309 activism, which often operates quietly alongside 00:37:17.309 --> 00:37:20.179 her massive commercials. ventures her philanthropic 00:37:20.179 --> 00:37:22.849 efforts started very early After the devastating 00:37:22.849 --> 00:37:26.170 2010 Haiti earthquake, she didn't just join a 00:37:26.170 --> 00:37:29.289 collective track. She donated the entire proceeds 00:37:29.289 --> 00:37:32.469 from a January 2010 concert to the Reconstruction 00:37:32.469 --> 00:37:35.769 Fund, raising half a million dollars. And she's 00:37:35.769 --> 00:37:37.449 also been a massive force in the fight against 00:37:37.449 --> 00:37:40.150 HIV AIDS, collaborating with Cyndi Lauper and 00:37:40.150 --> 00:37:42.869 MKD Cosmetics for the Viva Glam line, which has 00:37:42.869 --> 00:37:46.329 raised over $202 million globally. And in the 00:37:46.329 --> 00:37:48.590 wake of the pandemic, her leadership in the COVID 00:37:48.590 --> 00:37:51.639 -19 relief effort was monumental. She curated 00:37:51.639 --> 00:37:54.119 the One World together at home benefit concert 00:37:54.119 --> 00:37:56.519 in 2020 in collaboration with Global Citizen 00:37:56.519 --> 00:38:00.039 to benefit the WHO's response. That benefit concert 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:02.139 raised an astonishing one hundred and twenty 00:38:02.139 --> 00:38:04.500 seven million dollars. Wow. Putting it on par 00:38:04.500 --> 00:38:06.460 with Live Aid is one of the highest grossing 00:38:06.460 --> 00:38:08.920 charity concerts in history. Yeah. That demonstrates 00:38:08.920 --> 00:38:11.480 her unparalleled ability to leverage her celebrity 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:14.139 network and global platform for immediate massive 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:17.389 financial impact. This dedication to youth empowerment 00:38:17.389 --> 00:38:19.969 and mental health led to the Born This Way Foundation, 00:38:20.309 --> 00:38:24.090 or BTWF, co -founded in 2012 with her mother. 00:38:24.230 --> 00:38:27.210 Yes, it focuses specifically on youth empowerment, 00:38:27.510 --> 00:38:31.070 mental health resources, and anti -bullying initiatives, 00:38:31.469 --> 00:38:34.309 direct extensions of the emotional themes found 00:38:34.309 --> 00:38:36.400 in her music. The foundation has been highly 00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:38.840 creative in its delivery, including the born 00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:41.599 brave bus drop in center that followed her tours, 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:44.360 creating physical safe spaces for her young fans. 00:38:44.659 --> 00:38:47.280 They've also forged major partnerships with corporate 00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:49.900 entities like Office Depot and Starbucks to fund 00:38:49.900 --> 00:38:51.840 their mission. And this sustained dedication 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:55.079 was formally recognized in 2023 when President 00:38:55.079 --> 00:38:57.880 Joe Biden appointed her as co -chair of the President's 00:38:57.880 --> 00:39:00.150 Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Her advocacy 00:39:00.150 --> 00:39:03.550 for the LGBTQ plus community is arguably the 00:39:03.550 --> 00:39:06.429 bedrock of her initial career success. As a bisexual 00:39:06.429 --> 00:39:08.710 woman, she has consistently attributed much of 00:39:08.710 --> 00:39:10.849 her breakthrough to the gay community and is 00:39:10.849 --> 00:39:13.530 universally regarded as a modern gay icon. Her 00:39:13.530 --> 00:39:16.550 advocacy has been hands on and political, as 00:39:16.550 --> 00:39:18.570 evidenced by the meat dress protests against 00:39:18.570 --> 00:39:21.869 the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in 2010. But 00:39:21.869 --> 00:39:24.230 perhaps the most emotional advocacy moment came 00:39:24.230 --> 00:39:26.610 after the tragic suicide of bullied teenager 00:39:26.610 --> 00:39:29.389 Jamie Rodemeyer, who referenced her in his final 00:39:29.389 --> 00:39:31.849 tweets. I remember that. Following that tragedy, 00:39:32.050 --> 00:39:33.849 Gaga used her platform to meet with President 00:39:33.849 --> 00:39:36.250 Obama directly to address anti -gay bullying 00:39:36.250 --> 00:39:39.289 in American schools. She has continued to be 00:39:39.289 --> 00:39:41.789 politically outspoken, publicly criticizing political 00:39:41.789 --> 00:39:44.170 figures, including Vice President Mike Pence 00:39:44.170 --> 00:39:47.590 in 2019, for their stance on LGBTQ rights. This 00:39:47.590 --> 00:39:49.969 powerful global platform and outspoken nature, 00:39:50.150 --> 00:39:51.980 however, has led to significant international 00:39:51.980 --> 00:39:54.360 resistance and censorship. Oh, definitely. We 00:39:54.360 --> 00:39:56.780 have clear examples globally. Malaysian radio 00:39:56.780 --> 00:40:00.059 stations censoring Born This Way lyrics and notably 00:40:00.059 --> 00:40:02.460 the systematic censorship by the Chinese government. 00:40:02.739 --> 00:40:05.420 After her 2016 meeting with the Dalai Lama, China 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:07.800 swiftly banned six songs from her album and later 00:40:07.800 --> 00:40:10.000 banned her distribution entirely, demonstrating 00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:12.139 the geopolitical friction her activism creates. 00:40:12.710 --> 00:40:15.530 But those external resistances only underscore 00:40:15.530 --> 00:40:19.389 her immense cultural legacy at home. She is broadly 00:40:19.389 --> 00:40:22.690 credited as one of the key musicians who popularized 00:40:22.690 --> 00:40:25.449 synth pop in the late 2000s and for treating 00:40:25.449 --> 00:40:27.909 her celebrity itself as an evolving art project. 00:40:28.409 --> 00:40:31.010 Time famously noted that she practically invented 00:40:31.010 --> 00:40:34.409 the current era of pop music as spectacle, influencing 00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:36.889 the next generation of pop artists who prioritize 00:40:36.889 --> 00:40:39.829 visual identity and theatricality artists like 00:40:39.829 --> 00:40:42.550 Billie Eilish and the drag -inflected showmanship 00:40:42.550 --> 00:40:45.309 spirit seen in Chapel Roan's work, which owes 00:40:45.309 --> 00:40:47.809 a direct debt to the Gaga playbook. And her cultural 00:40:47.809 --> 00:40:50.690 impact isn't limited to pop charts. She is now 00:40:50.690 --> 00:40:53.309 the subject of rigorous academic study with numerous 00:40:53.309 --> 00:40:56.110 higher education courses focusing on her influence. 00:40:56.309 --> 00:40:58.050 Like Lady Gaga and the Socio... Elegy of the 00:40:58.050 --> 00:41:00.289 Fame at the University of South Carolina, and 00:41:00.289 --> 00:41:03.349 Gaga for Gaga, Sex, Gender, and Identity at the 00:41:03.349 --> 00:41:05.750 University of Virginia. It's amazing. And here 00:41:05.750 --> 00:41:08.929 is perhaps the most fun, surprising detail that 00:41:08.929 --> 00:41:11.010 speaks to the sheer strange breadth of her legacy. 00:41:11.329 --> 00:41:14.050 She had literally been immortalized by science. 00:41:14.409 --> 00:41:16.730 Tell me. Several species have been named in her 00:41:16.730 --> 00:41:20.690 honor, including a genus of ferns, Gaga, an extinct 00:41:20.690 --> 00:41:24.190 mammal, Gagadon minimonstrum, and a parasitic 00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:27.570 wasp, Aliodes gaga. From the Rock and Roll Hall 00:41:27.570 --> 00:41:30.170 of Fame to the Botanical Garden and the Paleontology 00:41:30.170 --> 00:41:33.289 Lab, Lady Gaga's persona truly exists completely 00:41:33.289 --> 00:41:36.250 outside the normal human celebrity experience. 00:41:36.489 --> 00:41:38.989 Absolutely. So what does this all mean? We started 00:41:38.989 --> 00:41:41.230 with Stefania Germanotta, the classically trained 00:41:41.230 --> 00:41:44.030 pianist and disciplined method actress, and followed 00:41:44.030 --> 00:41:46.130 her trajectory through the explosive breakthrough 00:41:46.130 --> 00:41:48.869 fueled by performance art and massive pop anthems. 00:41:48.969 --> 00:41:51.250 We saw her navigate the subsequent successful 00:41:51.250 --> 00:41:53.789 phases, embracing stripped -down jazz standard 00:41:53.789 --> 00:41:56.650 mastery, demanding cinematic dramatic acting, 00:41:56.690 --> 00:41:59.630 and large -scale impactful activism. The versatility 00:41:59.630 --> 00:42:02.369 is not accidental. It is utterly connected back 00:42:02.369 --> 00:42:04.730 to that serious, disciplined foundation she laid 00:42:04.730 --> 00:42:07.030 as a child. The key takeaway is the profound 00:42:07.030 --> 00:42:09.829 scope of her artistic conquest and the strategic 00:42:09.829 --> 00:42:12.909 control she maintains. She's one of the few artists 00:42:12.909 --> 00:42:15.170 in modern history who managed to achieve global, 00:42:15.250 --> 00:42:18.110 record -breaking commercial success across three 00:42:18.110 --> 00:42:21.670 wildly different fronts simultaneously. maximalist 00:42:21.670 --> 00:42:24.269 pop music, earning serious critical accolades 00:42:24.269 --> 00:42:26.510 for stripped -down jazz, and winning major awards 00:42:26.510 --> 00:42:29.289 for dramatic method acting. She's proven over 00:42:29.289 --> 00:42:31.230 and over that she doesn't need the costume, the 00:42:31.230 --> 00:42:33.250 shocking visual, or the controversy to command 00:42:33.250 --> 00:42:35.630 attention. Yet she still chooses to employ them 00:42:35.630 --> 00:42:37.829 when the art or the political message demands 00:42:37.829 --> 00:42:40.210 that level of disruptive spectacle. That brings 00:42:40.210 --> 00:42:42.369 us to our final provocative thought for you to 00:42:42.369 --> 00:42:46.519 mull over. Consider this. If Stefani Joanne Angelina 00:42:46.519 --> 00:42:49.079 Germanotta had maintained the quiet, dedicated, 00:42:49.380 --> 00:42:51.800 perhaps even insecure persona she described from 00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:54.059 her high school days, Would we have seen the 00:42:54.059 --> 00:42:56.380 same cultural impact? Or was the public friction 00:42:56.380 --> 00:42:58.599 she intentionally created through her outlandish 00:42:58.599 --> 00:43:00.880 image, the fashion, the controversy, the monster, 00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:03.760 the essential ingredient? Was that deliberate, 00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:06.300 disruptive eccentricity the necessary vehicle 00:43:06.300 --> 00:43:08.940 that allowed her deep activism and serious artistry 00:43:08.940 --> 00:43:11.159 to finally resonate so profoundly with the global 00:43:11.159 --> 00:43:13.480 audience? She was mocked for being too eccentric 00:43:13.480 --> 00:43:16.380 early on. Today, that eccentricity is both her 00:43:16.380 --> 00:43:18.699 meticulously managed brand and her undeniable 00:43:18.699 --> 00:43:19.480 lasting legacy.