Lady GaGa is a theatrical dance-pop singer/songwriter whose commercial debut single, the international chart-topping smash hit "Just Dance," established her as an up-and-coming superstar upon its release in 2008. Born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, NY, she attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girl Catholic school in Manhattan, before proceeding to study music at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts at age 17. Influenced by flamboyant glam rockers such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury (indeed, her stage name is drawn from the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga") as well as '80s dance-poppers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, she began playing the piano at a young age and later began writing songs and performing as a teenager. In 2007 she began to make a name for herself on the downtown Manhattan club scene with a performance art show billed as Lady GaGa and the Starlight Revue (co-featuring Lady Starlight; born Colleen Martin, a DJ and makeup professional), and music industry insiders began to take note. While Lady GaGa was initially signed to Def Jam in 2007, nothing came of that association, and ultimately it was pop-rap superstar Akon who took her under his wing, signing her to his vanity label Kon Live in association with Interscope Records.

In addition to working for Interscope as a songwriter, Lady GaGa began preparing the launch of her solo career. Her debut single, "Just Dance," was released to radio in April 2008, and her full-length album debut, The Fame, followed in August. Featuring fellow Akon affiliate Colby O'Donis, "Just Dance" took much of 2008 to catch on. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in August, at which time it had already become a massive club hit, but it didn't reach number one until January 2009. Internationally, the song proved similarly popular, reaching the Top Ten throughout much of Western Europe and beyond. In the wake of Lady GaGa's international breakthrough success with "Just Dance," the follow-up single, "Poker Face," was an even greater success, topping singles charts across the board, from the U.S. and Western Europe to Australia and New Zealand. Both songs were produced by Akon affiliate RedOne, who, along with Rob Fusari, co-wrote and produced much of The Fame, itself an international success in critical as well as commercial terms. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

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Depending on who you talk to, Lady Gaga is either a brilliant popstar or a persistent annoyance; or both. She has dominated the charts and the popular media in 2009, thanks to a succession of hit singles and some increasingly bizarre outfits and live performances.

Stefani Germanotta quit Art School without graduating after winning a record deal with Def Jam at the age of 19. But she was dropped after just three months and instead got involved in the rock scene of New York's Lower East Side. She developed a theatrical stage show in tandem with performance artist Lady Starlight, and caught the attention of staff at Akon's Konvict label. She was invited to write songs for him, before Akon himself persuaded Interscope Records' boss Jimmy Iovine to sign her as an artist in her own right. With Akon and producer RedOne, Gaga put together her own debut album The Fame.

Lady Gaga's debut single "Just Dance" was released in April 2008 but it took a long time to catch on: in August it reached the Hot 100, and five months later it finally hit No.1. Follow-up "Poker Face" was released in December 08 but it was held back by "Just Dance"'s success; eventually it also topped the chart in April 2009. Lady Gaga's domestic success was mirrored across the world, as both early singles topped charts throughout Europe and in Australia. She was also gaining a lot of press due to the fabulous outfits she wore on stage shows and at events: in one famous appearance on German TV, she wore an outfit consisting entirely of stitched-together Kermit The Frog puppets.

"LoveGame", "Paparazzi" and "Bad Romance" were also big hits before 2009 was out. In November, she released a special deluxe version of The Fame, including eight entirely new tracks, called The Fame Monster.