I think I’m gaga over Lady Gaga, the next American pop musical phenom. She may be the next Madonna, even with recent revelations she’s gay (I did see her kissing another woman in one video) and a hermaphrodite (having both male and female body parts).
But either way, her electro-pop, glamtastic dance music is sweeping the charts and her first CD, The Fame (2008), hit No. 1. Her first No. 1 singles were “Just dDance” and “Poker Face.” Watch for “Paparazzi” and an innocent song, “Eh, eh,” to reach No. 1 soon. Cherry cherry boom boom.
Only 23 and already famous for her costumes, her music blends hip-hop, David Bowie and the glam bands of the ’80s. Part Madonna, part Michael Jackson, and part Queen. She got her stage name from the Queen song, “Radio Ga Ga” (1984).
Lady Gaga’s real name is Stefani Germanotta (DOB: 3-28-86), a brunette of Italian descent from New York City. She colored her hair blond so she wouldn’t be mistaken for fellow singer, Amy Winehouse (“I won’t go to rehab, no, no, no”). She attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied music, and while there, wrote socio-political and religious essays to improve her songwriting.
Like Bette Midler, she’s a gay icon. Her first major performances were at gay events and her premier TV appearance was on the gay network, Logo, and she’s been a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where she championed herself a fighter for gay rights.
Starting out playing the drag queen clubs of lower Manhattan, she did “trash dances” and burlesque rockshows. Her makeup and look is a cross between trashy and sci-fi. Her stage acts are theatrical and sometimes bizarre. Her red head-to-toe red veil (opposite the Afghani blue burkha) she wore at the MTV Music Awards in mid-September was a bit odd and unique, but that’s what’s so interesting about Ms. Germanotta. And boy, can she can sing.
Lady Gaga’s videos are artistic and her lyrics are hip and sometimes sexual. Her look, fresh yet complex, her figure, thin and great and maybe she’ll raise consciousness about “multiple gendered” people.
But all that aside, her music is great, and isn’t that all that matters? I’d submit she represents the artistic best of New York City.
Jeff E. Jared is a Kirkland resident and attorney.
