Born Stefani Germanotta, New York singer/songwriter Lady Gaga has been described as “the next rock pop electro superstar” and is currently all over the airwaves with the single, “Just Dance” from her debut CD, The Fame. Joe Leary spent 24 Seconds with Lady Gaga.
24: I understand that you took the stage name ‘Gaga’ from the Queen song, “Radio Gaga.”
LG: Actually, I didn’t name myself. My producer Rob Fusari used to call me that in the studio. I would perform on piano for him and he was like, “You are just so freakin’ Freddie Mercury, you are so dramatic.” He started calling me Gaga and I thought it was cool and then my friends started calling me that.
24: In addition to being a performer, you’ve written songs for the Pussycat Dolls and have just written a couple of songs for Britney Spears’ upcoming album. How did that situation come about?
LG: It came about quickly and in an unconventional way. I wrote the songs thinking it might be for my own record and then Larry Rudolph (Britney’s manager) was sort of lurking around when we were in the studio and heard one of them and I got a call saying that Britney wants it and I said, “Give it to her – let her have it.” My record was pretty much done anyway. It’s an amazing song but there’s nothing like having a superstar singing your lyrics. Then it just so happened that she heard another song that I did with a different producer that she also gravitated towards and I don’t even know if she knew that I wrote it. I was supposed to go in and produce her vocals but I couldn’t do it because I was on tour, but I heard that she is dancing her pants off in the studio and so excited.
24: You must be proud of the fact that other artists of the day are taking your material.
LG: It really means a lot. I worked with Donnie Wahlberg on the latest New Kids on the Block record, I just did a record that Beyonce recorded for her next album and I’m not sure if any of them know it’s me and that makes it even more exciting because they have no idea where it’s coming from.
24: You’ve got a cool style to you. Do you ever think about entering into fashion of some sort?
LG: Oh, for sure, but I actually don’t think that I would tie any kind of fashion line in with my name. I think that I would do it under a totally different company name with obviously my style, but I think there’s a really big difference between merchandise and fashion and I wouldn’t want to just make merchandise that is fashion. I’d rather have my own fashion line and make merchandise be separate.
24: What was it like for you the first time you heard some song of yours on the radio?
LG: I nearly almost lost it – actually, I did lose it. I was for sure crying, but it was almost to the point of embarrassment because I’d been working for so long and it sounded so good. It gets all compressed and sometimes sped up and it’s got that radio thing to it. People ask me “Is it weird?” or when you walk down the street and get recognized, “Is it strange?” and there’s an element of that but I feel really ready. I’ve been playing out in New York since I was 14 … it’s been a very long time. This is my stage and I’m not going anywhere.