An icon and inspiration to everyone, Lady Gaga has had a powerful impact on people since the very beginning. Her first album, The Fame, was released in 2008, including well-known songs like, “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi.” With her courageous look, Gaga hit the world with a modernized and never before seen sound.
Gaga’s second album, Born This Way, was released in 2011, containing the songs “The Edge of Glory” and “Born This Way.” During the two years in between her two albums, Gaga introduced the world to the infamous “meat dress” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Her looks may seem absurd to some, but she always had a deeper meaning to her outfit choices. For example, when she wore the “meat dress,” she was accompanied by two army vets who were let go because they were gay. Her message was that in the end, everyone is just dead meat. It’s not straight meat or gay meat, just dead meat. Little did America know, this was only the beginning of the lengths she would go to make a point and be noticed. Throughout her career, Lady Gaga has told the world, “look at me,” and they did.
Artpop, Gaga’s third album, was released in 2013 and was probably one of her most interesting albums to be released. Lady Gaga’s career has had quite the dynamics. She started out with a flash, catching everyone’s attention, and then slowly opened herself up to the world. This album was the last of her “flashy” moments (but who knows what the future holds). She did every controversial, attention-grabbing and truly fearless thing that she didn’t do in her previous albums. To some, this could seem like a sort of last hurrah to the “craziness” of her career.
In 2014, Gaga collaborated with Tony Bennett to create the Jazz album, Cheek to Cheek, singing covers by famous jazz artists. This took quite the turn from her previous music. It was a complete 180-degree shift. Fans were finally allowed to see who Lady Gaga was as a person. In 2015, Gaga also made an appearance as a main character in American Horror Story’s fifth season, Hotel. She was later seen in more guest roles in a couple of the show’s future seasons.
Later, in 2016, her fifth album, Joanne, was released. This was named after and dedicated to Gaga’s aunt that passed away. Featuring songs like “A Million Reasons” and “Perfect Illusion,” this album showed a raw and vulnerable side to Lady Gaga that we hadn’t seen before.
Then, in 2017, Gaga was seen dropping from the ceiling at the Super Bowl, bringing back memories of all that she had done with glam and the “shock factor” she seems to ensue. Following the Super Bowl, her documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, was released. Fans were given an in-depth look at her life. With incredible courage, she let us in on her deepest struggles and fears, including suffering from Fibromyalgia (a chronic joint and muscle pain). This was an incredible film that allowed audiences to see the strong and powerful person behind the costumes and makeup.
In 2018, the movie A Star is Born was released, featuring Lady Gaga alongside actor Bradley Cooper. This is an incredibly moving and powerful film that shows the journey of two artists. In the final scene of the movie, Gaga gives a tear-jerking performance of the song “I’ll Never Love Again.”
Gaga’s newest album, Chromatica, was set to be released on April 10, 2020. However, due to COVID-19, it has been delayed. Lady Gaga continues to astound people. She has covered the entire spectrum of the music and film industry and all that it has to offer. She went from over-the-top, shocking performances to vulnerable and real artistic endeavors. She is an idol in the arts community and an inspiration to all. The incredible, powerful person she is will never go unnoticed. During this difficult time, she and artists like her are needed more than ever. She has truly built a beautiful, passionate career, and the world is excited to see what else she has to offer.