Lady Gaga Through the Years: From Pop Star to Oscar Winner (2024)

Since hitting the scene, Lady Gaga has become one of the most famous faces in pop music history.The New York City native released her debut single, “Just Dance,” in April 2008. As she continued to drop one chart-topping hit after another, from “Bad Romance” to “Born This Way” to “Million Reasons,” she quickly became a household name across the world, thanks in part to her innovative, avant-garde costumes.Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) has since released five albums, in addition to the soundtrack for A Star Is Born, in which she starred alongside Bradley Cooper. “Shallow,” a duet from the film, earned the nine-time Grammy winner an Oscar, bringing her halfway to EGOT status just over a decade into her career.“I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about … winning. What it’s about is not giving up,” she declared while accepting her Academy Award in February 2019. “If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”When Gaga is not busy performing or acting, she uses her platform to be a vocal champion for mental health, LGBT rights, body positivity and female empowerment. The “Rain on Me” singer has spoken candidly about her own struggles, discussing the battle between her onstage persona and her everyday self.“My biggest enemy is Lady Gaga, that's what I was thinking. My biggest enemy is her,” she said on CBS This Morning in September 2020, detailing a particularly dark period of her career. “You can't go to the grocery store now. If you go to dinner with your family [and] somebody comes to the table, you can’t have dinner with your family without it being about you, it’s always about you. All the time it's about you. … I hated being famous, I hated being a star, I felt exhausted and used up.”However, things started to change following the release of her sixth album, Chromatica, in May 2020. “I don't hate Lady Gaga anymore," she told CBS. "Now I look at this piano and I go, ‘Ugh, my God, my piano, my piano that I love so much. My piano, that lets me speak, my piano that lets me make poetry. My piano that’s mine.’”The ever-evolving entertainer has credited her success to her hardworking family. Dad Joe Germanotta owns Joanne Trattoria, a homestyle Italian restaurant on NYC’s Upper West Side; mom Cynthia Germanotta cofounded the Born This Way Foundation with Gaga; and sister Natali Germanotta has designed many of the performer’s outfits. Gaga has also said that she is inspired by her late aunt Joanne Germanotta, who died in 1974 from lupus at the age of 19.Scroll down to see photos of Gaga through the years![podcast_block]

Since hitting the scene, Lady Gaga has become one of the most famous faces in pop music history.The New York City native released her debut single, “Just Dance,” in April 2008. As she continued to drop one chart-topping hit after another, from “Bad Romance” to “Born This Way” to “Million Reasons,” she quickly became a household name across the world, thanks in part to her innovative, avant-garde costumes.Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) has since released five albums, in addition to the soundtrack for A Star Is Born, in which she starred alongside Bradley Cooper. “Shallow,” a duet from the film, earned the nine-time Grammy winner an Oscar, bringing her halfway to EGOT status just over a decade into her career.“I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about … winning. What it’s about is not giving up,” she declared while accepting her Academy Award in February 2019. “If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”When Gaga is not busy performing or acting, she uses her platform to be a vocal champion for mental health, LGBT rights, body positivity and female empowerment. The “Rain on Me” singer has spoken candidly about her own struggles, discussing the battle between her onstage persona and her everyday self.“My biggest enemy is Lady Gaga, that's what I was thinking. My biggest enemy is her,” she said on CBS This Morning in September 2020, detailing a particularly dark period of her career. “You can't go to the grocery store now. If you go to dinner with your family [and] somebody comes to the table, you can’t have dinner with your family without it being about you, it’s always about you. All the time it's about you. … I hated being famous, I hated being a star, I felt exhausted and used up.”However, things started to change following the release of her sixth album, Chromatica, in May 2020. “I don't hate Lady Gaga anymore," she told CBS. "Now I look at this piano and I go, ‘Ugh, my God, my piano, my piano that I love so much. My piano, that lets me speak, my piano that lets me make poetry. My piano that’s mine.’”The ever-evolving entertainer has credited her success to her hardworking family. Dad Joe Germanotta owns Joanne Trattoria, a homestyle Italian restaurant on NYC’s Upper West Side; mom Cynthia Germanotta cofounded the Born This Way Foundation with Gaga; and sister Natali Germanotta has designed many of the performer’s outfits. Gaga has also said that she is inspired by her late aunt Joanne Germanotta, who died in 1974 from lupus at the age of 19.Scroll down to see photos of Gaga through the years![podcast_block]

A year before her breakthrough, Gaga performed a four-song set with Lady Starlight, her close friend from New York, at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.

Gaga released her debut album, The Fame, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was one of the bestselling records of the year. It included the electropop singles “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say),” “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi.”

Gaga delivered a jaw-dropping performance of “Paparazzi” at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that ended with her staggering across the stage with fake blood dripping from her rib cage. She took home three awards, including Best New Artist.

Gaga dropped an eight-song EP titled The Fame Monster that featured darker themes than her debut. The singles included “Bad Romance,” “Telephone” and “Alejandro.”

Gaga took home her first two Grammys: Best Dance Recording for “Poker Face” and Best Electronic/Dance Album for The Fame. The disc was also nominated for Album of the Year, but lost to Taylor Swift’s Fearless. Gaga and Elton John opened the show with a medley of their songs, facing each other as they played a double piano.

Gaga shocked the audience and viewers at home when she stepped on stage at the 2010 VMAs in a dress made of raw beef — with a matching purse and boots — to accept Video of the Year for “Bad Romance.” The dress, which was condemned by PETA, was preserved and put on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gaga ended up taking home eight Moon Person trophies from her 13 nominations.

Gaga delivered an impassioned speech at a political rally in Portland, Maine, against the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which forced LGBT servicepeople to hide or lie about their sexual orientation. The U.S. policy was repealed that December.

Continuing her tradition of wacky outfits, Gaga arrived at the 53rd Grammy Awards in a giant egg carried across the red carpet by four attendees. She emerged from the vessel during her performance of “Born This Way” before taking home three awards: Best Pop Vocal Album for The Fame Monster plus Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video, both for “Bad Romance.”

Gaga’s first HBO special, Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden, featured footage from her concert at the iconic New York venue. It received five Emmy nominations, winning one for Outstanding Picture Editing.

Gaga released her second full-length album, Born This Way, which became her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The tracklist, which featured a mix of pop, dance and rock songs, included the title track single as well as “Judas,” “The Edge of Glory,” “Yoü and I” and “Marry the Night.” The album scored three Grammy nominations, including Gaga’s third consecutive Album of the Year nod.

Gaga met her future fiancé, Taylor Kinney, on the set of her “Yoü and I” music video, in which he played her love interest. The couple got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2015, but amicably called it quits in July 2016.

Gaga turned heads at the 2011 VMAs when she showed up dressed in drag. She performed “Yoü and I” as her alter ego Jo Calderone before presenting Britney Spears with the Video Vanguard Award. Gaga took home two trophies: Best Female Video and Best Video With a Message, both for “Born This Way.”

Gaga and her mother, Cynthia, launched their Born This Way Foundation to create “a kinder and braver world.” The nonprofit organization aims to improve mental health resources for children in communities across the world. (Gaga herself is a survivor of sexual assault.)

Gaga was forced to cancel the remaining scheduled dates of her Born This Way Ball tour after injuring her right hip due to the show’s high-intensity choreography. She underwent surgery for a labral tear.

Gaga made her movie debut in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, in which she had a small role alongside cast members Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofía Vergara, Amber Heard and Antonio Banderas.

Gaga released her third album, Artpop, which became her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 despite mixed reviews. She promoted singles including “Applause” and “Do What U Want” with performances on Saturday Night Live, The Howard Stern Show and her own Thanksgiving Day special on ABC, Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular.

After much discussion, Gaga teamed up with Tony Bennett to record a collaborative jazz album titled Cheek to Cheek. They became close friends and continued performing together in the years that followed, in addition to doing a 36-date tour across North America and Europe in support of the project.

Gaga sang a medley of songs from The Sound of Music, including “My Favorite Things” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” at the Oscars to celebrate the beloved film’s 50th anniversary. At the end of the performance, Julie Andrews, who played Maria in the 1965 classic, joined Gaga on stage.

In her first major TV role, Gaga starred as The Countess on American Horror Story: Hotel. She won a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a miniseries for her work in the FX anthology’s fifth season.

Gaga kicked off Super Bowl 50 (in which the Denver Broncos went on to defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10) with a stunning rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Gaga performed a tribute to the late David Bowie, who died weeks earlier, at the 58th Grammy Awards. Channeling his glam alter ego Ziggy Stardust, she ran through a medley of singles including “Space Oddity,” “Fashion,” “Fame” and “Let’s Dance.”

After years of wacky costumes, Gaga debuted a toned-down, country-inspired look for her folky fifth album, Joanne, which became yet another No. 1. It was named after her late aunt. The album’s singles included “Perfect Illusion” and “Million Reasons.” It scored two Grammy nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.

One year after singing the national anthem, Gaga returned to the Super Bowl to headline the halftime show. She kicked off her set from the top of Houston’s NRG Stadium before jumping down to the main stage (it was later revealed that the opening portion was pre-recorded). Gaga received critical acclaim for her performance, which included “Poker Face,” “Born This Way” and “Bad Romance.”

Gaga went public with her romance with talent agent Christian Carino when they were spotted kissing on the football field ahead of her Super Bowl performance. That summer, Us broke the news that the couple were secretly engaged. They ended up calling it quits in February 2019.

Gaga continued to dominate when she headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. During her set, she debuted a standalone electropop single titled “The Cure” that was more reminiscent of her early work than the material on Joanne.

Gaga debuted her Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, which documented the making of Joanne as well as her battle with fibromyalgia. She also spoke in the film about her breakup with Kinney, her on-off feud with Madonna and her Super Bowl halftime performance.

Five years after the Born This Way Ball abruptly ended, Gaga had to cancel the final 10 dates of her Joanne world tour due to severe pain from fibromyalgia. “I’m so devastated,” she said in a statement, noting that the decision was “beyond my control.”

Gaga and Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born hit theaters to critical acclaim. She played aspiring singer Ally, while the actor portrayed struggling musician Jackson Maine and also directed the musical. The onscreen couple sang all of the songs live on set, and the soundtrack shot to the top of the Billboard charts.

Gaga launched her Enigma residency at Park MGM’s Park Theater in Las Vegas just before the new year. She has two different shows: one that features her biggest pop hits and another with jazz and piano classics from the Great American Songbook.

Gaga added “Oscar winner” to her résumé when “Shallow” from A Star Is Born won Best Original Song at the 91st Academy Awards. She and Cooper performed an intimate rendition of the track during the ceremony, which sparked romance rumors despite his long-term relationship with supermodel Irina Shayk.

Gaga served as cochair of the 2019 Met Gala, where she rocked a giant pink dress, which was one of four looks she donned in homage to the evening's theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion.”

Gaga announced that she planned to launch her own beauty brand, Haus Laboratories, which would be cruelty-free, vegan and gender inclusive.

Gaga went Instagram official with her new boyfriend, Michael Polansky, on Valentine's Day. "We had so much fun in Miami. Love to all my little monsters and fans, you’re the best!" the singer captioned a photo of herself cuddled up to her beau on a boat.

Gaga dropped her song "Stupid Love" from her album Chromatica, marking her first solo release since 2016's Joanne.

The “Free Woman” singer accepted the first-ever Tricon award at the 2020 VMAs, celebrating her work as a musician, actress and philanthropist. “This means a lot to me,” she said at the time. “I’ve been making music since I was a little girl. And even though I had really, really big dreams, I truly never could have imagined that someday I would be given an award like this that honored me for so many of my passions. I want you to know I’ve failed over and over again as an actress and as a musician when I was young.”

Gaga helped usher in a new presidency at Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. During the event at the U.S. Capitol, she belted the “Star Spangled Banner.”